BeWell Grants

Foster belonging, connection, and community among students. Projects create opportunities for students (as individuals and groups) to connect with other members of the UM community through shared experiences, cultural exchanges, peer engagement, social activities, or community-building events. 

Build meaningful collaborations that strengthen impact and shared learning.  Projects should encourage partnerships between students and staff, faculty, departments, faculties, student organizations, and/or community organizations. Successful initiatives will leverage diverse perspectives, expertise, and resources to foster stronger connections for students within and beyond the University community.

Increase student awareness, understanding, and skills related to mental health, well-being, resilience, and self-care. Projects will encourage learning and awareness-building through diverse approaches that help build knowledge, reduce stigma, and foster a shared understanding of well-being across the UM community.

Improve student awareness, access, and connection to resources, services, opportunities, and networks of care. Projects may better help students discover and navigate supports available on campus or in the broader community. Initiatives will reduce barriers, increase awareness of available resources, and strengthen pathways to the supports needed for students to thrive.

Support initiatives that empower students, staff, and faculty to act on issues that affect student well-being, belonging, and inclusion. Projects may introduce new approaches, respond to emerging needs, or inspire positive change within a unit, community, or campus-wide setting. Projects will demonstrate initiative, creativity, and a commitment to strengthening the UM community and the student experience

• Applications must include an introductory section with references to the Reimagining the Student Experience at UM: The Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025-2030) and other university reports (where applicable), along with a discussion of your rationale as to why this project will be relevant to the UM student population. 
• Projects that reflect innovative approaches to the promotion and enhancement of student well-being, engagement and belonging are favoured. 
• Student involvement and cross-unit collaboration is strongly encouraged. 
• Outcomes of the project must be clearly articulated with a description of how the project will be evaluated. 
• Applications should be written so that someone who is not in your discipline understands the project details. 
• Any community involvement should be highlighted. 
• The budget must be justified. 
• Funds requested for travel, faculty release time, and research projects will not be considered.

To increase the likelihood of approval, please ensure your proposal includes the following elements:

1. Clear benefits: Prioritizes the enhancement and promotion of student well-being, engagement and belonging in a way that benefits a significant number of students directly (e.g., enhancement of programs, services, and resources) and/or indirectly (e.g., anti-stigma initiatives). 
2. Clear rationale, objectives and methodology: Provides clear rationale and objectives consistent with the BeWell goals, as stated on page one of this document. It clearly explains methodology. 
3. Defined outcomes: Expected outcomes are well defined. 
4. Continuing benefits: Explains how the project benefits will continue beyond the grant period (including an indication of the source of future ongoing funding should such be required). 
5. Evaluation process: Outlines an evaluation process, which will be used to ascertain how well objectives have been met and the overall impact of the project. 
6. Evidence of student involvement: Student engagement in preparing, reviewing and/or implementing the proposal is explained. 
7. Paid student staff: Student positions hired to implement a BeWell Grant must comply with applicable University employment policies and collective agreements. Applicants must consult their unit’s Human Resources Consultant before hiring to confirm the appropriate employment category and ensure that the proposed duties do not displace bargaining-unit employees, reduce their regular hours of work, or otherwise conflict with collective agreement requirements. 
8. Budget: Budget is appropriate and justified, with an explanation of associated costs. 
9. Enhancements to Existing Initiatives: For proposals involving enhancement to work already underway, the proposal must contain detailed progress to date. 

1. Potential for sustainable benefit to students.
2. Potential for sustainable enhancement and promotion of student well-being, engagement and belonging at the University of Manitoba.
3. Integration of the proposed project with other current or planned initiatives in the Department, Faculty, or broader learning community.
4. Additional sources of funding.
5. Consideration of related initiatives at the University of Manitoba or at other institutions.
6. Evidence of collaboration between UM units, community participation and/or consultation process, where appropriate.
7. Opportunity for students to participate in learner-centered environments in a variety of roles (e.g., mentors, peer support, facilitators, research assistants).

1. Proposals are invited for projects to a maximum of $1500. 
2. Faculties/Schools may rank proposals if they wish. The committee will take the rankings into account as one factor in determining allocations.
3. Wherever possible, proposals should take advantage of existing University of Manitoba resources, such as software licenses. Where an applicant wishes to make a case for developing new or additional resources not already available, the proposal should provide evidence that the relevant departments (e.g., IST or the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning) have been consulted about feasibility and usefulness of the new resource. 
4. When matching or additional sources of funding are available, the budget should show specifically what the matching funds cover. 
5. BeWell Grants are not intended for activities or projects that would normally be funded by operating or capital budgets or which could be adequately supported through other funding sources such as the professional development funds for staff and faculty.
6. If a project budget includes student salary costs, vacation pay of 6% must be factored into the salary expense.
7. BeWell Grant funding may not be used for Professional Development activities unless the committee has deemed that the project’s success depends on the fund being used for this specific purpose (e.g., conference attendance by participating faculty and students) and has specifically approved this part of the budget request.