Support subsidy Municipality of Nijmegen for statutes student organisations
Student organisations (study, cultural, sports, social, religious and so on) play an extremely important role in student welfare. It is the place where you make friends, do committee work, through which you get to know your new city, where you undertake activities and how you find a room, for example. It is the place where you can develop both personally and professionally as a student.
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the position and inclusion of mbo students in Nijmegen's student life. The municipality, educational institutions and student organisations have expressed a desire to promote such inclusion. However, in many student organisations, there is a statutory provision that only hbo and wo students can become members and/or do a board year. This creates a barrier for mbo students to be an active and equal part of the student community.
Changing statutes is pricey, but necessary to remove this initial barrier. For this reason, the Municipality of Nijmegen has made available a support grant that can be applied for in academic year 2024-2025. This subsidy, in the amount of €250 per applicant, will be paid out if the applicant can demonstrate that the statutes have been amended in such a way that mbo students can gain access to the student organisation and have equal membership compared to other student members. Please note, gone = gone!
Removing this barrier is not just a formality, but also a statement; mbo students belong in our student life in every way!
Tip: If you have already been planning to change your articles of association this year, for example to join the WBTR, include this inclusive change immediately. Then you won't have to go to the notary twice, but kill two birds with one stone.
Criteria support grant
- Student organisation in Nijmegen.
- Accredited at Radboud University or HAN.
- Aims at a diverse student target group.
- Currently has an exclusion of mbo students in the statutes, both from full membership, committees or board positions.
- Are planning to amend the statutes to give mbo students the same rights and obligations as their fellow student members.
- Bylaws will be amended in college year 2024-2025.
- Subsidy is a top-up on top of own contribution.
Support grant deadlines:
During the academic year, there are three times when associations can submit their partial grant applications. Those moments are:
- 1 March 2025
- 1 May 2025
- 1 July 2025
Submitting the requested documents (see procedure) is done via these forms. If you cannot access this, please e-mail the documents to slim [at] ru.nl. The documents will be received by a student-assistant from team Student Life and International Mobility at Radboud University.
This student-assistant checks whether all documents have been submitted and whether they meet the criteria.
Method of applying for funding
- Indicate to the student official that you want to claim the grant. Do so at student [at] nijmegen.nl.
- Indicate to the student official which submission time you want to make use of. The student official keeps track of the applications.
- Find your own notary. Make sure that the notary has a good understanding of what needs to be changed, namely that MBO students can become full members just like WO and HBO students. This should be clearly reflected in the revised articles of association.
- By one of the deadlines, provide four documents via this form, or via slim [at] ru.nl: 1. the old statutes, 2. the new statutes, 3. a written explanation of the change to the statutes with references to the relevant passages. Please note: the Radboud University's student assistant reads through the documents. It should therefore be clear to a ‘layman’ that the student organisation admits mbo members as members. 4. An invoice from the notary and 5. An invoice of €250 addressed to the municipality.
- Once the amendment for the statutes has been checked and approved, the invoice is sent by the student assistant to the municipality. The latter then pays out the established amount to the student organisation.
FAQ
Who can I contact for questions?
For more information about the scheme, student organisations can contact Romé Kraaikamp +31 629644791 or student [at] nijmegen.nl
Who handles my application?
The municipality, in the form of the student official, and Radboud University, in the form of a student assistant in the SLIM department, work together in processing and checking applications.
Why was €250 chosen?
Changing statutes is expensive and not all student organisations have money for this. The municipality has therefore chosen to subsidise part of the cost. This is an amount of €250. This amount does not cover all costs. A contribution from the student organisation is therefore also expected.
What are the submission deadlines for all documents?
Student organisations wishing to claim the grant will have the opportunity to send in their old and renewed statutes at three points in the coming year and have them checked for the amendment. If the change is made, they will receive a support grant. The submission dates are set for March 1, May 1 and July 1, 2025.
