Comments
TLDR
Group Support Grants are back, with payout processing[1] from 11th August!
We are delighted to announce that Group Support Grant payouts are resuming from 11th August 2025. This follows our previous announcement that payouts would be paused during June and July.
We’re welcoming all EA groups[2] - regardless of type, size or location - to apply now! Historically, we think too few groups have applied.
CEA provides grants to university and local groups because we believe groups are a crucial way to grow and nurture the EA community. Grant funding helps groups thrive by enabling organisers to run more and better quality activities, and ultimately inspire more people to aim to do as much good as they can with their careers.
Our Group Support Grants cover basic group expenses, most commonly snacks, books and room booking. Snacks can be very successful at increasing event attendance, access to rooms can make or break whether a group can run events, and books can be a great resource for motivated group members to learn more.
There’s a two-part process to applying - a Funding Approved Organiser interview, and then submission of your budget. After budget approval, funds will be paid out conditional on successful completion of a due diligence questionnaire and signing of a grant agreement.
We think that offering small grants to groups is a good use of our money, and would encourage all groups without other sources of funding to strongly consider applying - learn more and apply here!
By default, we will be prioritising payouts to university groups with semester start dates in August - we know how critical the first few weeks of term can be to a uni group! For other groups, please expect your grant in late August to early September.
If you would like to request prioritised funding for another reason, please reach out to us at [email protected].
We are also using this announcement as an opportunity to take a step we have been considering for the past year - officially ending our Rapid Group Funding (RGF) programme. If you would like to request a ‘rapid’ grant, you can do so via our Group Support Grants instead.
Why we're making this change:
Our analysis found that an average RGF application (which skips the initial grant agreement) saves minimal time when compared to a prioritised GSF application.
We think that only offering Group Support Grants will simplify the process for us and for applicants, without a meaningful negative impact on applicants. Our grant application systems will be updated shortly to reflect this change.
By payout processing, we mean due diligence, the grant agreement and (if both successfully completed) payment by our grant-making team.
Excluding: groups on a CEA Community Building Grant, or groups in China (excluding Hong Kong), Russia or Iran.
Just to let you know - your retreat funding level is $15 each on the website and $150 each on the detailed document. I assume one of them is a typo.
I'm going to hope the $150 is correct, as $15 for a two-night retreat is certainly a masterclass in tight budgeting!
(and would stack up oddly against the $20 for one meal)
Thanks Kestrel!
You're completely right that $150 is correct (though if anyone could achieve a $15/day retreat, I hear it would probably be you!) Fixed now :)
Jemima