About the USF

The Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) Undergraduate Student Fund (USF) was established in 2009, and is replenished annually by collecting a $50.00 donation from each undergraduate FIMS student’s tuition fee*. Donations collected through the USF enhance the operation of the FIMS Undergraduate Students’ Council (FIMSSC) by providing the necessary funding for new and exciting initiatives, services, and events for FIMS undergraduate students.

*Part-time students, and students participating in an exchange do not pay the student donation fee.

The USF committee meets three times per year (October, January, and March) to review applications and determine how the Student Donation funds will be allocated. As such, there are three deadlines to note:
October 15, January 30, and March 15.

The next deadline for proposal submissions is Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

Eligibility

Any FIMS undergraduate student, staff or faculty member may submit an application to the USF. Students must have paid into the USF in the current year to be eligible to submit a proposal.

How Funding Works

Funding decisions are made by the USF Committee, made up of FIMS undergraduate students, staff and faculty.

  • All funds specified must be in Canadian dollars
  • Partial funding for projects will be considered
  • Projects that have sought/secured other sources of funding may receive special consideration
  • An application for reimbursement of funds already spent prior to submitting a proposal is not guaranteed and will be granted only under exceptional circumstances
  • You must submit a complete proposal, including but not limited to, pictures or links, a comprehensive list of specifications, and any relevant budgetary details (quotes, estimates, order details, etc.)
  • Each year the USF committee will strive to sponsor a variety of short- and long-term initiatives
  • The USF will support a wide diversity of projects and aims to benefit the interests of all FIMS undergraduate students
  • Unsuccessful applicants may be encouraged to reapply

Your Responsibilities as a Successful Applicant

Should your proposal be granted, you will be responsible for a number of important things:

Organization:

  • Confirming all financial and organizational details of the project with the Administrative Assistant, Finance and Research (a member of the Dean’s Office staff) in advance of initiating work on an event or project
  • Immediately notifying the USF committee of any postponements or cancellations of projects; all cancelled projects will result in the awarded funds being returned to the USF
  • Preparing a brief report on the impact/success of the project or event, including a complete financial accounting that details all monies spent (this should include quotes, estimates, order details, etc.), to be submitted to the committee once the events or activities have concluded
  • Meeting any additional conditions that are included in the approval letter by the USF committee
  • Should the proposed event/project proceed without having met the conditions outline in the approval letter from the USF committee, the applicant (the name on the application) will be held personally responsible for payment of costs associated with the event/project

Promotion

  • Promoting and advertising the event/project through the FIMSSC website, the FIMS website, appropriate social media channels and print materials like posters
  • Ensuring that all promotional/marketing materials (posters, emails, websites) for the event/project properly credit the support of the FIMS Undergraduate Student Fund, acknowledging the financial support with text and the inclusion of the USF logo

Equipment Purchases

  • Ensuring that any equipment purchased in relation to the event/project aims to benefit the interests of all FIMS undergraduate students
  • Including cost quotes, model numbers, detailed descriptions and/or illustrations of any equipment purchases listed in the proposal
  • All equipment purchased through financial support from the USF must have the USF logo affixed to it

Ready to submit your proposal?

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