CSE Undergraduate Student Group Small Grant Application

Funding provided by: PPG, Collins Aerospace, other corporate/individual gifts, and CSE Student Services.

Beginning fall 2023, CSE small grants will be separated into two categories, Projects/Travel and Events.

  • Experiential Project/Travel grants can be awarded to a group once a semester. Examples of project/travel grants are parts, components, and/or materials for hands-on experiential learning builds, maintenance, etc; travel to conferences, competitions, or other organized events or programs.
  • Event/Program grants can be awarded to a group once a month during the semester. Examples of events grants are supplies, hospitality, space reservations, services, or other expenses need to host an event on or off campus. 

Groups are limited to a total of $3,000 in grants per semester. In certain circumstances, groups may be considered for grants of greater than $3,000 depending on the nature of their requests, and funding sources available. e.g. there may be specific funds available to fund initiatives supporting DEI and gender diversity in STEM.

Applications will be accepted for either type of grant on a rolling basis reviewed and distributed monthly. Requests for winter break are considered during the fall semester and requests for summer break are considered during the spring semester. If additional funds are needed, groups are encouraged to fundraise.

FINAL DEADLINE for Fall 2023, December 14, 2023 at noon

FINAL DEADLINE for Spring 2024, April 24, 2024 at noon

Application Review Process and Considerations

  • Initial recommendations are made by a committee made up of CSE Student Services staff members and Science and Engineering Student Board officers. Final decisions are made by the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs.
  • The Small Grant Committee meets every other week throughout the academic year. The committee will not meet during University breaks or other closures.
    • Friday, December 15, 2023 (final meeting of the fall semester)
    • Thursday, January 18, 2024
    • Thursday, February 1, 2024
    • Thursday, February 15, 2024
    • Thursday, February 29, 2024
    • Thursday, March 14, 2024
    • Thursday, March 28, 2024
    • Thursday, April 11, 2024
    • Thursday, April 25, 2024 (final meeting of the year)
  • Applications must be received by noon the day prior to be reviewed by the committee.
  • Basic Considerations
    • Groups that maintain a close relationship to CSE (subject material, significant membership, etc)
    • Groups with current registration in good standing with the Student Unions and Activities Office
    • Overall, grant applications should fund events, programming, and projects that provide clear benefits for the College and/or the undergraduate students enrolled in the College. Additional Info.
    • Additional considerations found in the CSE Small Grant Rubric
  • Please be as detailed as possible when making requests. If the committee and/or the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs requires additional information, this may delay the decision and thus the distribution of funds.
  • Hospitality/Gift Requests
    • Food and catering requests will be considered for funding, however, groups must receive an approved food permit prior to the event
    • Funding for gift cards may be considered
    • In both cases, requests must be accompanied by a detailed justification as to why food/catering or gift cards are important to your program or event.

By accepting any small grant amount, your student group agrees to the following:

  • Awarded funds shall be spent during the semester in which they were awarded.
  • All expenditures documented in an appropriate report.
  • Groups will act in the best interest of CSE and the University, and within the University’s Student Conduct Code.
  • Groups hosting activities that welcome persons under the age of 18, will comply with all aspects of the University’s Safety of Minors policy.
  • Groups arranging travel outside of the United States will comply with all aspects of the University's Student Travel and Education Abroad: Health and Safety policy.
  • Groups will help, when asked, with collegiate and University events during the academic year, including but not limited to admissions/recruitment events, outreach opportunities, and orientation and first year programs.

Failure to follow through with any of the above conditions will affect future grant consideration.

Instructions for Submitting an Application

  • Submit the one of the forms below responding to the following questions.
    • Please provide a detailed description of the event(s)/projects(s) for which you are requesting funds.
      • If the request includes funds for overnight travel names and x.500s of participants will be required.
    • Please share the URL of a Google spreadsheet where we can find your detailed budget.
    • If you have other documents that you would like to submit with your application please share a Google Drive URL where they can be located.
  • Groups are limited to one project grant per semester and one event grant per month. Group presidents, captains and/or treasurers are responsible for submitting a single complete application representing the interests of the entire group. Updates/addendums will only be considered on a funds-available basis, if at all.

Distribution of Awarded Funds

  • All groups will receive an email detailing the amount of any awarded funds and, where necessary, a brief explanation for any denied requests.
  • Campus Life Programs will have awarded funds sent electronically to appropriate EFS account strings.
  • Registered Student Organizations will have a University payment made to their groups via ACH (Direct Deposit) payments. This process requires that your group be set up as a vendor within the University financial system. If your group has not received ACH payments from the University previously or your group is not set up as a vendor at the University please complete and submit the following forms to Ben Koch, [email protected], ASAP: Student Organization ACH Authorization Agreement (supplier ID will be added for you) AND W-9. DO NOT submit the forms to [email protected] as suggested on the form.

 

Questions regarding any aspect of the CSE Small Grant Application process should be addressed to Ben Koch, [email protected].

Project/Travel Grant (once a semester)

Event Grant (once a month)