On Jan. 6, McGill’s Black Students’ Network (BSN) launched the Black, African and Caribbean Students and Organizations (BACSO) pilot project. This project seeks to provide funding for Black, African, and Caribbean Students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as Black organizations at the undergraduate level. The BSN has set aside $30,000 CAD for this initiative and will split the funds equally between student and organization applicants under the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). The Tribune explains the ins and outs of the fund and how students can access it.
Why did the BSN create this fund?
The BSN’s VP Finance Orlane Donkpêgan, U3 Arts, explained that this initiative was made possible after SSMU members voted to approve a service fee increase for the group during the 2024 Winter Referendum. This doubled BSN’s service fee from $1.00 CAD to $2.00 CAD per student per semester.
Donkpêgan expressed that with an expanded budget, the BSN was able to improve its financial management from previous years and provide direct support to Black-identifying students and Black student-led organizations at McGill through initiatives like BACSO.
“The necessity of this fund was mostly to give back to Black organizations and the Black community,” Donkpêgan told The Tribune. “Because we operate as a service, I felt like one way to support our community better was to give back financially. [We are doing] so by supporting clubs that might be lacking funding for a specific event, or for students facing significant, difficult hardships preventing them from meeting essential needs.”
How does the BSN allocate funding?
BACSO provides the funds in two ways. The Financial Support for Black, African and Caribbean Students fund (FS for BACS) has not been launched yet but will aim to offer monetary support to individuals. Students can split their financial requests over multiple months within a semester, but the total amount they request cannot exceed $1,500 CAD per semester. Donkpêgan reported that the BSN prioritizes first-time applicants and requests related to education and health expenses, although FS for BACS can also support Black-identifying students who want to launch specific initiatives or projects.
The Financial Support for Black, African and Caribbean Organizations fund (FS for BACO), on the other hand, supports SSMU-affiliated Black organizations with bank accounts operating under the student union. These organizations can apply for up to 45 per cent of the fund’s allocation, or a maximum of $6,750 CAD, to support club events.
How does the application process for funding work?
Students and organizations must fill out unique application forms detailing the amount they are requesting and their intended use of the funds. The BSN President, Finance Project Manager, and VP Finance review these applications on the 15th and 30th of each month. The network reserves the right to request additional documents from the applicants and SSMU throughout the review process. They may also consult SSMU’s Black Affairs Office before making final decisions; otherwise, all applications are kept confidential. According to Donkpêgan, this process is rigorous but necessary for the BSN.
“The application process is tedious. The questions are usually long and we look at them very carefully. We want to make sure people are putting care in their application, in the same way, we want to take care in helping students and making sure we make meaningful change in our community,” Donkpêgan explained.
How does the BSN hope to continue the pilot project?
Donkpêgan stressed the importance of ensuring this initiative creates a lasting foundation for future BSN projects. Although a pilot project, BACSO may grow and evolve in the coming years. This is the first fund that the BSN has ever launched for students and organizations.
“It was very important to me that we establish this project before I leave McGill,” she shared. “$30,000 [CAD]is a considerable amount of our budget, but we think this is a way of helping our community. [….] With tuition being a lot more expensive and the cost of living increasing, especially for visible minorities, this fund helps alleviate some of that added stress, on top of the pressures BIPOC students already face.”
