What Does SFB Fund?

Deadlines

Applications for events under $6,000.00* are now being accepted for events on or after
October 4, 2019**

Click Here for the SFB Application

*Applications $6,000.00 and over will be available Mid-August for events Oct 28th – Feb 1st
**Allocations and denials may be delayed until SFB student leaders are back to campus

Applications for events UNDER $6000

All Applications are due 35 business days before your event (approximately 50 days). To be considered, applications must be submitted by your RSO’s President or Treasurer by 11:59PM EST via GetConnected. Please note the dates we are now accepting applications for at the top of this page.

Applications for events OVER $6000

All Applications over $6000 must apply in the new quarterly presentation process. Applications must be submitted by your RSO’s President or Treasurer by 11:59PM EST via GetConnected one week prior to presentation date.

Each group will have 20 minutes to present their event plan for members of the board, followed by a 10 minute Q&A. After review, board will send out allocations within 5 business days.

Presentation Dates:

• For events occurring on Oct 28th – February 1st
  • Presentation Date: Saturday, September 7th
    • Application Due: Saturday, August 31st by 11:59PM
• For events on February 2nd- April 10th
  • Presentation Date: Saturday, December 7th
    • Application Due: Saturday, November 30th by 11:59PM
• For events occurring on April 11th – June 30th
  • Presentation Date: Saturday, February 22nd*
    • Application Due: Saturday, February 15th by 11:59PM
• For events occurring on July 1st-October 24th
  • Presentation Date: Saturday, May 2nd
    • Application Due: Saturday, April 25th by 11:59PM

Appeal Deadlines

All appeals must be submitted within 5 business days of decision email and completed within 14 business days.

If your organization does not receive funding, or your funding is reduced you may appeal the decision within 5 business days. The appeals process is explained in detail further down this page.

Appeal Process

Should your organization receive an email from SFB resulting in a denial or reduction of funding, you may appeal the decision.

• TO APPEAL the President and/or Treasurer must reply to the ORIGINAL email with the documents / information that was requested. This should be done within 5 BUSINESS DAYS of the original decision email

Things to consider when making an appeal:

1. Make sure you’re within the Appeals time window. All appeals must be submitted within 5 business days of the original decision email, and completed within 14 business days.
2.  Make sure you have read your allocation email completely and checked under the “Rationale” section.  This is where in the email that an explanation is provided as to what information is needed or why funding was not approved.
3. After reading through that section, you can respond directly to the email you received providing the information requested, or providing further rationale for request.
4. Once that information is submitted the board members will review it at their next scheduled meeting and get back to you with an updated allocation.
5. After receiving the updated allocation and approval you’re able to move forward with the planning for your event.

NOTE: If you’re going through the appeals process you should not be advertising your event.  Advertising can begin once you have secured the funds necessary to support your event. 

SFB Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. My organization is a Registered Student Organization (RSO), is there money automatically in my account each year?
2. I submitted an application, does that mean I automatically received those funds?
3. What happens if I spend money without having funds allocated through SFB or Self-Generated Revenue?
4. How do I change the date of my event?
5. How do I let SFB know that an event has been canceled and SFB funds are no longer needed?
6. What happens over the holiday breaks with SFB requests (i.e. Thanksgiving, Spring Break)
7. How far in advance can you apply for funding for an event?
8. After I receive my allocation from SFB, how do I access the funds?
9. Do you have an example of a strong SFB application that was allocated funding?

1.  My organization is a Registered Student Organization (RSO), is there money automatically in my account each year?

• NO! RSOs don’t have money automatically in their accounts each year.  RSOs who do collect dues, sponsor fundraisers, receive donations/sponsors, etc. should have funds available in their on campus account.  These funds are called self-generated revenus (SGR) and money is left at the end of one fiscal year it is rolled over to the following year and available for use.  These funds must be spent in compliance with the university and Commonwealth’s spending guidelines.

2.  I submitted an application, does that mean I automatically received those funds? 

• NO. Groups that submit applications DO NOT automatically receive funds.  You must wait to spend money until you have received an official allocation email from the Student Funding Board (SFB) stating how much your organization has been awarded and how it can be spent.  Spending money prior to approval will not allow you to be reimbursed.

3.  What happens if I spend money without having funds allocated through SFB or Self-Generated Revenue?

• Your organizations account will be put on hold and no business will be allowed to take place.  The hold will remain until the organization deposits funds into your on campus account to offset the negative balance.

4.  How do I change the date of my event? 

•  Send an email to sfb@gmu.edu to let them know the date change so they can update their spreadsheets.  Also, make sure that you let the services you might have booked (i.e. Catering, Events Production, Police) know that you have changed your date.

5.  How do I let SFB know that an event has been canceled and SFB funds are no longer needed?

• Send an email to sfb@gmu.edu to let them know the event has been canceled so they can update their spreadsheets.  Also, make sure that you let the services you might have booked (i.e. Catering, Events Production, Police) know that you have canceled your event.  Also, be aware that some offices that you book services through have cancellation deadlines.  Make sure your organization pays attention to them so you do not receive a fine.

6.  What happens over the holiday breaks with SFB requests (i.e. Thanksgiving, Spring Break)?

•  All applications submitted over the holiday breaks are reviewed at the next scheduled SFB meeting.

7.  How far in advance can you apply for funding for an event? 

• The further in advance the better! We recommend applying at least 2 months before your event. However, you must apply at least 35 business days before.

8.  After I receive my allocation from SFB, how do I access the funds? 

• Important: Just because you receive an allocation it does not mean that SFB will arrange for items to be paid. Depending on what you applied for to receive funds it will impact how you access these funds.   Please reference the Fiscal Management Handbook on how to spend the funds you have been allocated. You can do so HERE.

9. Do you have an example of a strong SFB application that was allocated funding? 

• Yes! Below you will find an example of a strong SFB application. This model should be used as an example of what a COMPLETE application looks like, as well as what the board is looking for in the application attachments:
  • Chinese Student Scholars Association Application
  • Chinese Student Scholars Association Attachment 1 – this showed the board that their space was already reserved
  • Chinese Student Scholars Association Attachment 2 – this is a GREAT example of a breakdown of expenses. It helps the board know exactly what is needed and how much.
• Attachments are required as part of the application and these are strong examples of what should be attached. Other ideas might be invoices from vendors, event flyers, etc. A clear breakdown is needed to receive full funding.

About Our Team

Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) are able to apply for funding through the Student Funding Board (SFB). These funds allow students to hold events and programs sponsored by their organization. The SFB of George Mason University is a branch of Student Government and is comprised of appointed Student Government members, as well as representatives from the Registered Student Organization Leadership Team.

2019-2020 Student Funding Board Members:

• Obum Egolum, Chair, Secretary of Administrative & Financial Affairs for Student Government
• Jose Espinal, Student Government Representative
• Nick Chen, Student Government Representative
• Haneen Elfaki, RSO Leadteam Representative
• Jonathan Garcia, RSO Leadteam Representative

SFB is housed in Student Involvement Hub 2300.

Contact and Office Hours

If you have any questions or comments for the Student Funding Board, visit us at our office hours, email us at SFB@gmu.edu or fill out the contact form below!

Fall 2020 Office Hours:

TBD

You must include your organization name in the message!