Funding Opportunities

Decide which Fund to Apply to

Complete your Budget

Submit your Funding Application

Wait for Results

If you have any questions about the process for applying, please contact the AUS VP Finance (finance.aus@mail.mcgill.ca) for support. For the purposes of the next section: FY2024 encompasses Fall 2024 (from August 28, 2024) and Winter 2025 (up to April 30, 2025).

Step 1:

Decide which Fund to Apply to

Decide which fund to apply to. Read the fund descriptions/mandates on this page to decide which fund to apply to. Make sure that the fund’s mandate you are applying to aligns with your initiative. Some funds have additional guidelines, be sure to read and understand those too.

Sustainability and Ethical Procurement Fund

The purpose of this fund is to: (1) support the implementation of the Sustainability and Ethical Procurement By-laws and the AUS Sustainability Report by reducing implementations costs for internal entities; (2) support community and student organizations advancing the mandate of the Sustainability and Ethical Procurement By-laws through community engagement, and; (3) support AUS community engagement with these organizations. Please refer to the AUS Financial, Sustainability and Ethical Procurement By-laws or contact the AUS VP Finance for more information about this fund.

Fine Arts Council (FAC)

The FAC exists: 1) to create a community of fine arts at McGill; 2) to harness the collective energies of Fine Arts programs; 3) create more opportunities for McGill students to express themselves through the Fine Arts, and; 3) support new Fine Arts endeavours and help to expand existing ones. The fund allocates 10% of its money to support new or one-time projects. Please refer to the AUS Fine Arts Council By-laws or contact the AUS VP Communications for more information about this fund. 

NOTE: FAC Applications are not yet open. FAC Applications are expected to open in November. 

Special Projects Fund

This is for student groups seeking to fund large events, initiatives and conferences, including collaborations with external groups; any on-campus group may apply. AUS internal entities are prioritized. Please refer to the AUS Financial By-laws or contact the AUS VP Finance for more information about this fund.

Supplementary Fund

This Fund is for departmental associations within the Arts Undergraduate Society seeking to fund events and initiatives which are beyond the scope of their annual budget. For more information, please consult the AUS Financial By-laws. Please refer to the AUS Financial By-laws or contact the AUS VP Finance for more information about this fund.

Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund (AUIF)

This fund supports improvements to the physical and capital resources that Arts students use, such as the Arts Lounge and the McLennan/Redpath Library Complex. In the past, it has funded the renovations of the third floor of the McLennan library, the wall painting of the Arts Lounge, and the furniture for student association lounges and offices. In addition, portions of this fund support the operations of the Arts Internship Office (AIO), the Faculty of Arts Computer Labs (FACL), and the Fine Arts Council (FAC). 

NOTE: The AUIFC (Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund Committee) meets to review the AUIF fund. They meet once a year in February to approve applications to capital expenditures within the Faculty of Arts. Applications from AUS groups (AUS Executives, Departmental Associations, etc), Faculty of Arts members, and Faculty of Arts offices are accepted.

Journal Fund

This is for student-run journals and magazines; preference is given to those within the Faculty of Arts. Please refer to the AUS Financial By-laws or contact the AUS VP Finance for more information about this fund. Please read full text related to Journal Fund below.

General Journal Fund Decision-Making Guidelines:

Throughout FY2023 (Fall 2024-Winter 2025), FMC will prioritize approving funding for digital publication. Applications will be approved in the following order of precedence:

  1. Departmental Association/Internal AUS Applicants (current year)– Digital Publications
  2. Departmental Association/Internal AUS Applicants (current year) – Hard-copy Publications
  3. Departmental Association/Internal AUS Applicants (previous year)– Digital Publications
  4. Departmental Association/Internal AUS Applicants (previous year) – Hard-copy Publications
  5. External Applicants (current year) – Digital Publications
  6. External Applicant (current year) – Hard-copy Publications
  7. External Applicants (previous year) – Digital Publications
  8. External Applicant (previous year) – Hard-copy Publications

All Journal’s printing hard-copies must specify how many copies they intend to print.

