Club Funding

All clubs and organizations are responsible for reading all the information on this website before applying, and will be held to the standards elucidated. Please see the GPSC Club and POD Funding Flow Chart if you are confused about which type of funding to apply for. Refer to the General Club Funding Guidelines section for general guidelines concerning both ICF and SCF principles, and be sure to review guidelines specific to ICF and SCF.

General Club Funding Guidelines

1. Applicants should compare the current budget and event to past years’ events if applicable, including how and why the event and budget changed, but this does not guarantee that the event will be funded again.
2. A follow-up report will be required of all recipients of funding. Information that should be included are amount of funds allocated and used, number of attendees, affiliation of attendees, program schedule, etc.
3. Activites that could otherwise be funded through our Travel Grants program will not be considered for Club funding.
4. The activity or potential activities must be in keeping with the mission of the University of Arizona and the GPSC.
5. Acknowledgement of the GPSC’s support is expected on all announcements and public materials. The GPSC logo will be provided for use if funding is awarded.
6. Allocated funds may only be used for the purposes for which they were approved by the GPSC.
7. It is the responsibility of the organization to ensure that allocated funds are spent in accordance with University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) policy.
8. If the final cost of an approved item exceeds the budgeted amount, the GPSC will not pay the difference.
9. As per the ABOR policy, UA Printing and Publishing has the first right of refusal for all large print jobs done by any club or organization at UA, excluding jobs done at Fast Copy. The GPSC will not be able to pay for items printed off-campus without prior approval from UA Printing and Publishing.
10. The GPSC may fund politically oriented or religious organizations solely for the administration, execution, or maintenance of non-partisan/non-political/non-religious programs, services or special events deemed beneficial to the student body by the GPSC Appropriations Committee. For purposes of organization funding, "political" is defined as "having to do with the organization of individuals who seek to control or influence the action of those who manage the affairs of the state." "Religious" is defined as "having to do with an organization of individuals combining a particular system of faith and worship recognized and practiced by a particular church, sect, or denomination." The Committee funds only secular, non-sectarian activities.
11. The GPSC Appropriations Committee reserves the right to transfer a Club Funding application to a POD Funding application.
12. Award funds must be used in the same fiscal year.

Additional Initial Club Funding Guidelines

1. ICF is intended to support basic operations of student organizations and may not be used for travel or events (see Travel Grants and SCF). Examples of articles that may be purchased include: postage, stationary, office supplies, advertising and marketing, copies, and banners.
2. Each graduate and/or professional student organization may receive up to $500 per fiscal year.
3. Even though these funds are not requested for specific events, clubs and organizations are still expected to address the purposes for which the monies will be used.

Additional Special Club Funding Guidelines

1. Requests above $1,500 require a letter of recommendation from a UA faculty member.
2. SCF can involve large sums of money and is highly competitive. Thus, the club must demonstrate why they are deserving of being funded.
3. The GPSC funding of past club events is no guarantee of funding for future or current events.
4. Events may be advertised on the GPSC calendar upon request, since all events should be open to, at a minimum, all graduate and professional students.
5. Group Travel: The GPSC supports club travel. These Special Club Funding - Group Travel Guidelines apply:
   1. Travel AS A GROUP is necessary to apply for Club Funding-Group Travel. Therefore, it is very unlikely a club can apply for Club Funding-Group Travel if individuals (as opposed to groups) are allowed to attend/register for the conference, event, etc. for which the club seeks funding. In this instance, individuals should seek financial help from the GPSC by applying to the Travel Grants Program. In the application, a club must defend and demonstrate why travel as a club is necessary.
   2. Expenses covered by the GPSC are limited to hotel, travel/transportation, and conference registration costs. The GPSC will fund organizations for approved travel outside Arizona, through rental fees for a vehicle or airline tickets. The GPSC will fund organizations up to the current fiscal year travel expense rate or the rental fees for a vehicle (whichever is less) for approved travel that is outside Pima County but within Arizona.
   3. Expenses covered by the GPSC may not be covered by another funding source; this includes GPSC Travel Grants.
   4. Clubs may request up to $500 per student traveling. There is no cap on the amount a club can request, but requests over $1,500 require a letter of recommendation from a UA faculty member.
   5. The GPSC operates Club Funding-Group Travel on a reimbursement basis; no travel advances will be issued. Before funds are transferred from the GPSC, the club must submit receipts for all expenses to be covered by the GPSC (i.e. plane ticket stubs, conference papers, photocopies of credit cards, and canceled checks used to pay travel costs).
   6. A club who receives funding is required to sign a sworn statement affirming costs covered by Club Funding are not also covered by a GPSC Travel Grant(s) or other funding source.
   7. A club who receives funding is required to provide post-travel feedback to all members of the club—especially members who do not travel. This could be accomplished in an email, oral report at a club meeting, etc. The club must provide a copy of the distributed material to the GPSC or, sign a sworn statement affirming that such a report was given.
   8. The GPSC Appropriations Committee will give Club Funding-Group Travel low funding priority.

The ICF and SCF applications can be applied for at any time. Once the applications are reviewed, the club's contact person will be contacted by ASUA to be put on the ASUA Appropriations Board agenda for the following week. A GPSC representative on the ASUA Appropriations will review the application., and be the club advocate for the group. More information on ASUA Appropriations Board can be found at clubs.arizona.edu.

- Applications must be submitted at least 3 WEEKS OR MORE before your event.
- Applications that are not heard 3 weeks or more will not be seen by the Appropriations Board.
- To be heard at the Appropriations Board Meeting on Mondays at 2PM, applications must be completed and turned in by 2PM on the Thursday before the meeting you wish to attend.
- The Board will not see incomplete applications. Consult with the GPSC representative on the ASUA Appropriations Committee to ensure all application portions are complete. To receive the contact information for the GPSC representative email gpsc@email.arizona.edu.
- As the Board has a limited amount for funding, be aware that funding is never guaranteed.
- Funds allocated by the Board are not officially appropriated until the ASUA Senate confirms them the Wednesday following your meeting with the Board.
- If the final cost of an approved item exceeds the budgeted/approved amount, ASUA will not pay the difference. It is your responsibility to calculate the cost of your trip as accurate as possible.

Additional Special Club Funding Requirements

A letter of recommendation from a UA faculty member (scanned copy is acceptable) if the amount requested exceeds $1,500.
If applicable, a brief biography of any invited speakers.

Following your application submission, the GPSC representative on ASUA Appropriations reviews and prepares the Graduate Club Funding applications. S/he then provides an overview of the request to the ASUA Appropriations Board. Your club's contact person will have the opportunity to attend the ASUA Appropriations Board meeting that the request will be heard at. The ASUA Appropriations Board reviews the applications and votes to fully, partially or not fund applications based on whether or not they met the aforementioned criteria. Do note that Graduate Club Funding does fund different items that ASUA Club Funding. The GPSC representative and the GPSC Appropriations Director will ensure that GPSC guidelines are followed when reviewing applications. Clubs or organizations that do not receive Club Funding, may reapply. Once your application is approved by the ASUA Appropriations Board, the ASUA Executive Chief of Staff forwards a consent agenda with all funded items to ASUA Senate for approval. Once ASUA Senate approves the consent agenda items (typically up to 2 business days), your club is welcome to contact gpsc@email.arizona.edu to begin making purchases based on the approved items. 

Questions regarding any part of the application process may be directed to GPSC at gpsc@email.arizona.edu.