The UNSWOC Beanie Grant provides financial support for club members to go on awesome and inspiring adventures!
This grant aims to:

  • Inspire club members to dream big and think creatively about different kinds of goals.
  • Foster a club culture of helping each other and getting outside our comfort zones (for all experience levels, from beginners to advanced members).
  • Build the overall skill base in the club.

Read on for details on the two kinds of grants on offer and how to apply.

Grant categories

Hardcore cool shit - Expeditions

  • For small group expeditions to do cool things in interesting places. We want to help fund the training course or missing bit of gear you need to realise your goal.
  • The expedition should involve both personal development and development for the club.
  • Expeditions that venture into “wilderness areas” or less frequently visited parts of the world are especially encouraged, as are expeditions/trips that display imagination and a thirst for exploration.
  • Do not be put off if you are not an expert mountaineer. All sorts of expeditions will be considered, e.g. long distance kayaking, first ascents, and exploratory canyons/caves.
  • Funding available: up to $500 for each team member

Inclusive cool shit - Group Trips

  • To encourage more experienced club members to lead big trips for less experienced club members, funding is available to subsidise travel expenses of trip leaders.
  • Trip leaders will plan the trip and open it up to all club members.
  • Funding available: up to $500 for each trip leader

Application process

We encourage you to apply! If you are unsure if your trip idea would be a good fit for the Beanie Grant you should talk to an exec member to discuss your trip.

There will be two rounds of Beanie grant applications per year. Each round applications will go through the following process:

  1. Applicants submit a short abstract of their planned trip here (who, what, where and when, in less than 500 words).
    •  If the executive deems an application inappropriate it may not pass to the next step.
  2. Applicants will then pitch their idea at a club event so that present members can vote anonymously for their favourite trip.
    • The vote is a non-binding plebiscite, and applicants are not allowed to vote.
  3. The executive will decide the winner(s) taking into account the application criteria.
    • If their decision is vastly different to the outcome of the voting they must explain why.
  4. Applicants will then submit a more detailed trip plan, covering risks, logistics etc. see the form below.
    • The executive may give feedback and request changes to this plan based on the application criteria.
  5. When the executive is satisfied with the plan they will award you the Beanie Grant!
    • Get outside and do the thing!! Remember to take a Beanie!

Past Beanie Grant trips

To get inspired, here are some trips the club has supported in the past:

More information

For more information please read the application form. It contains the application criteria, grant conditions and the detailed application forms for both grant categories.