Funding

Funding

Students attending Iowa State University pay a Student Activity Fee of $49.00 per semester. This generates over $2.6 million in fee revenue, which is distributed to student organizations and services all across campus by the Iowa State University Student Government. The two most common ways to receive funding from Student Government are through the Annual Allocations and Bill processes.

Almost all funding provided by Student Government is bound by our Priorities and Criteria document. P&C sets guidelines for both what StuGov is able to fund and what types of organizations are eligible for funding. This document is linked below, please send any questions to stugovfinance@iastate.edu.

FY25 Information

Annual Allocations Information:

This section pertains to any organization requesting funding from Student Government

Annual Allocations is the most important process for organizations seeking funding from Student Government. It happens in three main phases:

1: Information/Help Sessions

Information/Help Sessions are absolutely mandatory for each group receiving funding. During these, groups will be given access to their budget, learn about the process, and get information on where to go when they have any hiccups. Dates and times are below–Treasurers may stop in anytime during the scheduled information/help sessions:

Wednesday, February 7 | 12:00 – 3:00 PM | Memorial Union, Room 2210

Friday, February 9 | 10:15 AM – 1:45 PM | Memorial Union, Room 3540

Monday, February 12 | 12:00 – 4:00 PM | Memorial Union, Room 2210

 

2: Submit Budget Request

Budget requests are due by midnight on Friday, February 16.

 

3: Hearings

Each group will then attend a hearing where they will meet with Finance Committee as a whole and their budget will be edited. Groups will sign up for these times during the Information Sessions. 

After this much of the process, almost all organizations are finished. For just a handful of organizations, the Finance Committee may request that they return to answer further questions or present in front of the Senate to explain parts of their request. 

Funding Requests

  • If your organization meets all of the eligibility requirements, please complete the Student Government Funding Application Form
  • If your organization would like to request changes to line items from a funding request, please complete the Student Government Line Item Transfer Request Form
  • If your organization would like to request that the funds be carried over to a new fiscal year, please complete the Student Government Carryover Request Form

Each organization that is requesting funds from the Student Government is required to meet the following requirements:

  • Organizations must demonstrate at least $20 income per fiscal year per student member as listed by the Student Organization Database unless the organization has been in existence for less than 365 days. 
  • The organization shall be officially recognized by Student Engagement.
  • The organization shall be open to all activity fee-paying students and spouse cardholders.
  • The organization shall not contribute or accept financial or material support to or from, any political party or campaign, endorse a political party or candidate, other than for Student Government elections.
    • Campus publications shall be able to endorse candidates for any office in sections clearly marked as opinion sections.
  • The organization shall not be a college or residence area Student Government constituency council.
  • The organization shall not have more than half of its members receive academic credit for membership.
  • The organization shall not receive funding from one or more academic department(s).
  • The organization shall not primarily exist to assist students in attaining an internship or a scholarship.
  • The organization shall not have a mission consistent with or directed towards a particular academic program or major at Iowa State University.
  • The budget proposal must be organized by line items, all of which must have justification and a specific cost estimate.

Student Government has determined four classifications for organizations requesting funding. In order from least restrictive funding rules to most, they are Partnered, Sponsored, Funding Eligible, and Funding Ineligible. For a full definition of these classifications, please refer to section 9.3 of the StuGov Bylaws. Finance Priorities and Criteria describe the limits and types of items each classification of organization is eligible for.

Partnered – Very few organizations fall into this category. These are organizations that perform critical university functions, present events with broad appeal, or have complex operations. These organizations have the least restrictive access to funding.

Sponsored – Organizations that serve the broad interests of students and the public. This type of organization contributes to the mission, vision, goals, and culture of the university. This includes organizations that appeal to some element of the culture of the University and that put on major events. This classification also includes all publications.

Funding Eligible – Organizations that are consistent with the mission and culture of StuGov and the University, and primarily engage in activities that benefit or interest their membership. This type of organization is consistent with all the eligibility requirements. 

Funding Ineligible – Organizations that do not meet ALL of the eligibility requirements. This type of organizations is ineligible to received Student Government funding.

Current club classification tiers can be found here. Organization funding tiers are updated during annual allocations.

Bill Process

Each year the Student Government Senate is allocated money to spend at their discretion. This amount can vary from $30,000 to $60,000 per year. Organizations wishing to seek immediate funding throughout the year for non-forecasted expenses are encouraged to participate in the bill process.

First, check the eligibility requirements to ensure you qualify for Student Government funding, and then fill out a funding request form. A Student Government Senator will then work with you to have a bill written for your request. The Senator will then submit the bill to be introduced at the next Wednesday night Senate meeting. The Finance Committee then reviews the bill and sends it back to the Senate. The Senate typically votes to approve or deny the request at the second Wednesday night Senate meeting.

FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

Student Government funds a whole host of organizations, activities, events, and non-profits.

We currently fund around 200 clubs including multicultural clubs, campus publications/magazines, and sports clubs. 

We fund the Student Activities Center, Student Counseling Services, Committee on Lectures, Student Alumni Leadership Council, International Students and Scholars, Student Legal Services, the Iowa State Daily, and the Student Union Board. 

We fund events like Winterfest, Family Weekend, Dance Marathon, and ISU Afterdark.  

We also fund non-profit organizations through a program called ASSET, a partnership with the City of Ames, Story County, and United Way of Story County, to give students access to vital resources that campus may not offer.

Student Government currently funds around 200 organizations at Iowa State. Our Priorities and Criteria document outlines the funding eligibility requirements that an organization must adhere to in order to receive money. Every organization is reclassified each year to ensure that they are still funding eligible. The vast majority of funding is disbursed during Annual Allocations. Check out the document titled “P&C 22” for more information on elegibility.

Annual Allocations is the process where we fund all organizations for the next fiscal year. Every organization wanting funds from Student Government MUST go through this process! The fiscal year at Iowa State runs July 1 – June 31, so every organization will submit a budget in the spring to be reviewed, amended, and approved by Finance Committee before the new fiscal year begins. Every advisor and treasurer will receive an email regarding this process early in the spring semester (mid-February).

Student Government has a small pot of funds to be given out during the year (outside of Annual Allocations) for unforeseen or special circumstances. If your organization needs funding for unforeseen line items, you can fill out the Student Government Funding Application here. Student Government may deny or greatly reduce requests for funds if your organization did not attend Annual Allocations.

The Finance Committee will review your application and then a Student Government Senator will reach out to you within a week to follow up, ask for additional information, and then write a funding bill for your request. Your organization will then attend a Finance Committee meeting and, if passed, a Senate meeting to discuss, amend, and vote on the funding request. The process takes approximately 3 – 4 weeks, so please submit funding requests as early as possible and be prepared for these meetings.

Some examples of things that we have funded include:

Unique events that are open to all students 

Partial travel to official conferences and competitions

Partial registration for official conferences and competitions

Food for multicultural events open to all students

Printing and advertising (up to $60 in most cases)

Please read our Priorities and Criteria document for more detailed information on what we can fund. Priorities and Criteria is changed and updated annually.

All accounts are audited at the end of the fiscal year, where any unused or misspent Student Government funds will be taken back out of your account. All line items in your budget must match the line items from your account! If your plans change and you aren’t going to use the money as intended, fill out a Line Item Transfer request or the funds will be removed from your account. If you have any questions about your account balance, missing funds, or Workday issues, please contact Campus Organizations Accounting.

Plans change, we get that! A line item transfer is for an organization that has a line on its annual budget that they want to transfer to something else. The new line item must be a similar request and can not exceed the amount of the original line item. 

If your organization is going to a different location for a conference or competition, the transportation and registration line items must be updated through a line item transfer prior to spending the money!

Student Government’s Green Initiatives Fund is ready for your next big idea, the Committee on Lectures wants to help bring your speaker to campus, and the Event Funding Board can give you the resources to gather lots of Cyclones together. Departments and colleges often offer funding for various initiatives (or you can always ask your mom).

Other Resources

These External links contain useful information about SG funding processes.

StuGov Online Budget System

This is Student Government’s online budgeting system. Search for budgets dating back to 2007 for every organization that requested money from Student Government.

Student Organization Database

Provides information about every student organization and allows you to search for organizations which you might want to join or simply learn about.

Student Organization Recognition Policy

University policy regarding recognition and classification of student organizations. Status of organizations is reviewed annually by the Student Organization Review Board. Compliance with this policy is required to request money from StuGov.

Analysis of Social Services and Evaluation Team (ASSET)

Website for the entity that allocates over $190,000 in student fee revenue to provide social services for ISU students.

Undergraduate Conference Travel Fund Application

This form is a request made to the Senior Vice President, Provost and the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs to assist undergraduates in going to conferences. This request is separate from any made to StuGov and can be used to subsidize expenses for organization conference travel.

Student Activities Center Funding Opportunities

The Student Activities Center (SAC) maintains a list of various fundraising opportunities for student organizations to partake in.

Student Organization Event Funding Board

The Student Organization Event Funding Board offers recognized student organizations an opportunity to receive funds for events throughout the academic year (fall and spring semesters only).

More Information

Contact Us

Meet the Finance Director

Martin Hursh

Finance Director

Upcoming Event:

Recent Posts: