Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 



Undergraduate Guide to Funding Sources at Penn 

Updated: October 24, 2008 

The purpose of this document is to serve as a compilation of the most common funding sources 
for undergraduate students and student groups on campus. In the past few years, an increasing 
number of student groups have had unmet needs for funds that could be used to bring a positive 
contribution to Penn’s campus and / or improve the undergraduate experience of students. 

According to Fran Walker in the Office of Student Life, Penn Trustees first allocated money to 
the Undergraduate Assembly to distribute among student government and student groups in the 
1960s. The Trustees at that time determined a fixed amount to give to the UA each year. 
Several years later, the Trustees elected to increase that fixed amount each year by the same 
percentage as the increase in the General Fee that students paid, and this system continues to be 
used now. The UA received $1.72 million from the Trustees for 2008-09. 

Undergraduate Assembly (UA): 

http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~ua/ 

As described above, the UA annually receives and distributes ~$1.7 million to Penn’s six 
branches of student government (i.e. Undergraduate Assembly, Student Activities Council, 
Student Planning and Events Committee, Nominations and Elections Committee, Student 
Committee on Undergraduate Education and the four Class Boards). 

Additionally, the UA maintains a separate Contingency Fund if financial assistance is needed 
because of unforeseen expenses. Student groups may apply to this fund as an absolute last 
resort after funding from all of the applicable sources has been requested. Please see more 
detailed information about the Contingency Fund at the end of this document. 

Student Activities Council (SAC): 

http://sacfunded.net/ 

The primary funding organization on Penn’s campus for undergraduate student groups is SAC. 
Student groups that are currently SAC recognized apply for an annual budget, but in the case of 
unforeseen costs, they may submit a Contingency Request for additional funding. 

For student groups that are not SAC recognized and wish to seek SAC recognition, more 
information can be found at: 

1 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


http://sacfunded.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=17&id=61&Item 
id=77 

Student groups should be organized and putting on events for at least a year, and if SAC 
recognition is granted, newly recognized groups cannot apply for SAC funding for at least three 
months after recognition. 

Fundraising: 

If your group needs only a few hundred dollars, we recommend simple fundraising as an 
extremely simple, yet effective method. This is an excellent way to raise money for charity 
events, as most on-campus organizations cannot fund non-profit organizations or events that 
directly contribute to them. Fundraising can include things as simple as bake sales, raffles, 
auctions, etc. Members can also participate in the Psychology Department’s experiments 
(http://www.psych.upenn.edu/experiments) or the Wharton Behavioral Labs 
(http://bhlab.wharton.upenn.edu). 

Additionally, alumni of your organization are often willing to donate money, so we recommend 
contacting them as well. However, before contacting alumni directly, you should contact the 
University’s Development and Alumni Relations office (http://darin.dev.upenn.edu), as some 
fundraising on campus may require a Vending Permit. 

Vice Provost for University Life (VPUL): 

http://www.vpul.upenn.edu 

VPUL is the division that oversees a majority of departments and administrative organizations 
that affect students. These include health and academic support services such as Weingarten 
Learning Resource Center, CAPS, and Student Health; intercultural programs such as PAACH 
and the Greenfield Intercultural Center; resource centers such as Career Services and Penn 
Women’s Center; student activities resources such as the Office of Student Life and Civic 
House; and College Housing. In the past, VPUL has contributed additional funds towards Hey 
Déjà Vu, the senior event during Hey Day and various pre-orientation programs. Additionally, 
individual departments / centers under VPUL may be contacted individually. 

For example: 

• 
Civic House Associates Coalition (CHAC): CHAC serves as the community service hub 
on Penn’s campus. CHAC generally funds start-up and supplemental funding for service 
events and projects. Grants are usually under $500. For more information, please visit: 
http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~chac/fund.htm. 
• 
College Houses and Academic Services (CHAS): CHAS has limited funding that can go 
towards events that directly relate to the College House system at Penn. For example, 
CHAS is a co-sponsor of the Collegiate Readership Program, which brings the New York 
Times to each College House. To contact CHAS, please visit: 
http://www.collegehouses.upenn.edu/. 
2 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


• 
Intercultural Resource Centers / Minority Organizations: 
o 
Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC) / United Minorities Council (UMC): 
The GIC’s purpose is to serve as an intercultural resource on campus by 
supporting the UMC, fostering race dialogue, and promoting PACE classes, 
among many other things. Any student group may apply to GIC / UMC for a cosponsorship 
of intercultural events that supports GIC’s mission. Applications 
must be submitted four weeks in advance. For more details, please visit: 
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/gic/fundingprocedures.htm. 
o 
La Casa Latina / Latino Coalition (LC): 
The mission of La Casa Latina lies within developing greater awareness of Latino 
issues, culture and identity on Penn’s campus. For events that promote the values 
of La Casa Latina, student groups may apply for a co-sponsorship. Generally, cosponsorships 
are less than $50. For more details, please visit: 
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/lacasa/forms/form_cosponsor.html. 
o 
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Center / Lambda Alliance: 
The LGBT Center serves to support Penn lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
students, staff, alumni, and faculty and to increase the general Penn community’s 
understanding and acceptance of its sexual and gender minority members. 
Student groups may apply to the LGBT Center for events that promote the LGBT 
Center’s mission. For more details, please visit: 
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/lgbtc/. 
o 
Makuu / UMOJA: 
The purpose of Makuu is to serve as a cultural resource center for Penn students 
interested in Black culture. Additionally, Makuu provides support and guidance 
to individual students and student groups, while aiming to identify student-
evidenced challenges and enhance collaborative efforts among students. Students 
may apply for funding if an event promotes Makuu’s mission. For more details, 
please visit: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/makuu/index.html. 
o 
Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) / Asian Pacific Student 
Coalition (APSC): 
The mission of PAACH is to support the needs of Penn's Asian American and 
Pacific Islander communities, to develop programs that bridge Asian American 
Studies and student affairs, and to cultivate a greater sense of Pan-Asian 
American and Pacific Islander community. To that end, events that fit under this 
mission may receive funding from PAACH. For more details, please visit: 
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/paach/cosponsor.htm. 
o 
Penn Women’s Center / Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women (PCUW): 
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Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


For information related to funding resources available from PCUW or the 
Trustees’ Council of Penn Women (TCPW), please contact PCUW co-chair 
Brooke Boyarsky at: boyarsky@sas.upenn.edu. 

The Intercultural Fund (ICF): 

Penn’s six minority coalition groups – Asian Pacific Student Coalition (APSC), Lambda 
Alliance, Latino Coalition, Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women (PCUW), UMOJA and 
the United Minorities Council (UMC) – are administering an Intercultural Fund and plan to 
distribute $17,500 per semester ($35,000 total) to undergraduate programming and events on 
campus. 

The mission of the Intercultural Fund is to enhance student life at Penn by supporting events that 
break boundaries, celebrate our diversity, and provide forums for underrepresented communities 
to express themselves. Funding has been provided to these six Managing Coalitions by VPUL, 
with the ICF Board given authority to allocate the funds as it sees fit. The six-member ICF 
Board consists of either the Finance Chair, Treasurer or another non-Chair or non-Vice Chair of 
each of the six Managing Coalitions. 

Guidelines: 

• 
The Intercultural Fund aims to foster cross-community building through collaborations 
between student organizations affiliated with the Campus Resource Centers (mentioned 
above). The focus and content of such collaborations should be diverse, attracting 
audiences that would not naturally associate with each other. Collaborating organizations 
are expected to be equal partners in the planning of the programming. Co-sponsorship in 
name only does not indicate significant collaboration. 
• 
Among the collaborating organizations there must be at least two student groups that are 
collectively associated with at least two different cultural centers. 
• 
The Intercultural Fund highly considers the originality and creativity of a proposal during 
its review. However, already existing events that foster intercultural collaboration 
congruent with the ICF Mission will also be considered. 
• 
The Intercultural Fund considers the content, scope and impact of a proposal during its 
review, specifically, how these factors directly relate to the student community. 
Furthermore, simple preference is given to large-scale events. 
• 
The Intercultural Fund reserves the right to review line-item budgets of all submitted 
proposals and to include this review in its decision. Budget items will be reviewed for 
"need" versus "want" status. 
• 
All publicity and / or programming materials for the event (co)sponsored by the 
Intercultural Fund must bear the Intercultural Fund name and logo. 
• 
Intercultural Fund does not fund events at which alcohol is present, sectarian activities, or 
fundraising events, as appropriate with VPUL guidelines. 
• 
Intercultural Fund does not fund retroactively. 
4 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


For more detailed information regarding the funding procedure and to obtain a copy of the 
application, please e-mail interculturalfund@gmail.com at least three weeks prior to your 
group’s event. 

