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ABOUT ALUMNI FUND GRANTS

UWA Alumni Fund Grants

Unique and immersive extra- and co-curricular learning opportunities are at the heart of the student experience at UWA.
Alumni Fund grants bring learning to life through projects and initiatives focused on enriching experiences, leadership development and community contribution.

Applications for funding are now closed.

Staff application information

Student application information


What do Alumni Fund grants fund?

Innovative and immersive learning experiences

For example:

  • innovative beyond-the-classroom teaching and learning programs, resources and/or equipment
  • co-curricular group fieldtrips, international travel, capstone learning initiatives

Students' intellectual and cultural development

For example:

  • student-led events, conferences, and workshops
  • peer-to-peer learning initiatives
  • initiatives in which classroom learning is applied in community and/or global contexts

Global and community leadership and impact

For example:

  • student-led community service initiatives
  • projects that create positive change, particularly in environmental sustainability and social inclusion

Key information for all applicants

Successful applications will clearly demonstrate the advancement of:

  • Students' civic leadership, cultural competency and/or employability
  • Experiential/applied learning for students
  • Contribution to the wider community, particularly in the areas of environmental sustainability and civil society

In addition, applicants must present:

  • A clear need for funding
  • A well-developed plan including a realistic budget

Funding will not be considered for:

  • Research projects eligible for grants from standard sources
  • Retrospective funding for projects that have already taken place
  • UWA full-time staff or staff conferences
  • Alcohol or cash prizes
  • Campus infrastructure
  • For-profit enterprises or activities
  • Initiatives inconsistent with the UWA Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct

For all enquiries, contact alumnifund@uwa.edu.au

Fostering student engagement and leadership, impacting the broader community

Alumni Fund grants support a rich and uniquely UWA learning experience that connects students and communities, develops local leaders and creates a better world.

UWA Audiology in remote Aboriginal communities
School of Human Sciences, Faculty of Science

The prevalence of middle ear disease in Australian Aboriginal children is amongst the highest globally. Chronic middle ear disease results in hearing impairment which impacts children's speech and language development and educational outcomes.

This grant project will increase the understanding and treatment of middle ear disease in Aboriginal children in rural and remote Western Australia for UWA Clinical Audiology students. Students will have the opportunity to travel to remote communities with professional audiologists, gain hands on experience and be equipped to help address the health issues affecting our state.

Thanks to your support, UWA Audiology students will gain experience in Aboriginal ear and hearing healthcare beyond what can be presented in classes, working with children in WA's remote communities.
Dr Helen Goulios Clinical Director Audiology

UWA Mediation Clinic
UWA Law School

The UWA Mediation Clinic at the UWA Law School will provide a world-class mediation service and research hub for staff, students and members of the community. As volunteers, students assist in the Clinic’s running and administration; participate as mediation advocates working with pro-bono lawyers and barristers, and UWA accredited mediators; or as research assistants.

In 2017, the Student Guild carried out a survey of parenting students. Feedback indicated that students struggled to find spaces to parent and study on campus. The Alumni Fund grant will help create a Parenting Study Room in Reid Library to address this need. The dedicated space will include breastfeeding facilities, pram-parking, children’s area, collaborative parent study zones and basic kitchenette facilities.

This grant enables ‘capstone’ learning experiences, as students use the Clinic to conduct research in real life dispute resolution with real clients who have legal and non-legal disputes, and work with senior members of the profession and the University. As the first of its kind in Australia, the Clinic will also support cutting-edge, evidence-based research in collaboration with international researchers at the University College London.

The UWA PhD Student Resilience Pilot Project
School of Psychological Science

There are currently 2,000 PhD students at UWA with 450 new enrolments each year. While the postgraduate experience offers rich opportunities for educational and personal growth, it inevitably exposes students to stressful challenges.

Grant funding will help pilot an online program designed to help PhD students to face adversity, cope with stress and build their resilience. This will assist students in getting the most out of their PhD and ultimately help prepare them for successful careers.

This project will lay the foundation for an ongoing program, in partnership between the UWA School of Psychological Science, Graduate Research School, the Postgraduate Student Association and the Office of Student Life.

Foundational Year of Women in EMS UWA
Women in Engineering and Mathematical Sciences UWA (WiEMS UWA)

The Alumni Fund Grant will help support the newly founded WiEMS UWA student club and allow them to run events aimed at creating a community that empowers women studying subjects in the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Studies.

The club will organise their first Volleyball Networking event that will connect women in EMS with inspiring industry leaders whilst also encouraging a fun and socially inclusive culture. WiEMS UWA will run many varied events throughout the year including LinkedIn workshops and Women in Start-up events.

The Women in EMS UWA club will engage students with people in industry, encourage networking, support an inclusive culture in EMS and help offer support to women throughout their studies.

Bringing the DNA molecule to life through Augmented Reality
School of Molecular Sciences

Using state of the art Augmented Reality (AR) technology, students will create AR simulations that will bring to life the DNA Molecule for students and visitors to UWA’s Bayliss Building.

