Student Funding Board

SFB CHANGES FOR THE 2018-2019 YEAR

• There is a $500 MAXIMUM per person for travel funding with a $1000.00 MAXIMUM per organization. This maximum is PER PERSON and will not depend on the organization, meaning that even if a student applies from various RSOs they will still be held to the $500 limit. Travel is now open to Tier 2 and Tier 3 organizations. ALL MEMBERS WHO RECEIVE TRAVEL FUNDING MUST BE LISTED ON THE ORGANIZATION’S ROSTER ON GET CONNECTED
• All applications must include a detailed budget break down via excel or google sheets, must be as detailed as possible
• Yearly funding limits have been increased to the following:
  • Tier 1 – $3000
  • Tier 2 – $5000
  • Tier 3 – $7000
• SFB will stick to the following meal limits when approving funding for food:
  • Breakfast – $10/person
  • Lunch – $15/person
  • Dinner – $25/person
• All contracts (and other documentation) must be included with the Student Funding Board requests- any person who is receiving a payment for an agreed upon price needs the corresponding contract and insurance.
• Collaborations can be submitted on one application with a limit of $14,000.00
  • Collaboration applications will be submitted on a separate form listing all organizations involved and how each will be involved. The submitting organization would serve as the primary organization which all event purchases would be submitted through
  • Collaborations with 3 or more organizations in order for funding not to be put towards their yearly limit
• TAX EXEMPT INFORMATION: 
  • Catering and food/beverage expenses should not include sales tax
  • All purchase orders will be tax exempt
  • Reimbursements are not considered payments from the university and are thus not tax exempt. Catering is the only exception
  • Grocery items or unprepared food do not count as catering
• ALL STUDENT FUNDING BOARD EVENTS MUST BE ON GET CONNECTED BEFORE RECEIVING ANY ALLOCATION

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.

Student Funding Board Deadlines

• All Student Funding Board requests must be prior to the event, there is no retroactive funding.  
• This means that you must submit an application before your event happens in order to be eligible to receive a reimbursement after your allocation has been sent by SFB (see below for timelines). 
• Remember applications are not reviewed until after the deadline, regardless of when it was turned in. Applications must be turned in by 11:59pm (EST) of the deadline date. Applications are not reviewed on a rolling basis
• Organizations submitting applications where travel is involved, you MUST build in enough time for when you apply to account for applications to be reviewed, receive an allocation, and to input travel into the University Travel Request System at least 7 days prior to traveling. 
• Applications that need contracts will not receive allocated funding until contracts are input into the Dynamic Forms contract system.

Please keep in mind that when submitting your application, the committee will send out allocation information 10-14 business days after the deadline. Take the following timelines into account when applying:

FALL 2018 Deadlines

* December 7th is for events in Spring of 2019, January through Friday, February 16th. Remember to allow time for appeals, purchase orders etc. It is not up to SFB or Student Involvement to ensure that both funding and spending are aligned for your event
NOTE: November 23rd deadline is the last deadline for events in Fall 2018, remember SFB does not meet during scheduled University breaks.

 

SPRING 2019 Deadlines:

TBD

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

ALL ORGANIZATIONS MUST HAVE THE EVENT LISTED ON GET CONNECTED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE AN SFB FUNDING

APPEAL PROCESS

• TO APPEAL: It is the President and/or Treasurer’s responsibility to respond to this ORIGINAL email with the documents / information that was requested. This should be done within 7 BUSINESS days of the original email
• Once the information is received then SFB can allocate the funding

If your organization receives an allocation and you would like to appeal the decision you must do the following:

1. First, make sure you’re within the Appeals time window, which is that your appeal must received BEFORE the next funding deadline or within two weeks from when your allocation was sent (whichever comes first).
2. Second, make sure you have read your allocation email completely and checked under the “Important Comments” 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.  Information can be provided in the following formats and either dropped off at the office or emailed as an attachment…
   • Estimates from a vendor
   • Links to websites with the amounts provided
   • Screenshots of items being purchased
   • Cost breakdown with detailed numbers
   • GMU Contract that is signed by the performer
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. I submitted my application on September 12th and the deadline is September 20th, why hasn’t my application been reviewed yet?
5. How do I change the date of my event?
6. How do I let SFB know that an event has been canceled and SFB funds are no longer needed?
7. What happens over the holiday breaks with SFB requests (i.e. Thanksgiving, Spring Break)
8. How far in advance can you apply for funding for an event?
9. After I receive my allocation from SFB, how do I access the funds?
10. How do you appeal an SFB decision?
11. 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.  I submitted my application on September 12th and the deadline is September 25th, why hasn’t my application been reviewed yet? 

•  Your application has not been reviewed because all applications submitted between deadlines are not reviewed until the following deadline.  This means they are all held until the meeting following the deadline.  If you need your application reviewed earlier it is up to you to apply with more than enough time so you don’t run into a time crunch.

5.  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.

6.  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.

7.  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 deadline following the holiday.

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

•  We recommend that you apply for a deadline that is at least 2-4 weeks before your event date.  However, it would be most ideal for you to apply 4-6 weeks in advance.  The earlier you apply the better and the more time you have to properly plan your event.

9.  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.

10.  How do you appeal an SFB decision?

• You can send an email to sfb@gmu.edu and share your reason for appeal.  Also, please provide any additional documentation that will be helpful in aiding the boards decision (i.e. invoices, itemized receipts and online screenshots, etc.). For more information on appeals, please visit: SFB APPEALS. The deadline for SFB appeals is either that they must be received by the next funding deadline or within two weeks from when your allocation was sent, which ever comes first.

11. 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.

If you have any questions or comments for the Student Funding Board, please fill out the contact form below! A member of the board will be in contact shortly!

 

You must include your organization name in the message!