Student Well-being Grant

for student initiatives

The University of Groningen is keen to encourage activities related to student well-being, organized by and for students. This year, the UG is once again providing a €20,000 grant for student organisations! Do you have an impactful initiative to promote student well-being at the UG? Submit your grant application by 31 March at the latest for a chance to receive up to €5,000 in funding for your initiative.

Initiatives must contribute to one or more elements of student well-being.* In addition, the initiatives must be in line with the UG vision regarding student well-being:

Prevention
Promoting a 'sense of belonging' or community building
Creating awareness about student well-being

*Definition of student well-being

Student well-being is how students feel about themselves and (aspects of) their life (e.g. mental, physical, social, financial). This is emphatically broader than mental health alone; it also entails a degree of physical, social and cognitive well-being that is characterised by resilience, which allows personal and academic development to optimally flourish and which promotes student success. For their well-being, it is important that a student is able to make use of their abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of student life, can work productively to further their personal development, is able to maintain a balance between positive and negative aspects of student life and feels included and free to participate in the academic community and society in general.

Inspiration for initiatives

Initiatives that may be eligible for the grant include:

An activity related to the student well-being theme, such as a symposium, lecture, workshop, panel discussion, discussion group, or sports activity.
An activity that contributes to community building and/or increasing a 'sense of belonging' among students.
An activity that contributes to an open and safe culture in which sensitive issues or taboos can be discussed.
A campaign designed to promote awareness about student well-being. Think of themes like social pressure, performance pressure, loneliness, stress and use of alcohol & drugs.
An activity or campaign focused on healthy lifestyle.
A collaboration with external parties who already have developed activities you can make use of, such as Door het geluid, Stichting Time Out, de Checkers, Gelijkspel and Waar trek je de lijn.
Or anything innovative that you come up with yourself. Feel free to use your creativity!

⚠️Please note: the grant cannot be used for acquisition of equipment or alcholic drinks. We do not want to fund abuse nor normalize the use of alcohol. However, the initiative can contain a drink, but this cannot be funded by this grant.

Would you like to discuss your initiative first?

Come to the walk-in consultation hour!

The Student well-being programme team can help you think through an initiative you want to submit. They will be holding two walk-in consultation hours on-site where you can ask all your questions. The walk-in consultation hours will take place in classroom 3 at the Student Service Centre at the following times:

Thursday 12 February, 3–5 p.m.
Thursday 5 March, 3–5 p.m.

So if you have any questions, please come along. Only for urgent questions after the walk-in consultation hours, you may email studentwellbeing rug.nl.

Practical information

Who can submit an initiative?

Only student organisations recognized by the UG can send in an application. These are:

student organisations included in the UG Student Support Fund Regulations 2025-26, appendix 2a and 2b, pages 23–25,
student organisations known to CUOS, listed on the CUOS website.
- Are you not on the CUOS list and do you think you are eligible for a grant? Then first register with CUOS via cuos.secretaris rug.nl. Once you are on the list, you can apply for a grant.

Applicants may apply once for this grant round. Please note that it is not permitted to apply twice for the same (part of an) initiative. Note: For example, do you also apply to the CUOS or Hanze for a grant for the same initiative? Then this well-being grant can only be awarded if it is a different part of the same initiative.

What conditions must an initiative meet?

The student initiative grant application must meet the conditions below:

Fit within the framework of the UG vision on student well-being.
Contain a clear and executable plan of approach including a realistic budget. The budget takes into account the applicable maximum subsidy of €5,000 per initiative.
Be an initiative organised for students by student organisations recognized by UG, see the lists at 'Who can submit an initiative?'
Not containing your core business (e.g. not a film club organising a film evening, but a film club organising a film evening with films about student well-being including a discussion with the goal of breaking taboos).
The option for participation of non-members is a pro, or you should have good reasons why it’s not possible.
Be an initiative that must take place between 1 January and 31 December 2026.
Containing a fully completed form.
Not be eligible for other subsidies, such as from the CUOS or Hanze.

What criteria are used to evaluate an initiative?

In the evaluation process, the Student well-being governing group reviews applications based on the following criteria:

Impact: Does the initiative have a reasonable impact on student well-being? How large is the target audience reached by the initiative? Does the initiative have the potential to engage a wide range of students or a specific group of students?
Sustainability: Can the initiative be embedded in the organization or annual schedule? Can it be re-used by the student organisations or other student organisations?
Cost-effectiveness: Is the budget realistic and appropriate for the intended purpose? Are resources used efficiently to achieve maximum impact?
Feasibility and reasonability: Is the initiative practically feasible within the time frame and with the available resources? Are the objectives realistic and achievable and what is that based on?

Submit your initiative!

Have you fully developed your application, and does it meet the stated requirements? Then submit your initiative! The deadline for submitting an initiative is Tuesday 31 March 2026, before 11:59 p.m.

▸Submit your initiative

What happens after you submit your application?

Evaluation: All applications will be reviewed and awarded by the Student well-being governing group - on behalf of the UG Board - after the deadline of 31 March 31 2026. Applications that are incomplete will not be taken into account. See the conditions and evaluation criteria on which the application will be assessed.
Response: Applicants will receive a response about the grant within 6 weeks after this deadline. This decision letter will also include information on the appeal process. If the number of applications eligible for the subsidy exceeds €20,000, the grant will be awarded by unweighted lottery. Only applications that are complete and meet the requirements will be included in the lottery. This task will be overseen by the Student well-being governing group.
Grant disbursement: Once the application is approved, the decision letter will state how the grant will be disbursed.

Last modified:04 February 2026 11.50 a.m.

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