Student Affairs receives funding from three external groups for student projects

With the combined work of Alumni and Development and Student Affairs, King’s has been recipients of almost $50,000 in external grant funding over the past eight months. The three projects are funded by the London Community Foundation, The Lawson Foundation and Universities Canada.

An $8000 grant from the London Community Foundation will help services in Student Affairs to be more responsive to the needs of Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour (BIPOC) in our community.

The grant will fund a BIPOC Support Program who would offer specialized outreach to the BIPOC community at King’s and support those students who have been impacted by the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An outreach worker will consult with groups on campus, host individual and group meetings, and advise on future programming and activities. This worker will also liaise with the Indigenous Services at Western and in the London community, and develop ongoing strategies to support members of the BIPOC community at King’s.

Alumni and Development and Student Affairs worked together to create and submit the grant request. 

“Credit goes to Joe Henry and his team for being so innovative in their programming and so responsive to King's students’ needs. The Foundation staff continually work with members of the King's community to understand the needs of the campus, to apply to foundations, corporations, alumni and individuals for support,” says Kim Malcolm, Manager of Development, Alumni and Development.

The Miggsie Lawson Fund, through The Lawson Foundation, is investing $30,000 (10,000 per year for three years) in mental health supports at King's. The funds were promised at the end of 2019 (prior to COVID) and were expected to help Student Affairs support all students at King's. The funding will allow the Accessibility, Counselling and Student Development to meet demand and to expand current mental health programming. This funding has assisted the team in moving to virtual counselling as well as supporting additional students.

King’s International has also received a $10,000 Innovation Fund grant from Universities Canada. The Innovation project will explore how students, staff and faculty at King's and at King's International Partners are currently engaging in outbound mobility such as exchanges, faculty-led travel and study abroad programs. It will be a cast study project to share best practices and gaps that students, staff and faculty are experiencing in their involvement in outbound mobility as well as to increase awareness of opportunities available at King’s.

“I am excited that these new funding opportunities will assist Student Affairs and, more broadly, King’s University College, in advancing new initiatives that are aligned with our commitment to creating a positive and inclusive student experience. My thanks to the funders, student affairs staff and the King’s Foundation for their support and leadership,” says Joe Henry, Dean of Students.

The King's University College Foundation is supported by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund and Community Foundations of Canada.