Thursday 05-02-2026 - 10:12

The Belonging Fund: How You Can Get Involved
Written by SU Content Creator, Sarah Crooks

What is the Belonging Fund?

The Belonging Fund is a new joint initiative between Durham University’s Schools Outreach & Widening Participation (SOWP) team and the Students’ Union (SU), based on the findings of the recent Belonging Report. The report found that many of our students from underrepresented backgrounds – particularly those from Northern counties and lower socio-economic backgrounds – often experienced exclusion and isolation during their time at Durham.

The Belonging Fund offers students the opportunity to be a part of the change, organising their own projects to foster a sense of belonging within Durham, backed by up to £10,000 of funding, and be paid a fair wage for their time while doing it!

The Belonging Fund isn’t a competition; we want to give away as much of our annual fund budget as possible, to as many different projects as possible. We’re genuinely excited to see what you come up with, so please don’t be intimidated by our application process, and feel free to reach out if you need help planning out your project for our application form.

Who is the Belonging Fund for?

The Belonging Fund was designed with our access and participation plan in mind, and we strongly encourage applications from students who feel underrepresented in Durham.  With that in mind, any Durham student can apply, as can Durham staff, provided they can prove their project has been co-created with students!

From discussions with our student panel, we workshopped this statement as an encapsulation of what belonging might mean as a student at Durham University:

Belonging isn’t about fitting in—it’s about feeling free. Free to make connections,

share experiences, and have an influence during their time at university.

Your project must be directed towards fostering a sense of belonging for unrepresented students within Durham University. This includes, as defined by our access and participation plan:

• Students of BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) heritage
• First-generation scholars
• Mature students
• Students from lower-income backgrounds
• Students with disabilities or mental health conditions

What can I use the Funds for?

The scope for what you can do with your grant is as broad as the definition of belonging itself!

One of our main takeaways from the Belonging Report is that concrete action and real change must come as a result of sincere honesty and critical reflection. Start conversations with peers and friends, and ask yourself introspective questions about what it means to belong, reflecting on your own experiences here at Durham.

To help you get started, here are just some of the ideas suggested by our student panel:

• Exhibitions and art projects
• Research projects
• Field trips to cultural sites across the North East
• College wardrobes with free-to-rent formal wear 
• Provisions for student support networks
• In college activities specifically for livers out
• Funding for student and community groups to host inclusive, free events
• Cross-campus music or culture nights
• Collaborative work with the local community

While we have very few restrictions on what you can do with your funding, we have some guidelines in place to ensure that your funding is used appropriately:

• Any hiring contracts paid for by the Belonging Fund must have a definite end date
• Money from the fund cannot be used to pay for salaried staff time. It may be used for the costs of part-time staff, such as Durham Student Ambassadors, or student interns.
• The fund can’t be used to pay for the needs of individual students – if you or someone you know requires individual support, please contact your college, student support, or the Students’ Union. 
• The fund cannot be used for building works, for example, to make buildings more accessible.
• Any events funded by the Belonging Fund must be free for all participants

When can I apply?

The applications run in rounds throughout the academic year up until the end of Easter term:

• First round opens on  14January and closes on  20 February
• The Second round opens on  19 March and closes on  30 April
• The third and final round opens 29May and closes on  13 July

How can I apply?

Once you’ve brainstormed some initial ideas, the next step in the process is to find a staff sponsor. This can be anyone who works within the University or the SU, ideally someone whose role is relevant to your project.

Your staff sponsor will ensure your degree doesn’t take a backseat while you’re running your project. How much they get involved is up to the two of you; your sponsor could simply focus on admin tasks, or be central to the planning and execution of your project. If you’re struggling to find a staff sponsor, get in touch with us via the contact details at the bottom of the page, and we can help connect you with a relevant staff member.

Once you’re ready, fill in our application form! We’ll ask you for a brief summary of your proposed activity, your aims, and how much you’d like to bid, as well as a breakdown of how this money would be allocated. We allow bids of up to £10,000 for large-scale projects, although for standard activities, the budget would likely be £5,000 or less.

We strongly encourage you to get in touch with us at any time during the process, whether to ask  questions or bounce ideas off us before submitting your application, or afterwards, to discuss any additional support you need or any questions you might have about the specifics of your plans.

Contact us via email :

belongingfund@durham.ac.uk

More information on the Belonging Fund can be found on Sharepoint.