EnSpire Student Society Grant

Student Society Grant: up to £500 to help Oxford student societies run events that spark entrepreneurial thinking.

Delivered by EnSpire Oxford.

Applications for AY 2026/27 are now open.

Programme Overview

The Student Society Grant provides up to £500 for student societies to run events that bring entrepreneurship, innovation and startup thinking to their members. Half of the fund is reserved for societies serving women and other under-represented communities, because we want entrepreneurship at Oxford to be open to everyone. Events might include a founder talk or fireside chat, a panel discussion, a pitching or ideation workshop, a hackathon or a networking evening. If you have another idea, we’d like to hear it. Funding can cover legitimate event costs, including venue hire, catering, speaker expenses, marketing and materials.

Successful applicants sign an EnSpire Sponsorship Agreement setting out what the event will deliver, how EnSpire will be acknowledged (“Supported by EnSpire” and the EnSpire logo on event materials, and tagging EnSpire on social media), and what you’ll share with us afterwards. Payment is then made to your society, if it’s set up on Oracle, or to the lead applicant via the Payment Request Form. Payments take around 30 days to process, so plan ahead.

We’ll help promote your event through the EnSpire newsletter, What’s On calendar and social channels. Within two weeks of the event, you’ll complete a short evaluation report with attendance data, which helps us understand the impact of your event and shape future support.

Who is it for?

The Student Society Grant is for University of Oxford student societies with an entrepreneurial, innovation or business focus that want to run an event for their members and the wider University community.

50% of the fund is reserved for societies serving women and other under-represented communities.

Applicants must hold a committee position in their society. Each society can submit one application per term.

How to apply

The Student Society Grant is application-based. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis and reviewed every Friday until the fund is fully allocated, so it’s worth applying early.

Dates: From the start of Michaelmas Term 2026 to the end of the 2026/27 academic year, or until funding is spent. Events must take place before 30 June 2027.

Questions? Email enspire@admin.ox.ac.uk