Student Activities Fund at ACS Grant Application Round 1 Spring 2014
Contents SAF Overview Benefits to students Criteria Application process Proposal defense Other
SAF Overview The Student Activities Fund (SAF) is founded by members of the Parent- Teacher Association (PTA) and the Alumni Fund Advisory Committee (AFAC) at ACS to support student projects, activities, and events. This year, SAF has a budget of 2000 BGN to disburse, and the maximum grant per project, activity, or event would be 500 BGN The competition is open to all student clubs and athletic teams at ACS Students who want to start a new club or team can also apply for funding The SAF grant cannot be the sole source of funding – students must organize additional fundraising to cover at least a part of the budget You can additionally request to get an alum or a parent as a mentor to help them alongside the faculty supervisor Projects can be started this spring but may be completed next school year Going forward, the pitch contest will be held twice per year, in the Spring and Fall; clubs & teams that apply now will not be precluded from applying next year SIHP proposals will be considered starting next Fall (school year 2014/15)
Benefits to students Students can have a positive impact on campus life and the community beyond Clubs and teams can scale up their activities Students can practice presentation / pitching / budget management / fundraising skills Students can experience the full cycle that leads from idea and general strategy to winning funding to running a project to reporting results Clubs and teams can forge stronger relationships with alumni and parents and attract wider support for their activities from the ACS community
Criteria – part 1 Winning projects will have as a direct objective one or more of the following: Help students master critical skill / competency that’s not covered in the current academic curriculum Promote student participation and engagement with campus life Improve school spirit Promote public service Promote parent, teacher, alumni, and staff engagement with student events and campus life Help students build their future professional network Have positive impact on a community outside of ACS Improves team-work and promote collaboration among students Gives students opportunities to practice leadership skills Gives students opportunities to engage in community service Promotes ACS and its values to the wider public
Criteria – part 2 In pursuit of these objectives, winning projects will do one or more of the following: Advertise information about activity, project, or event on campus (e.g. via daily bulletin, newspaper, and at campus events) Execute in collaboration with other student clubs or teams Execute in sync with other student projects and initiatives to amplify impact Generate publicity for ACS Build on existing campus structures, networks, practices Repeat or expand in the future rather than treat the project as a single occurrence
Criteria – part 3 It is essential that clubs or teams submitting a proposal meet the following administrative requirements: Are in good standing with the Dean’s office (documents, reports, registration of members, etc.) Have an official faculty supervisor Maximum application length – 10 pages
Application process 1.Submit application – by Apr 21 ( to 2.Defend proposal in front of committee – week of May 5 3.Winning projects submit progress report – in June 4.Winning projects report to the committee – date TBD
Proposal defense If your application is successful, you will be invite to defend your proposal in front of a committee on May 3, minutes per proposal – 5 minutes presentation and 10 minutes Q&A Students get to choose the format of their presentation Students will receive feedback on the quality of their application and presentation but this is not one of the criteria for awarding a grant Committee will include representatives of Student Council, Alumni Fund Advisory Committee, Parent Teacher Association, and Dean’s Office at ACS
Questions? Please send all questions and inquiries to: