As a member, you are eligible (and encouraged!) to apply for any of our three funding categories:
- Working Groups
- Projects/Events/Training
- Community Action Projects
There are two funding deadlines per semester. This year’s deadlines will be posted on the sidebar. Please note that applications may be submitted on or before these deadlines, and will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date for that funding round. We prefer electronic versions, which can be emailed to info@rpirg.org, but also accept paper copies at the office.
1. Working Groups
Working Groups are often referred to as the heart of a PIRG. They are semi-autonomous groups of students and community members who organize around specific issues of environmental and social justice. These groups operate on a consensus-based decision making model, which aims to reduce as much as possible the coercive elements often times present in other decision making models.
Upon approved application, a Working Group will receive:
- Support and funding of up to $500 per semester,
- Space on the RPIRG webpage,
- Access to office resources, such as photocopying and the button maker,
- Networking access, and
- The ability to apply for Project/Event funding.
Apply for Working Group funding.
Check out some examples of other PIRG’s working groups:
APIRG: Alternatives to the Canadian Banking System
SFPIRG: Climate Change Action Group
OPIRG McMaster: Community Volunteer Action Group
2. Project/Events/Training
Project/Event/Training funding is designed to fund individuals or groups who plan to carry out a project or event with specific start and end dates, and can be as small or as big in nature as members see fit.
Past examples of Project/Event/Training funding have included (but are by no means limited to):
- Sponsorship to attend training and conferences,
- Hosting speakers,
- Large-scale organizational improvements,
- Coordinating skills workshops,
- Organizing fundraisers, and
- Facilitating a lecture series.
Apply for Project/Events/Training funding.
3. Community Action Projects
Community Action Projects are action research projects funded by RPIRG and coordinated through the Community Research Unit in the Faculty of Arts at the U of R. These projects seek to provide students with the resources to undertake a mutually beneficial project with a group in their community. They are not, necessarily, traditional research projects, but stimulate learning and education in much the same way through action instead of observation.
For examples of Community Action Projects that has been done through RPIRG, please visit our Research area.
