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Community Engagement Fund
  1. PURPOSE OF CEF
CEF is closed for applications. Cycle will reopen in 2025.

1. The Community Engagement Fund (CEF) is created to support NUS students in initiating and implementing:

  • Community engagement projects that address social or community needs locally or overseas;

  • Events and programmes that will strengthen the culture of volunteerism and community engagement in NUS. 'Community engagement' is defined as the process of working collaboratively with identified group(s) of people to address areas that impact their well-being.

  • Projects to develop our students into individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility and promote integration within communities in Singapore and globally.

2.  Students are strongly encouraged to utilise CEF to launch a new project. For an existing project to be funded, applicants must be able to demonstrate enhancement(s) in the form of methodology/implementation plan and/or evidence of sustained impact

2. FUNDING DETAILS & CONSIDERATIONS


With effect from November 2021, CEF provides funding of up to 80% of the total deficit cost capped at $5,000.

Example of funding calculation: 80% * Total Deficit Cost
= 80% * (Total of Supportable Expenditures - Total income generated from project)

Funding is on a reimbursement basis, students will have to incur and bear all expenses upfront. Students can claim for completed projects as long as it is within the financial year of approval.

A) Application Criteria 

  • Organising committee should consist of only full-time NUS undergraduate students.

  • Applicant/Project leader should complete the project before graduating from the University.

  • Project teams should aim to pursue their passion, apply their skills and knowledge in real-life community projects to bring positive and meaningful impact to the community.

  • Projects should aim to promote the well-being of the community and/or environment.

  • Projects need to work with a community partner which could be a NUS department, faculty, residences and/or external community partners.

  • Projects must have a NUS Staff Advisor either from faculty or department.

 

B) Evaluation Criteria

The proposals are evaluated based on the following criteria:

1.

 Number of NUS students engaged to serve the community (eg. organising team members and/or volunteers) 

2.

 First time application or repeated application

3.

Indirect (eg. Awareness, social media campaign) or direct engagement (eg. collaborative, interactive workshop)
4. Collaborative effort of team to engage all team members and community partner(s) in the project designing stage

5.

Social integration (eg. having a mix of international and local students in the group)

6.

Diversity (eg. having a mix of students from different faculties/interest groups etc.)
7.  Research effort (eg. including primary and secondary research)
8.  Value-adding to community partner organisation and their initiatives
9.  Application and learning of skills and knowledge

10.

Demonstrates application of plans/actions to achieve sustainability beyond project duration
 
Check out the CEF Assessment Rubrics to find out more!

C) Projects not considered for funding

 

1.

Projects that aim at, or will result in, financial or material gain for the organising committee

2.

Projects that lack a clear community angle, or where the community angle is tangential to the project

3.

Repeated projects (previously funded by CEF) which are unable to demonstrate evidences of project improvement (methodology/implementation plan or sustained impact)

4.

Projects that successfully received OSA funding from other OSA funding sources such as Teach Singapore and University Support for Pursuit of Arts, Culture and Sports (U-Sparks).
 
D) Expenditures not supported


The following expenditures will not be supported, even if the project as a whole is approved:

 1. General operating expenses of start-up costs of student clubs, societies or interest groups

 2.

Direct cash prizes or outright donations to beneficiaries

 3.

Overseas travel expenditure (including but not limited to airfare, flight/train tickets, accommodation costs)

 4.

 Goodie bags, door gifts and volunteers' t-shirts

 5.

 Vendor fees and honorarium e.g. workshop training fees

 6.

 Audit, legal, utilities, fines and penalties fees, insurance premiums for equipment e.g. third-party liability insurance; 

 7.

 Purchase and maintenance of fixed assets/equipment 

 8.

 Tobacco and alcohol products

 9.

 Any private and personal consumption items

 10.

 Items, goods or services where approved team members have a direct stake or interest in (This is to avoid conflict of interest)

 11.

 Items that are not directly relevant to the proposed project or for which alternatives or substitutes are available within the University

Purchase and maintenance of fixed assets
3. APPLICATION PROCESS

 

Projects that submit their claims in February/March may obtain reimbursement only in May due to the closing of financial year.
Updated CEF Application Process
 

4. CONTACT INFORMATION

For enquiries, contact Charmaine at cyew@nus.edu.sg or community.engagement@nus.edu.sg
Submit Your Application