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Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) can appeal on Viewpoint Neutrality Violations or Procedural Deficiencies. Appeals must be filed with the Chief Justice of the Student Judiciary within 10 business days of receiving the decision from the Grant Allocation Committee (GAC).
Cosponsor
Any entity providing monetary donations, in-kind donations, or working in an advisory role. Cosponsors should not be the primary planners or make the final decisions on behalf of RSOs.
Event
An activity with all components of the event primarily planned and organized by the RSO, that is open to the entire UW–Madison student body, is primarily attended by University of Wisconsin students, and has no admission fee.
Fall semester
Begins the first day of classes in the fall and ends the last day of winter break.
Fundraising
Any actions towards the collection of goods or money by an RSO with the intent to be kept by the RSO, allocated by the RSO to another organization either inside or outside the university, or used for a specific event or travel. Fundraising is not the collection of membership dues.
Malfeasance in office
Violating viewpoint neutrality, threatening fellow committee members or RSO representatives, noncompliance with ASM Grant Allocation Committee Policies and Procedures, or other actions deemed just cause for removal by the Chair of Grant Allocation Committee.
Operations
The day-to- day work of an RSO, including organizational meetings (exclusive to current RSO members and new recruits), recruitment, activities, non-fundraising printing, non-fundraising mailing, and non-fundraising office work.
Publicly distributed materials
Any materials given out or posted by RSO members or by a third party on behalf of the RSO, to individuals outside the RSO with the following intentions, including but not limited to: recruitment, invitation to an event, promotion of an event. All such materials distributed by an event cosponsor, individual, or other entity tasked with advertising by the RSO are classified as publicly distributed materials. This includes print and digital materials.
Registered Student Organization (RSO)
A student organization that is registered with the Center for Leadership and Involvement or has submitted their registration application with the Center for Leadership and Involvement.
Spring semester
Begins the first day of spring classes and ends the last day of summer break.
Transit
The mode of transportation for travel.
Travel
A trip in line with the RSO's mission and exclusive to RSO members. Travel must have a defined purpose, audience, agenda, and timeframe as set forth by a non-RSO event organizer.
Scope:
These policies and procedures set forth the viewpoint neutral manner and process for allocating student segregated university fees by the Associated Students of Madison Grant Allocation Committee, formerly referred to as the Finance Committee.
Policy:
Grant Allocation Committee Internal Policies and Grant Funds
Committee Members Responsibilities and RSO Accountability
Attendance. A committee member must attend every Grant Allocation Committee meeting, unless excused by the Chair of Grant Allocation Committee. To be excused from a meeting, a committee member must contact the Chair at least 24 hours before the meeting to be missed. Contact may be made via email, written notification, or phone. The following are reasons why a committee member may be excused from a meeting:
Class commitments during the time of the meeting
Religious observances
Work conflicts which cannot be resolved
Previous commitments to other organizations
Other ASM duties which must be performed at the time of the meeting
Emergencies excused by the Chair
Committee Meeting Times. Grant Allocation Committee shall meet at the discretion of the Chair with input by the committee members. Committee members must submit their exam calendar or dates in a timely manner if requested by the Chair to allow the Chair to plan meetings accordingly.
Removal from Committee. Members who miss three meetings without being excused by the Chair or who have committed a malfeasance in office will have their position on the committee put up for review by the Chair at the next Grant Allocation Committee Meeting. The Chair shall notify the member in question of their pending status review at least 24 hours prior to the meeting when the review is to take place. The committee may remove the member in question by a two-thirds vote of present members. The committee with a majority vote of present members may bring up a member for review. At the meeting immediately following the member being brought up for review by vote, the member under review will be given a chance to explain his or her case for not being removed from the committee, after which the vote for removal will be taken. Members who have missed 5 meetings without being excused by the Chair will be automatically removed.
Responsibilities of the Chair. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall maintain all paperwork and minutes relating to grant applications and decisions. The Chair shall notify RSOs of their hearing date in a timely manner at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair is responsible for sending denial notices to RSOs that were not approved for funding. This denial notice should include the reason for denial.
Responsibilities of the Vice Chair. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for taking accurate minutes, outreach to RSOs, and chairing the Grant Waste Reduction Subcommittee (GWRS).
Eligibility for Grant Funds, Accessing Grant Funds, and Using Grant Funds
Eligibility. An RSO may apply for any Grant Allocation Committee grant if it satisfies the following criteria:
The RSO is in good standing with the Center for Leadership and Involvement and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The RSO is not a GSSF group.
The RSO must control and take full responsibility for use of ASM grant.
Accessing Funds. An RSO shall meet with the Financial Specialist before accessing funds.
For Operations Grants and Open Fund Grants, the RSO shall attend a workshop prior to accessing these funds.
