The GARA (Goldsmiths Anti-Racist Action) Black Annual Fund is a fund of £20,000 won by the GARA occupation. The fund is for the benefit of Black students and community members who will be able to use the fund to put on events or projects.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO THE FUND
More About GARA
GARA, a Black and PoC led student protest group, began organising in March 2019 in response to racist attacks on a candidate in our SU elections. This proved a lightning rod for students to share experiences of racism on campus, and on the 12th March, GARA began an occupation of Deptford Town Hall in protest over the failure of senior management to demonstrate a meaningful commitment to tackling institutional racism on campus. The occupation, which lasted four-and-a-half months, was something we at Goldsmiths SU, backed.
During the occupation, Deptford Town Hall was a hub not just for activism but for the local community. Crucially, GARA strived to cultivate a community beyond the institution that included the local community, so they held many events that were open to the public as well as to students. It was also a place where students united. Those protesting created an amazing space - there were study rooms, quiet rooms, prayer and wellbeing rooms, and free food and drink.
After a mighty 137 days of occupation, the Warden and SMT agreed to the demands made by GARA. They signed a statement of commitment, which you can read in full, promising to work towards these demands to the best of their ability.
One of the demands made by GARA was for an annual fund of £20,000 to be created by the university for Black history events. The GARA Black Annual Fund is the fulfilment of this demand!
The panel is comprised of an all-Black group of members representing various positions in the Goldsmiths community including at least one sabbatical officer, one member of staff and one student leader.
Your Questions, Answered
Who is eligible for this fund?
This fund is open to students currently enrolled at Goldsmiths who identify as Black (African Caribbean) and Black community members. If you are unsure of your eligibility please email us to ask!
Click here to email us.
What do I need to include in my application?
You must include the following details in your application:
Your name, your project, the amount requested, date of money needed (if necessary), a breakdown of costs (an itemised list of exact costs that adds up to the amount requested), and project details (including how this will benefit the wider community).
What is the upper monetary limit per application?
The maximum amount to be awarded to a single application is £2500.
What is the upper limit of applications accepted per term?
There is no limit on the number of applications accepted per term.
What is the max amount of people who can apply at once or on one project?
There is no limit on the amount of people who can apply under one project.
How frequently will the panel meet?
The panel will meet once per calendar month.
What are the dates the panel will meet?
The panel will meet toward the end of each month. The exact dates are not yet set, but if you need to know the date of the next panel please contact us
Click here to email us.
How is the fund paid to the recipient?
The amount in the application is paid directly to the student upon receipt of a signed contract stating that the recipient will spend the money as directed in their application.
When does the fund close? When is the deadline for applications?
Applications are accepted with a rolling deadline – this means that each month there will be a deadline for submitting to the panel meeting in that month, with applications after this cutoff point rolling over to the next month.
Applications made after 31st July 2023 will roll over to the next academic year 2023/24
I applied and was rewarded funding, but it wasn’t the full amount I applied for. Why is this?
The GARA fund is often applied for by multiple different people each year. Therefore, unfortunately we cannot always give every applicant the full amount they requested. We want to give as many individuals the opportunity to receive this funding, so sometimes we may give less than asked for in order to give more people the funding (rather than just a few people getting the full amount)
How do I apply?
Please see below for instructions on how to apply.
If you have any further questions please email welcome@goldsmithssu.org.
What is or is not funded by the GARA Black Annual Fund?
A few examples of things that might be funded:
Paying for film screenings, Speaker costs, Refreshments for events, Trips, Space hire, Materials, Travel costs, Research project, Books and equipment
Examples of things that wouldn’t be funded:
Specific course costs, Alcohol, Things that would be purchased already, We don’t fund things retrospectively, We cannot fund direct charity donations
Ready to apply?
APPLY TO THE GARA FUND
-
Click 'Apply to the GARA Fund' to launch the online form above. You can request a meeting with a member of staff to help you if you like!
-
Our staff team will collate and put forward all applications made that month to the panel in their monthly meeting.
-
The panel will review all applications and accept or request more information.
-
Our staff team will contact you to let you know the outcome of your application.
-
Once your application has been successful, you will be given a contract and asked for your bank details to receive the funding.
-
You will receive the funding and your project will go ahead with Students' Union staff and mentor support. We will help you complete your project as well as collect evaluative feedback and evidence for transparency and accountability with our members and the University.