Applying to your school for a grant: the application that gets through
Provisional budget, objectives, documents to attach, report on use: how to build a grant application that the institution can accept.
For most student associations, the school is the main funder. But a grant is not a goodwill gesture: it is money the institution must in turn be able to account for. A good application is therefore one that helps the person receiving it to say yes — and to explain that decision to their management.
Know where to apply
Depending on the institution, student life funds travel through different channels:
- an association life budget managed by the school's management or the student life office, often allocated at the start of the year;
- calls for projects, in many institutions partly funded by the CVEC (contribution de vie étudiante et de campus, the student and campus life contribution) paid by students;
- in universities, committees dedicated to student initiatives.
Find out about the calendar: most channels have submission deadlines and committees that meet on fixed dates. An excellent application submitted a week late will wait for the next session.
What the application must contain
The project, on one page
What are you going to do, for whom, when and where? What is the objective: how many students reached, what benefit for the campus? Be specific: "an inter-school tournament of 16 teams, open to first-year students" says more than "fostering cohesion".
A balanced provisional budget
This is the document people look at first. Two columns:
| Expenses | Income |
|---|---|
| Venue hire | Ticketing |
| Security, insurance | Sponsors |
| Equipment, transport | Grant requested from the school |
| … | The association's own funds |
Total expenses must equal total income: the grant requested is what balances the budget. A budget in which the school funds 100% of the project is worrying; showing other sources (ticketing, partners, the association's share) gives reassurance that the project is sound.
Base your figures on real quotes where possible, and attach them.
The administrative documents
As a rule: bylaws, récépissé (acknowledgement of filing) of the declaration, composition of the board, insurance certificate, the association's bank details (RIB), and the latest approved accounts. Prepare them once for the year; they are reused for every application.
After payment: reporting back
A grant commits the association. After the project, the school expects a report:
- a financial report comparing actual figures with the provisional budget, with receipts for the expenses funded;
- a qualitative report: actual attendance, what worked, what should change.
If the project cost less than planned or did not take place, say so: depending on the institution's rules, the unspent balance may have to be repaid, or reallocated with its consent. A transparent report is the best argument for the following year's application.
The mistakes that get an application rejected
- A budget that does not balance, or one built on guesswork.
- A project where it is unclear who benefits.
- No report on the previous grant.
- Missing documents, which force the office to chase you.
- A submission outside the calendar.
On the school's side: tracking every application in one place
For the institution, the difficulty is the reverse: dozens of applications, by email, in different formats, and reports that never arrive. On toGaether, associations submit their applications on the platform; the school manages its budget allocations, tracks each application, the payments and the reports, and sees at a glance which associations are up to date with their obligations.
Further reading: keeping the accounts of a student union (BDE).