Guidelines for Applicants Requesting Funding to Print Hard-Copies of Publication:

Given FMC’s decision to prioritize digital publications, the following guidelines will apply to applicants printing hard-copies of their publications:

Applicants printing less than 30 hard-copies will be considered digital for decision-making purposes.
For applicants requesting funding to print more than 30 hard-copies of their publication, it is mandatory to explain in the “Additional Remarks” section of the Journal Fund application, how these copies will be distributed.
To request funding for more than 150 copies of a publication, a specific set of distribution locations must be provided (in addition to a distribution plan) in the “Additional Remarks” section of the Journal Fund applicati

Step 2:

Complete your Budget

AUS departmental association (and other internal entities) must submit their approved budget + an FMC funding application budget. Internal entities can submit their FMC budget application on their general budget. Please highlight the FMC application budget to denote the application budget from the approved budget. 

If you are an external applicant, please use the following AUSB budget template for your FMC Applications: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iXhgTBQh1GgauWuAFbK9xOtbnMqm6U6f/edit#gid=1140168030

 

Step 3:

Submit the Application

Funding Applications

Step 4:

Wait for Results

Before your application is reviewed by the respective committee, you will be emailed and invited to present at the upcoming meeting where your application is being approved. This is optional. Though appearing to answer questions may help increase the chances that your application is approved, applications are assessed without reference to applicants’ presence or absence at FMC. 

FMC or FAC will respond to you with a decision in about 3 weeks from your application submission date. In FMC’s response to you, there will be a detailed description of what funding you’ve been granted and how to collect that funding. Likewise, there will be categories There may be special conditions involved in collecting your funding. These will be clearly explained in the email FMC sent you. Payments may be issued directly to vendors or as reimbursements to organizations/individuals. All funding will be disbursed through direct deposits (EFTs). 

If you are unhappy with the decision you received, you may reapply again with the same application (for the difference between what you initially applied for and what you ultimately received, or simply reapply if your application has been totally rejected). If you intend to re-apply, please contact the AUS VP Finance (finance.aus@mail.mcgill.ca) to better understand why your application was rejected or why funding was not granted in full. 

FMC Meeting Schedule

The Financial Management Committee reviews applications on a rolling basis. Meetings are open to all AUS Constituents, who are granted observer status. Applications must be submitted by the Friday preceding meeting dates to be included on the upcoming meeting’s agenda.

For the Fall 2022 semester, meetings are held every other Wednesday. To gain access to the meetings, please contact the VP Finance (finance.aus@mail.mcgill.ca)

DateTime   
October 2, 20247 PM 
October 30, 20247 PM 
November 13, 20247 PM 
November 27, 20247 PM 
 January 8, 2025 7 PM 
 January 22, 2025 7 PM 

 

   
February 5, 20257 PM 
February 19, 20257 PM 
March 19, 20257 PM 
April 2, 20257 PM 
   
   

FAQ

  • The FMC consists of three categories that are meant to fund things that will benefit arts students.
  • The Special Projects fund is for events or programs put on by any group. Selection criteria is based on the number of arts students it will benefit and efficient use of funds.
  • The Supplementary Departmental Fund is for the benefit of departments, especially small ones, that don’t have enough funding to do all events or projects that they want. In the past this has included journal launches, wine and cheese events, or the combination of both!
  • The Journal Fund exists to ensure undergraduate journals can get funding for printing! Any McGill affiliated arts journal can apply. FMC will typically fund a minimum number of journals as long as the journal printer is reasonably priced. The AUS recommends Rubix because it is both affordable and sustainable.
  • FMC meets bi-weekly so it will depend on the number of applications and when the application is submitted, but it should not take more than a month.
  • After reviewing an application, FMC may request clarification, alterations, or further information that will delay the decision-making process.
  • In order to access your FMC funds, you will need to submit a cheque request through the AUS. You will need to include which fund you were approved for and the event.
  • The reimbursement process will be the same as any other AUS purchase, meaning someone will have to make the purchase and seek reimbursement later. There is also the option for the AUS to pay invoices upfront via cheque for large purchases like journal printings.
  • The amount of funding you receive is final and cannot be reappropriated to other uses. For example if you get 250$ in funding for a wine and cheese and only spend 210$, that extra 40$ will go back to FMC and not your departmental or group budget.
  • Make sure your budget is detailed.
  • Include a phone number in your application. If you need funding, and your application is tabled because we cannot reach you to ask you questions, you will have to wait another two weeks before you hear back.
  • You are welcome to present your application at the next FMC meeting. This can often save time because it allows to ask questions and give feedback immediately.
  • You do not receive a confirmation upon submission of your application. Please do not send duplicates.