Student communities reap the benefits of funding support
Each term, committee members – such as Abhi Raheja, above – attend at least two of the initiatives funded by Student Initiatives Fund and then present the initiatives to the rest of the committee.
Funding for student projects is available from a range of sources on campus, but the Student Initiatives Fund (SIF) goes one step further – involving students in the granting process itself.
Since its relaunch as SIF in 2015 (it was previously called PFACS), the program has contributed close to $1 million to 330 student projects, including the Ryerson Fastpitch Team and the TARA Awards. SIF grants up to $9,000 for new initiatives and $4,500 for established ones, funding community-building projects that increase student engagement, foster innovation, and incorporate diversity and inclusion.
For each of these initiatives, students are the ones both applying for financial support and granting it. This gives them the opportunity to learn first-hand about both sides of the process.
SIF in action
“It was very relevant in terms of real-world experience,” said Lea Ambros, a third-year midwifery student who helped co-ordinate the fundraising application for the Ontario Student Midwife Conference held in September 2018. “I used to run a non-profit organization, so I found it incredibly user-friendly, to-the-point and a really great process.”
The conference received close to $2,500 to help fund speaker fees, food, and some printing costs, said Ambros. The one-day event brought together 62 midwifery students from across Ontario to learn about a diverse range of topics affecting midwifery today.
“It’s a sharing of knowledge, networking and broadening of horizons and ideas,” she said.
The SIF application process is intentionally structured in the peer-to-peer format so that students learn how to develop budgets, speak in front of a panel, and summarize their goals and ideas. “Sometimes people new to doing funding applications can feel overwhelmed at having to come up with all those answers,” explained Ambros. “But this was a very useful process that helped you focus and condense what you really want to do and can express that.”
As part of the application process, students are required to attend an initial information session, create a detailed budget for their initiative, and answer questions about target audience, marketing, community contribution, financial sustainability, and more.
“If you’re asked to go to the next step,” said Ambros, “you do an in-person pitch to a large group of representatives from all faculties.”
Peer-to-peer approach
The SIF peer-granting committee is made up of other Ryerson students, such as Abhi Raheja, a second-year journalism student who served on the committee for the first time in September. Abhi, an international student from India, evaluated applications from the Ryerson Rams wrestling team, among others. To help assess their application, he attended the team’s practice.
“The wrestling practice reminded me of how everyone helps each other better their performance,” he said. “Where you focus on finding the common ground between everyone and use that to perform better.
Abhi is looking forward to working on the committee again this semester. “By participating in SIF, I learned that there are still many individuals out there who are putting in an honest and sincere effort to help each other and make this world a better place and Ryerson gives them a comfortable, safe space to do so.”
Lea Ambros agrees, “SIF is a wonderful resource for Ryerson students and I encourage anyone who has ideas to try and make them happen with the available funds.”
Need funding for a community-building student project?
Submit your SIF application by January 28. Find out more at Student Initiatives Fund.
The Student Initiatives Fund (SIF) is a grant-funding, standing committee that reports to the Student Services Advisory Committee. SIF is administered by the Department of Student Life on behalf of Ryerson University.