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Help build a university where student clubs have the funding, facilities, and support they need. Together, we can strengthen campus life and protect student-led communities.
A fair deal for clubs

Supporting students, every day

Fund Our Clubs

PRIORITIES

What we are asking the University to do

The Kelburn Campus of Victoria University, in Wellington, New Zealand
1

Increase the club grants pool

Provide substantially more funding so the grants system can respond to the actual needs of clubs and the rising costs of running activities and events.

Publish clear funding information

Make grant criteria, decisions, available funding, and overall allocations easier for students and clubs to understand.

2
1

Improve access to University facilities

Ensure clubs can book suitable rooms and event spaces and have access to storage, equipment, printing, and other shared resources.

Provide skilled club-support staff

Maintain accessible staff who understand club governance, finances, events, communications, and University processes.

4
5

Reduce unnecessary bureaucracy

Simplify forms, approvals, funding applications, reimbursements, and event processes so volunteers can focus on serving their members.

Keep clubs student-led

Better funding and support must strengthen club independence, not be used to justify transferring control away from students.

6

Clubs strengthen the entire University community

A larger grants pool

Increase the funding available through club grants so that deserving applications are not reduced or rejected simply because the pool is too small.

Better practical support

Provide clubs with accessible staff support, training, event assistance, financial guidance, communications tools, and clear administrative processes.

Facilities clubs can use

Give student organisations reliable access to meeting rooms, event spaces, storage, equipment, printing, and other essential University resources.

What student clubs need to thrive

Funding that reflects the real cost of running a club

The club grants pool should be large enough to meet the genuine needs of student organisations. Clubs face costs for venues, equipment, transport, promotion, accessibility, catering, technology, and the delivery of events and activities.

When the available funding is too limited, worthwhile applications may be reduced even where the proposed activity would provide clear value to students. This can force volunteers to scale back their plans, personally cover expenses, or abandon activities altogether.

The University should increase the total amount available for club grants and regularly review it against rising costs, the number of active clubs, and the level of student participation. Funding should allow clubs to develop and expand, rather than merely survive.

Practical help for student volunteers

Club leaders are volunteers, but they are often expected to manage finances, governance, health and safety, events, communications, room bookings, membership systems, and University requirements.

Clubs need accessible staff who understand these responsibilities and can provide accurate, timely assistance. Support should include help with grant applications, financial administration, event planning, governance, conflict resolution, succession planning, and compliance with University processes.

Proper institutional support would reduce pressure on volunteers, prevent avoidable problems, and allow club leaders to spend more time serving their members. This support should strengthen student leadership without transferring control away from clubs.

Give clubs the infrastructure to operate

Funding alone cannot address every challenge faced by student organisations. Clubs also need suitable places to meet, organise events, store property, prepare materials, and carry out their activities.

The University should provide dependable access to meeting rooms, event venues, secure storage, printing, audiovisual equipment, tables, marquees, and other shared resources. Booking systems should be straightforward, and spaces should be available at times that work for students.

Clubs should not have to store equipment in volunteers’ homes, pay unnecessary commercial venue costs, or repeatedly search for basic resources. Practical infrastructure is essential to creating sustainable, active, and accessible student organisations.

A system clubs can understand and trust

Clubs should be able to understand how much funding is available, how applications are assessed, why particular decisions are made, and what options exist when an application is declined or reduced.

Funding criteria should be clear, consistently applied, and communicated before applications open. Decisions should include meaningful explanations so clubs can improve future applications and understand how student-paid funding is being distributed.

The University should also publish accessible high-level information about the grants system, including total funding available, amounts requested, amounts approved, and the general reasons applications were reduced or declined. Transparency supports accountability and helps students evaluate whether the system is meeting clubs’ needs.

Support clubs without taking control of them

Administrative requirements should protect students and University resources without creating unnecessary barriers. Complicated forms, unclear approval processes, delayed reimbursements, and duplicated requirements can consume substantial volunteer time.

The University should simplify routine processes, provide clear guidance, and establish realistic response times for funding, events, bookings, and reimbursements. Clubs should receive support that helps them operate effectively rather than adding another layer of administration.

Better resourcing must also preserve club independence. Student organisations should remain governed by their members, accountable through their own democratic structures, and free to determine their activities within reasonable University policies. Institutional support should enable student leadership, not replace it.

Empowering Clubs

Latest Content

Documents

Labour Party at VUW (VicLabour) 2026 Club Funding Application and $1,700 Student Services Levy Grant

4 September 2026•No Comments•

VicLabour’s 2026 club funding application, budget and approval documents, including its request for support for events, merchandise and campaign-related travel. Victoria University of Wellington approved $1,700 in Student Services Levy funding for club events in 2026.

Documents

VUW Tramping Club Outdoor First Aid Funding Application and $3,000 Student Services Levy Grant (2025)

3 September 2026•No Comments•

Victoria University of Wellington Tramping Club’s funding application, budget and approval documents for an Outdoor First Aid course. The club requested $3,000 toward training for 20 participants, with the University approving $3,000 in Student Services Levy funding.

Press Releases

Save Our Clubs Releases Club Funding Data

23 June 2026•No Comments•

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Save Our Clubs Releases Victoria University …