Tangible Change (T-Change): 

http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~tchange/ 

If your event is one that brings together at least two groups who normally do not collaborate with 
each other and is not a speaker event, you may apply to Tangible Change for funding. TChange’s 
mission is to provide a forum for student leaders to plan and fund events which seek to 
bring together large and disparate audiences. Events must be non-alcoholic and non-fundraising 
that cater primarily to undergraduates. 

T-Change is funded by VPUL and received approximately $40,000 to distribute for the 2007-08 
year. One unique aspect about T-Change is that it is one of the few organizations that does fund 
food expenses. In the past, T-Change has funded events such as a Microfinance Conference and 
a rap battle between students from the Vietnamese Student Association and Muslim Students 
Association. 

Fox Leadership: 

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/foxleadership/reg/index.php 

Fox Leadership is an organization dedicated to promoting leadership in any form amongst 
undergraduate students. In the past, Fox Leadership’s Steering Committee has approved cosponsorships. 
Additionally, the Fox Leadership Directors have been influential in making 
funding decisions. Please see the website for the contact information for the Steering Committee 
and directors. 

Provost’s Office: 

In the past, the Office of the Provost has opted to fund initiatives that can benefit the 
undergraduate community. Examples include pre-orientation programs, the UA Collegiate 
Readership Program, and even events, such as QPENN week. 

Penn Alumni Students Society (PASS): 

http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/pass/ 

PASS seeks to foster bonds across generations of Quakers and promote school spirit. PASS-
sponsored activities include a networking conference with Trustees' Council of Penn Women 
(TCPW), Post-Penn Perspectives Panel with young alumni nationwide on city life after Penn, 
Move to New York broker event with the Penn Club of New York, Homecoming receptions and 
mentoring events, Penn-Princeton basketball pre-game reception with Philadelphia Club and the 
Red & Blue Crew, introducing high school students to Penn through collaboration with the 
Alumni Council on Admissions and Linking Legacies, Clash of the Classes with Class Boards, 
and co-partnerships with various student umbrella groups and cultural resource centers. 

5 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


Any undergraduate student group planning an event or program that aims to foster meaningful 
alumni-student interactions and is open to all members of the Penn community is eligible to 
apply for additional funding from PASS. Such sponsorship requests will be considered on an ongoing 
case-by-case basis, with the expectation that the requesting group have at least two active 
General Body members, with membership defined as per PASS's By-Laws. The amount of 
funding available to eligible groups is open to discussion. 

For more information, please visit: http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/pass. To apply, please e-mail 
pass@dev.upenn.edu. 

Academic Departments: 

Most, if not all, academic departments have some funds that they can contribute towards events 
that directly relate to that department. Each department may have different procedures and 
guidelines on funding events and so should be contacted individually. For example, the 
Environmental Studies Department contributed $250 towards the pilot program for PennGreen, 
an environmentally themed pre-orientation program. 

• 
College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Travel Grant: 
http://www.college.upenn.edu/options/travel.php 

A travel grant fund has been established to help undergraduate students in the College 
defray the cost of travel and / or conference registration fees to participate in an academic 
conference. Grants may be awarded to students who are presenting a paper or a poster at 
a scholarly meeting. The fund will provide grants of up to $500 per student per year. 
Please visit the link for more information as well as how to apply. 

Wharton Council: 

http://www.whartoncouncil.org/aboutus.php 

Wharton Council has about $11,000 to distribute to Wharton Council member groups. Groups 
must go through an application process, similar to that of applying to SAC, with unique 
requirements to be eligible for funding. Wharton Council member groups may receive funding 
based on the size of the event being held. Items such as food, marketing expenses, banners, 
transportation (SEPTA), and other miscellaneous equipment can be funded while speaker fees / 
accommodations, car rentals and taxi fares, events serving alcohol, and events that are not open 
to the Penn community will not be funded. Applications for funding must be turned in ten 
business days before the event. 

Engineering Student Activities Council (ESAC): 

http://fling.seas.upenn.edu/~esac/wiki/ 

ESAC receives about $24,000 annually from the School of Engineering to allocate to member 
groups. Similar to applying for SAC recognition, engineering-focused groups must go through a 
recognition process before any funding is obtained. Once a member of ESAC, each group 
receives at least $200 per semester for operating expenses. If additional funding is needed for 

6 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


specific events, a group may submit an event proposal form to receive reimbursement for an 
event. 

Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC): 

http://specevents.net 

If you wish to bring a speaker with an honorarium in excess of $100, your funding source is 
SPEC Connaissance: 

SPEC Connaissance distributes funds in the forms of annual and non-annual co-sponsorships for 
speakers. 

• 
The organizations / events that currently get annual co-sponsorships are the Muslim 
Students Association, APAHW, Unity Week, FLASH, Civic House, Black History 
Month, Haitian Solidarity Week, QSA / QPENN, Festival Latino, Philomathean Society, 
Hillel, Holocaust Memorial Day, South Asian Society, Lubavitch, Penn Consortium of 
Undergraduate Women, and GUIDE. 
• 
Any student group can apply to SPEC Connaissance for a non-annual co-sponsorship if 
they are planning on bringing a speaker to Penn’s campus. For the 2008-09 year, SPEC 
Connaissance has $23,000 available to distribute in non-annual co-sponsorships. 
Applications must be turned in at least four weeks prior to the event. Additionally, other 
sources of funding must be consulted before applying for a co-sponsorship. For more 
detailed information, please visit: 
http://specevents.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=157. 
• 
Expenses for honoraria, travel and lodging are commonly funded by Connaissance. If the 
honorarium is less than $100, your request should go directly to SAC. Here is a general 
overview of SPEC funding: 
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/manual/spec.html. 
If your event is entertainment, social or social / cultural, is not a charity event and you have a 
solid plan of what you want to do but lack funding, your best source of funds is SPEC Fully 
Planned: 

Any organization that has an event that is “fully planned” and needs some sort of funding can 
apply to the SPEC Fully Planned fund, which has $24,000 for the 2008-09 year. The sponsoring 
organization develops the program and the budget and SPEC provides the funding. Example: 
Mask & Wig's ComFest. 

Fully Planned generally entails that all costs are known, the facilities are set, the other sources of 
funding are finalized, etc. Fully Planned does not fund meals, gifts, receptions, or donations. 
Groups are also expected to seek other appropriate sources of funding before application to Fully 
Planned. For more information, please visit: 
http://specevents.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=86. 

If your event is entertainment, social or social / cultural, is not a charity event and is in the 
idea stages only, your best source of funds is The SPEC Co-Sponsorship Fund: 

http://specevents.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=157 

7 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


The sponsoring organization and the appropriate SPEC committee jointly plan the event, 
bringing together the expertise from both parties. Example: undergraduate art exhibit co 
sponsored by the SPEC Art Gallery and Fine Arts students. Again, here is a general overview of 
SPEC funding: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/manual/spec.html. 

SPEC-TRUM (SPEC-To Represent Undergraduate Minorities): 

SPEC-TRUM co-sponsors many large-scale events throughout the year that provide quality 
entertainment that addresses the diversity interest within the University community. These 
include Asian Pacific American Heritage Week (APAHW), QPENN, Festival Latino, Unity 
Week, Kwanzaa Celebration, and Carifest. If your group has an event during one of SPECTRUM’s 
co-sponsored events, you may apply directly to the week-long event or celebration for 
some funding. 

General Event Co-Sponsorships: 

SPEC is organized into many different committees. Other committees that may assist groups 
either monetarily or with event planning include Art Gallery, Concerts, Film, Jazz and Grooves, 
SPEC-TRUM, Sound, and Special Events. For more information about each of these 
committees, you can visit the SPEC homepage and click on the committee of interest. 

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA): 

http://www.gapsa.upenn.edu 

Graduate Inter-School Activities Council (GISAC): 

GAPSA provides funding for operational expenses of inter-school graduate student groups. Up 
to $250 can be requested by each graduate student group per academic year for operational costs 
associated with maintaining an active organization on campus. For a student group to be 
recognized as a “graduate student group,” at least half of the executive board members should 
be graduate or professional students and the group should be registered with the Office of 
Student Life (http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/policies.html). There is no fixed deadline for 
applying for group funding. Undergraduate SAC-funded and single-event specific groups 
are not eligible. GAPSA also requires that student groups be inter-school or interdisciplinary. 