AR simulations will provide first year Chemistry and Human Biology students the opportunity to create AR simulations of DNA each year. Students will work in interdisciplinary teams to design, develop and test the AR simulations under the mentorship of academics from different schools at UWA.

The project will enhance student learning, giving them a unique understanding of the biological molecule, and bring science to life for everyone who visits the iconic Bayliss building.

Swim for Refugees
Students for Refugees, Student Club

UWA student club Students For Refugees, in partnership with the School of Sport Science, UniSwim, and Guild Volunteering, provides free swimming lessons for refugees ranging from children to adults. It allows UWA students to volunteer and engage with refugees on a personal basis - to form relationships and engage with people from a range of backgrounds, to challenge stereotypes and assumptions, as well as helping those who have arrived adjust to life in new homeland.

The Alumni Fund grant has allowed the program to become more accessible to a wider range of participants and increase volunteering opportunities for UWA students. Overall, this program will add to students’ sense of community and empower the local community, whereby strong multicultural ties are formed with the wider community.

Multicultural Week: Spring Feast
Multicultural Week student group

Multicultural Week (MCW) celebrates and promotes multiculturalism, an important part of UWA as a culturally diverse campus. Year-round, the MCW students work tirelessly to promote inclusion and diversity through numerous student and community events. This includes the annual UWA Spring Feast, bringing together friends and family to celebrate and embrace multiculturalism.

In 2018, Spring Feast engaged more than 5,000 staff, students, graduates and community members, with exciting performances and over 45 stalls of delicious food from all backgrounds. Thanks to the Alumni Fund grant, MCW look forward to leading the UWA festivities for another year, celebrating UWA’s multicultural community.

An Online Health and Well-being Program for Students
School of Population and Global Health

The transition to university is a stressful time for students, especially for those without direct access to support. This program will develop, pilot and evaluate an innovative online health and well-being program for commencing students at UWA.

This project directly addresses the challenges students face when they start university, such as: how to overcome stress, managing time, maintaining physical activity and nutrition, finding extra support on campus, and how to make the most of their time at university.

The program will be piloted with students commencing in Semester 1 2019, helping them to overcome unique transitional challenges and improving students’ overall health.

STAFF APPLICATION INFO

Staff applications for Alumni Fund grants

Alumni Fund grants support projects that help students learn and grow as leaders.

Applications for staff are closed.

Alumni Fund grants support staff-led initiatives that:

  • Offer extra- or co-curricular learning for students
  • Offer experiential learning opportunities, augment course knowledge and building skills outside the classroom
  • Build leadership capacity through civic responsibility, cultural competency, environmental stewardship and/or employment preparation
  • Demonstrate collaboration, innovation, knowledge sharing and impact

Learn more about your project's eligibility and funding selection criteria.

Bring your own vision for enriched student learning to life with an Alumni Fund grant.

Old Farmhouse Learning Hub Upgrade
The UWA Institute of Agriculture

This project will improve the learning environment for students undertaking in-the-field work at the UWA Farm Ridgefield, home of the Future Farm 2050, in Pingelly WA. This will complement the current renovation of the Old Farmhouse, which students use for class lectures, project work and overnight accommodation.

Students across different disciplines will have more opportunity in undertaking practice-based learning in a rural WA setting. Enhanced learning aids will more effectively support students in, for example: analysing data in the field; accessing lectures on site; and undertaking report writing in the evenings. Ridgefield is also a place where undergraduate students participate in local events, such as volunteer tree planting (service-learning), encouraging stronger interaction between students and the rural WA community.

Thanks to your support, students across different disciplines will now have more opportunity in undertaking practice-based learning in a rural WA setting.
Professor Graeme Martin, Alumni Fund grant project leader

STUDENT APPLICATION INFO

Student applications for Alumni Fund grants

Alumni Fund grants support you in learning and growing both inside and outside the classroom.

Funding amount per application: $2,500 - $10,000
Application dates: now closed, re-opening from July 2020
Assessment and selection: ongoing until allocated funds are exhausted. Applications take approximately one month to process

Alumni Fund grants support student-led initiatives that:

Thea Kurniawan BSc

Thea Kurniawan BSc '18 and founder of TEDxUWA

Passionate about: community leadership, interdisciplinary learning and ideas worth spreading by students

Impacted through: 2016 Alumni Fund project grant

What started with a thought, turned into a dream and with the Alumni Fund Grant, became a wonderful reality. To put simply, TEDxUWA would not have existed without the magnanimous support of Alumni Fund donors. Organising TEDx events not only require a multitude of time and efficient teamwork, but it is also a very costly endeavour for students.

UWA Alumni Fund Grants

Global leaders are borne out of diverse and enriching learning experiences.
Alumni Fund grants support the leaders who will benefit our communities and our world.

Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, students at UWA have the opportunity not only to gain from, but to drive – together with their professors and University staff – unique and powerful learning beyond the classroom.

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