OYCF Student Engagement Grant 

OYCF is pleased to announce the re-launch of our Student Engagement Grant. This initiative is designed to support students in creating social groups that engage in educational activities related to China. We encourage projects that foster a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, society, history, and current affairs across diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Our goal is to inspire students to take the lead in creating local spaces for meaningful discussions, engagement, and connections.

We offer small grants to support activities and initiatives that are creative, inclusive, and academically enriching. These activities may include, but are not limited to, reading groups, mini-lecture series, film societies, and salons organized by and for students for educational, self-growth and community-building purposes. Existing projects or those that have already received other funding are also eligible, provided that the additional budgetary need is justified.

Two types of grants:

• Single Event Grant: This grant supports a single event with a budget of up to $500.

• Program Grant: This grant supports multiple activities throughout an academic year to foster long-lasting local communities, with funding of up to $1500 per academic year.

Each organization is limited to a total of $1500 in awards per academic year, regardless of the grant type.

Grant funds may be used for group activities such as venue rentals, refreshments, books for reading groups, and reasonable speaker honorariums. However, funds may not be used for salaries, awards, or gifts for student organization staff.

Eligibility:

Student groups interested in self-education and intellectual discussions about China are eligible to apply. For the purpose of this grant, “student groups” refer to organizations that meet the following criteria:

• led by full-time students from U.S. colleges and universities
• have at least 5 members
• at least one of the lead members has registered as an OYCF member at the time of application
• are officially registered with the home institution or, if not registered, have an official website or social media account showing regular group activities in recent months.

Application Procedure:

Applications for the Single Event Grant must be submitted at least one month prior to the event, and are accepted on a rolling basis while funds remain.  Applications for the Program Grant for the current academic year must be submitted by September 30 (For the 2024-2025 academic year, the deadline is December 15 2024). Successful applicants will be notified within one month of us receiving the application.

To apply for the grant, please submit your application by filling out this application form. Please write a project description (<500 words) and an itemized budget.  

Successful applicants will receive 2/3 of the awarded funds upfront, with the remaining 1/3 disbursed upon submission of a brief project report which should include the following:

• A brief summary of the event or program
• At least two photos for each event and/or event flyers
• Receipts for items exceeding $100 (e.g. rental fee payment, book purchase, etc.  OYCF reserves the right to reject reimbursement requests for items deemed unnecessary or unrelated to the implemented activities.

For Questions, contact oycfseg@gmail.com.