Crowdfund your project

Projects can be about anything - but they should focus on the benefit they will provide to students, our University, alumni or the wider community. Projects will be judged on their goals, their creative or innovative merits and the level of organisation and commitment demonstrated by you and your team.

Your project must reflect at least one of the four core values of our University:

Culture of membership

Our students are "members" of our university – for life. Projects in this category should enhance our mutually supportive community, enabling our members to develop interests, build friendships and embrace values which transform their lives and careers.

Essex Spirit

Essex provides a home for the tenacious, the bold, the inquisitive and those impatient for change. It’s not just an academic institution, it’s a place where students grow as people, develop moral and cultural values and gain skills for life.

Projects in this category should support the University community in breaking intellectual boundaries, extending the frontiers of knowledge and pioneering solutions to issues of global concern, or help students in their personal development.

Global community and outlook

You can discover the world in one place at Essex. Projects in this category should encourage members to develop a cultural sensitivity along with a genuine world view that prepares them for life as global citizens.

Research mindset and skills

At Essex, our students partner with academics, informing and actively participating in research. Projects in this category should equip students with research skills, stimulate their curiosity to question conventional wisdom and nurture their desire to pursue new ideas.

• Funding a new piece of equipment for a sports team or society.
• Supporting performances and theatrical or film productions.
• Trips and expeditions.
• Competition entry (sporting or other).
• Community and volunteering projects.
• Conferences and events.
• Entrepreneurship and social enterprise.

• Tell a story.
• Think of creative rewards.
• Make a killer pitch video.
• Find supporters.
• Make a weekly plan.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for donations, and to keep asking!

We ask you for two amounts - the minimum you need, and your ultimate target. Funds only change hands if a project has reached its minimum once it hits its end date. This means you only need to carry out your project and deliver rewards if you achieve this minimum target. We recommend setting the minimum at the smallest amount you need to complete your project and successfully deliver rewards. You can still set a bigger project target as well! Most projects receive considerably more than their minimum.