Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fund

The Trinity Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fund aims to foster innovative and creative projects by staff and students across the university which promote an equitable, diverse, and inclusive community.

An annual fund (normally €10,000) is made available to staff and students who want to apply for small grants for projects which promote equality in Trinity. 

The EDI Fund is governed by the EDI Sub-Committee and managed by the Trinity EDI Office.

The primary objective of the Trinity EDI Fund is to finance projects and activities that will support, promote, and raise awareness of equality, diversity, and inclusion in Trinity.

The EDI Fund aims to support a broad range of proposals each year, with consideration of the impact, relevance, practicality, and representation demonstrated by each potential activity. Applicants to the fund are deemed volunteers and the designated organiser for the purpose of the proposed project.

We welcome applications that will enhance and build on our EDI work across the university. Particularly encouraged are project proposals that align with the key areas of our work and those covered in Irish equality and human rights legislation including the Public Sector Duty:

  • Age
  • Civil status
  • Disability
  • Ethnicity / nationality / race
  • Family status
  • Gender
  • Religion and belief
  • Sexual orientation
  • Traveller community
  • Socio-economic status
  • Human Rights

Initiatives connected to those grounds are prioritised, but other diversity groups and themes may also be considered. Project proposals can also connect with significant EDI dates and events, such as those outlined in our EDI Calendar are welcomed.

You can find out more about these equality areas and the work ongoing to promote them in Trinity here. See here for more information on  Public Sector Duty and Public Sector Duty - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | Trinity College Dublin.

There is no fixed closing date - applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the panel until all funding has been allocated.

In keeping with the equitable intent of the EDI Fund, proposed activities:

  • Must have the support of a recognised group within the Trinity community e.g. an academic School, professional services department, student society (CSC) or sports club (Trinity Sports), or equivalent who will help with the financial administration of the project
  • Cannot charge an admission cost or other fee to participate in their activity
  • Cannot have fundraising and/or charitable donations as their primary purpose
  • Cannot be for activities which can reasonably be expected to be funded under the remit of existing funding sources or capitated bodies, such as the Central Societies Committee, TCD Students’ Union, Trinity Sport, or College Publications, or standard undergraduate or postgraduate academic or research costs
  • Cannot include wages or payments in kind for the volunteer project organisers themselves
  • Must be in line with all applicable Trinity policies and guidelines including financial regulations, Dignity, Respect and Consent Policy, and Data Protection Policy

The EDI Office and EDI Sub-Committee are the final decision makers on the eligibility of all applications and subsequently approved projects.

Enquiries regarding potential EDI Fund applications are welcomed year-round.

A call for applications will go to the College community normally in Semester 1 of the academic year and once opened there is no fixed closing date - applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the panel until all funding has been allocated.

To apply, please complete this application form and submit by email to the Equality Officer at equality@tcd.ie with the subject ‘EDI Fund Application’.

Tips for EDI Fund Applicants

  1. Carefully read all the available documents first – the criteria, information for successful organisers and projects from previous years
  2. Submit your proposal as far as possible in advance of your project start – depending on the time of year and complexity of the project it can take several weeks to be fully reviewed and implemented if successful
  3. It’s important that your proposal is closely aligned with the aims and funding available; if it is a larger project or has broader aims it might not be a fit for the EDI Fund but we may be able to recommend other ways it can be supported in Trinity
  4. Your project must have the support of a recognised area in Trinity for administration reasons to allow the funding to be paid – you should talk to them in advance of the application to ensure you know what’s realistic in terms of costs and payment timelines
  5. There is strict regulation on how and when Trinity as a public university can compensate guest speakers for their time – if you think this will be part of your project, contact us early to discuss
  6. Be realistic in your funding request it must be sufficient to cover the activities proposed - projects are usually allocated a maximum of approximately €1,000, and proposals with clear budgets are more likely to succeed – this includes all costs like VAT, tax for any staffing costs, or similar
  7. Be clear in your application form – do not leave sections incomplete
  8. Consider the potential long-term sustainability of your project and how it might be scaled up, ongoing or shared and replicated in the future in Trinity