Operating expenses that qualify for GISAC funding include: 

• 
$100 for banners at maximum of once every four years 
• 
Office supplies and furnishings 
• 
Maintenance of a university email lists 
• 
Computer supplies 
• 
Facilities fees 
• 
Copying and printing 
• 
Advertising 
• 
Subscription and dues 
8 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 
2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 


• 
Event entry fees 
• 
Transportation 
• 
$5 a head for refreshments (only for group organizational planning or other spontaneous 
meeting of up to 20 people) 
• 
Miscellaneous (not to exceed 10% of the total request) 
Please indicate whether your group intends to use GISAC funding in addition to your event 
funding budget. 

All questions should be directed to GAPSA’s Vice Chair for Finance at 
gapsa.finance@gmail.com. 

Non-Academic Event Funding: 

GAPSA event funding is intended to provide supplemental funding for graduate student 
organizations registered through the Office of Student Life 
(http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/policies.html). Organizations should seek financial support 
from sources in addition to GAPSA funding. All student groups are encouraged to apply for 
funding for the Fall 2008 semester. Groups may receive up to $1500 for the 2008-09 year and 
should plan their fall budget accordingly. The amount of each group receives will be determined 
by the strength of the request and the number of groups that apply. Groups must submit budget 
request forms to the Vice Chair of Finance mailbox in the Graduate Student Center by October 1, 
2008 and electronically to gapsa.finance@gmail.com. 

Guidelines: 

• 
In order to qualify for funding, a group should have a membership consisting of at least 
50% graduate students. 
• 
Groups that receive funding are required to announce their events on GAPSA’s event 
announcements webpage and recognize GAPSA as a funding source on any email 
announcements and publications. 
• 
Groups are required to submit an electronic attendance record of all graduate students 
who participated in an event which will be used when considering funding for future 
events. 
• 
Groups must also submit an itemized spreadsheet listing all expenditures and the names 
of individuals seeking reimbursement. Groups are responsible for full disclosure of all 
financial actions and must report all changes in expenses to the GAPSA finance 
committee. No organization is permitted to enter into any contract without the consent of 
the OSL. When submitting forms for payment please list GAPSA-Cosponsorship under 
the budget category. Financial policies and forms can be found on the Office of Student 
Life website (http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/osl/policies.html). 
• 
Requests for non-Perelman quad facilities will be entertained only in rare cases. Student 
groups registered through OSL receive room rental, chairs and up to six 6’ rectangular 
tables from Perelman Quad free of charge. Student groups are required to submit 
accurate facilities costs as assessed by Perelman quad after completion of the event. This 
can be obtained from your event coordinator. 
9 



Authors: 2008-09 UA Budget Committee (2008-09 UA Treasurer Ben Coulter, Ryan Houston, Sakina Zaidi) 

2008-09 SAC Executive Board 
2007-08 UA Budget Committee (2007-08 UA Treasurer Sunny Patel, Alex Flamm, Liz Lee) 

Preference will be given to groups open to the entire graduate student community and whose 
board is composed of students from more than one school. GAPSA will make a small amount of 
funding available for groups on a per event basis since this is the first year for the budget 
proposal system. 

All questions should be directed to GAPSA’s Vice Chair for Finance at 
gapsa.finance@gmail.com. 

Undergraduate Assembly (UA) Contingency Fund: 

As previously mentioned, the UA maintains a separate Contingency Fund if financial assistance 
is needed because of unforeseen expenses. Student groups may apply to this fund as an absolute 
last resort after funding from all of the applicable sources has been requested. 

In the past, the Contingency Fund has been used to fund UA projects and initiatives such as pre-
orientation programs and the UA Collegiate Readership Program (The New York Times), as well 
as student organizations such as Penn Leads the Vote. 

The following excerpt from the UA Budget Committee’s Funding Guidelines provides an 
explicit list of funding sources that must precede submission of a UA Contingency Request: 

a. SAC (for SAC groups) 
b. Tangible Change 
c. Fundraising Efforts 
d. Alumni Donations 
e. Resource Centers 
f. SPEC (for speakers) 
While we recognize that this is not an exhaustive list of every single funding source on campus, 
we believe that this is a good starting point for any group looking to obtaining funding. Other 
potential sources of funding include: Office of Health Education; Office of Alcohol Policy 
Initiatives; Kelly Writer’s House; Annenberg School of Communication; each individual school 
within the university; each of the four Class Boards; and, Hillel, among many others. 

10