Student Society Grant

Are you part of a University of Oxford student society with a great idea for an entrepreneurship-focused event? We’d love to help make it happen!

Open to University of Oxford students and staff involved in entrepreneurial or business-focused student societies. With 50% of the funding is reserved for societies that support women and other under-represented communities, we want to support Innovation for All!

The Student Society Grant offers up to £500 in funding to support events that inspire innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup thinking across the University.

What You Can Apply For

Grants can go towards any event that promotes entrepreneurial activity, such as:

Founder talks and fireside chats
Panel discussions
Pitching or ideation workshops
Hackathons, networking sessions, and more!

Or perhaps you have another entrepreneurial event idea - we'd love to hear all about it!

What the grant covers

Funding can be used for legitimate event costs, including:

Venue hire and catering
Speaker expenses
Marketing and materials

Key Dates and Application Details

Grants of up to £500 are available
Applications are reviewed weekly until 1 May 2026, or until funds run out
You'll receive a decision within 2 weeks of applying
Events must take place before 30 June 2026.

Eligibility

Open to Oxford-based entrepreneurial or business-focused student societies. You must be a current student or member of staff at the University of Oxford to apply
50% of the fund is reserved for societies serving women and other under-represented communities
Applicants must hold a committee position within their society
Each society may submit one application per term

What happens next

If your application is successful, we’ll send you an EnSpire Sponsorship Agreement to sign and return. This simply sets out what we’ll each do - things like what your event will deliver, how EnSpire will be acknowledged, and what information you’ll share with us after the event.

When everything’s signed, we’ll arrange your payment. Funds can be paid directly to your society (if you’re set up on Oracle) or to the lead applicant via the Payment Request Form. Just keep in mind that payments take around 30 days to process, so it’s best to plan ahead.

Promoting Your Event

We want to help you spread the word! Please include the phrase “Supported by EnSpire” on your event materials and use the EnSpire logo (we’ll send it to you). Don’t forget to tag EnSpire on social media - we’ll also share and promote your event through our newsletter, website calendar, and social channels.

After Your Event

Within two weeks of your event, we’ll ask you to complete a short evaluation report, share some attendance data. This helps us understand the impact of your event and improve future support.