  • CSC-recognised societies are eligible to apply to the Trinity EDI Fund. Named society committee members can submit the application on behalf of the society
  • Applications will be subject to the same general requirements i.e. they must demonstrate their feasibility, confirm that the project is not covered by existing grants/funding, and will adhere to all applicable College policies, in addition to the relevant CSC regulations
  • If society-led application is approved, the EDI Office will confirm to the society cc’ing the CSC Treasurer and Accounts Administrator
  • Funding will be transferred from the EDI Office to a centrally nominated CSC account who will then hold the funding in trust for the society to claim against on a receipted basis
  • Additionally, societies will need to retain receipts for any funding spent and submit a project report to the EDI Office
  • Societies, as per usual, will be able to discuss a loan or similar arrangement with the CSC Treasurer to allow for them to pay outright for large purchases which might not be practical otherwise

The selection process is overseen by members of the EDI Sub-Committee and coordinated by the Equality Officer via the EDI Office.

Project applications are reviewed in line with the criteria and aims of the Fund. They are scored as follows:

  1. Project proposal supports and aligns with EDI work, policy, initiatives, etc. within Trinity (30%)
  2. Project proposal supports and aligns with relevant EDI legislation and policy in Ireland, including the Public Sector Duty (30%)
  3. Project proposal is clear, funding requested is appropriate and timelines are feasible for project delivery (20%)
  4. Project shows potential for scale-up, replication, sustainable expansion across Trinity (20%)

Only proposals which score 70 marks or over (70%) will be considered for funding. Applications which are incomplete or do not display sufficient planning, clear budgeting, consideration of risk, or attention to detail may be deemed unsuccessful. All application decisions are final.

A review panel normally includes the Equality Officer and EDI Administrator from the EDI Office, a representative from Financial Services Division, and three general members of the Sub-Committee who are rotated periodically.

The panel will consider in their review the objectives of the EDI Fund, applicable College policy, and any other relevant factors specific to the application. As the Review Panel draws on staff with relevant expertise from across Trinity, they will be asked to advise the chair of any applications which they are directly or indirectly supporting. The decision of the panel will be provided to the Sub-Committee for noting.

All applications will receive confirmation of the outcome from the EDI Office following the review process.

If you are unsuccessful, you are able to ask for feedback on what aspects could be strengthened in future and you are welcome to resubmit in a subsequent round.

If your project is approved by the EDI Sub-Committee, then you will receive a confirmation of the funding allocated and the terms and conditions of the funding which must be undertaken by the project organisers.

A final financial and project report must be submitted by the organisers after project completion.

All project organisers must take responsibility for the following:

Financial and general regulations

Project organisers are responsible for ensuring that all activities comply fully with all relevant and applicable policies including:

  • College Policies and regulations
  • Financial Services requirements (including procurement, payroll, and reimbursement rules)
  • The statutory public body legal requirements as defined by the Revenue Commissioners
  • Any additional financial administration requirements of your supporting area
  • Any additional conditions of funding as specified by the EDI Sub-committee
  • Once awarded, the project organiser will be contacted outlining the terms and conditions of the fund. Once these have been accepted, funding will be transferred in one disbursement to an eligible account designated by the applicant
  • You are responsible for organising in a timely manner with the financial administrator in your supporting area to process the funding once received in line with the local requirements
  • To be eligible, an account must be an internal Trinity departmental account under the remit of the Financial Services Division. Applications will normally require a valid Trinity Cost Centre Code and Activity Code for the transfer
  • Once transferred the funding must be used locally to organise purchasing and reimbursement in a prompt manner
  • All project related receipts are retained for inspection
  • Unspent funds at project completion are returned to the EDI Fund

Project organisers are additionally responsible for ensuring that:

  • Ther project is implemented in line with the submitted project proposal – any changes to this plan must be notified to the Equality Officer immediately
  • The project is fully completed within a maximum of 6 months from the approval of funding, unless otherwise agreed
  • The EDI Fund is acknowledged as a funder in any project publicity or event material
  • Any publicity material relating to your project is shared with the EDI Office, for future promotion of the Fund
  • A Final EDI Fund Report is submitted by email to equality@tcd.ie using this template and including any other supporting information, resources, media, or outputs from the project

In the event that the EDI Sub-Committee determines that funding terms and conditions have not been satisfactorily adhered to, organisers may be required to reimburse part of all of the provided funding, or in the event of serious issues arising the matter may be referred to the university disciplinary procedures.