About the Scheme

Staff and students can apply to WIE for funds to deliver public engagement events or activities.

In exchange you will have to demonstrate how you will meaningfully share the learning gained from running this event with others, by completing a brief evaluation (a template will be provided to you if you’re successful in your application) and sharing the learning from this with colleagues at our conference, via a Resonate Story, or another departmental event.

All events we provide funding to must agree to abide by the principles of our Inclusive Engagement Statement.

What do you mean by public engagement?

Please read our webpage about what public engagement is. In your application, please show how you will engage with people outside universities and professionals in your field (i.e. not just other staff or students, and we do not fund conference attendance).

How will applications be judged

Applications will be checked internally by the WIE Team to confirm the funding will be used in line with the purpose of the scheme, and then awards are made on a first come, first served basis. Once the fund has been allocated, we will close to new applications until the start of the following term.

You will normally hear from us within two weeks regarding the outcome of your application.

How much funding can I apply for?

• The maximum award is £200.
• If you require more funding for an in-depth project we recommend looking at URSS Public Engagement Projects, or the Collaboration and Co-Production Fund. You can also email wie@warwick.ac.uk and we’re happy to meet to discuss your plans and explore if we can find budget to support you.

Who can apply?

• This award is open to staff and students
• You do not have to be a WIE Fellow to apply, however they will have the first opportunity to apply each term before it’s advertised more widely to others.
• We operate a 2 strike policy for no shows at our externally led masterclasses. If you book a masterclass and do not attend without cancelling your place 7 days in advance you will receive a strike. After 2 strikes we will no longer allow you to book for our masterclasses, and you will be barred from applying to this fund until the following academic year.

• Please note you can only receive support from this fund once per academic year.

What types of events can I get funding for?

• WIE does not support activity with schools through this fund, please speak to the relevant Widening Participation/ Outreach Team from your department.
• We do not fund conference attendance to network with academic peers, or policy engagement at a local government, parliamentary or international level as we do not view these as audiences that fit within the remit of WIE activity. Please speak to the Policy Engagement Team if you want to do this. If your aim is to engage audiences to influence policy within a community organisation or charity, that would be acceptable. Please contact the team if you're unsure.
• You must be working with a public audience. We do not include other students or staff at any university as members of the public.
• We are happy to pay for travel and subsistence, materials, and catering relevant to delivering public engagement activity. For example:

• Costs to cover fees to run a stand at an external event
• Mini-buses to bring community groups to campus
• Travel costs for you/ your partners to deliver an event elsewhere in the country
• Catering whilst meeting members of an external community group (please be aware the university has specific financial regulations around this and you may need additional time to arrange this if your activity is off campus).

When should I apply?

You should apply at least one month before you need to spend the money. This is to allow time for your application to be reviewed and for University financial processes to be followed. If you apply with less than one month's notice, we cannot guarantee that we’ll be able to fund your request. If your request is complex, for example you need to use a supplier not already approved by finance, or you need fin regs approval (for example if you’re using an external caterer), we would recommend giving 3 months notice.

There is no restriction on when your event takes place vs which fund you apply for. For example, you can apply in October for an event happening in July, but you must spend the allocated funds by 31 July 2024. After this point (the end of the financial year) WIE will no longer have the budget to allocate to you and any unclaimed expenses will be your own to cover.

This fund reopens at the start of each term. Awards are made on a first come, first served basis. Once the fund has been allocated, we will close to new applications until the start of the following term.

Please note you can only receive support from this fund once per academic year. If your application is unsuccessful, you are welcome to submit another one in the same year.

What do I have to do after I have delivered the event?

As part of your application, you will commit to both of the following:

• Complete a short evaluation – we will provide a template for this upon contacting you to confirm you’ve been funded.
• Share your learning with others within 12 months of receiving funding.

We will contact you to ask for an update on these so that we can monitor the impact of this fund.

Fund Dates

The fund will open at the start of each academic term and remain open until the budget has been spent. Awards are made on a first come, first served basis (as long as the application demonstrates you meet our criteria) so there is no deadline as such.We will open the fund to WIE Fellows first each term, before accepting applications from others.

Spring Call

Applications currently open to all

Summer Call

Applications accepted from WIE Fellows from Monday 22 April

Applications from all others accepted from Monday 29 April