The Travel Grant application shall open and close at a date determined by the Chair, in consultation with the ASM Financial Staff, and considering both the academic calendar and the amount of funding remaining. In accordance with UW-Madison’s fiscal year, the committee is prohibited from funding travels with dates of return after May 31st.
For Event and Travel Grant funding, the RSO must meet with the Financial Specialist at least three business days prior to the event date or travel date, unless due to the hearing date, are unable to meet before the three day window, in which case they must meet with the Financial Specialist before the event or travel begins.
Non-students should not have roles including working with money, spending the money, determining what can be printed, submitting orders, or using the Wiscard.
Use of Funds. Grant funds shall be expended only on the line items applied for in the original grant application.
ASM Logo and Disclaimer. An ASM logo and disclaimer shall be included on all publicly distributed materials, except buttons. RSO’s may not modify or edit the logo. Publicly distributed materials distributed before being awarded an ASM grant must be amended to include the logo and disclaimer within five calendar days after meeting with the Financial Specialist. If the event begins less than five calendar days after meeting with the Financial Specialist, then all publicly distributed materials must be updated by the time the event starts.
Updated Policies and Procedures shall be posted online by the first day of Fall Semester
Grant Recipients Expectations
If a group behaves inappropriately to any party involved in the funding process, not limited to ASM staff, StudentPrint, and vendors, the party can file a complaint that will be brought in front of ASM Grant Allocation Committee. If the ASM Grant Allocation Committee validates that the complaint was threatening, abusive or repeatedly inappropriate in nature, by two-thirds vote the group’s funding will be revoked for the current grant, and the group will not be eligible for all grants for the following semester.
Operations Grant Policies and Procedures
Eligibility and Guidelines
Primary Use of Operations Grants. The primary use of Operations Grants is to aid RSOs in recruitment and routine operations needs.
Eligibility. An RSO is eligible to apply for Operations Grants by meeting the criteria in I(2)A and by agreeing to neither reallocate ASM funding nor act as a funding body, including distributing ASM funds as an Umbrella Organization and distributing other operations materials purchased by ASM funds to other RSOs.
Permitted Operations Grant Requests. The following categories are permissible to be funded by Operations Grant funds:
Operations printing and Operations postage
Operations graphics and web design
Operations space and equipment rental
Operations office supplies
Operations recruitment and promotion
Operations subscriptions
Other Operations needs not specified in II(1)C(i) through II(1)C(vii) and not prohibited in II(1)D
Prohibited Operations Grant Requests and Uses. The following categories are prohibited to be funded by Operations Grant funds:
Salaries, wages, and stipends
Event-oriented funding
Travel-oriented funding
Grants, gifts, donations, fundraising, and Alumni relations. This includes but is not limited to using printing or office supplies to tell members or those outside the RSO about fundraising or donations whether for the RSO or any other organization.
Equipment and Capital purchases.
Food or beverages, or related purchases.
Elections of any kind (local, state, national, etc.) except for elections of the leadership members of the RSO (h) Subsidization of membership dues (i) Any purchases not pertinent to the mission of the RSO.
Printing Guidelines. All ASM funded operations printing must be completed by StudentPrint. If StudentPrint cannot complete the printing job, the order must be completed by another University print shop. If another University print shop cannot complete the order, the RSO must request a special exemption from the Grant Allocation Chair to print with an outside vendor.
ASM Logo and Disclaimer. An ASM logo and disclaimer shall be included on all printing, except buttons. RSO’s may not modify or edit the logo.
Application Process and Timeline
Timeline. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall establish a timeline for the Operations grants process prior to the end of the Fall Semester, which shall include the application grant workshops, the application due date, potential hearing times, initial release of recommendations, and the appeals deadline. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall request the ASM Press Office to send out this information in an all campus email.
Application. Applications will be available on the Grant Allocation Committee Operations Grant website. A valid “wisc.edu” email must be used in the application for both the primary and secondary contact. Failure to do so shall nullify the application. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall hold specific office hours for Operations Grant applications. Any RSO may contact the Chair or a Grant Allocation Committee Member with questions on filling out the application. Applications shall be checked by the Financial Specialist and Grant Allocation Committee Chair. Corrections of the original application shall be requested by the Chair to the RSO, if needed. Applications shall be considered by the Grant Allocation Committee if they meet the following criteria:
Filled out correctly.
Contain accurate, reasonable, and correctly added funding amounts that are within state limits.
Clearly describe all expenses, even beyond the ones requested.
Clearly explain how the operations funding will aid the RSO in meeting its operations needs and accomplishing its goals.
Clearly delineate a publicity/promotion/recruitment plan.
Show that the RSO is seeking funding support outside ASM, either through other grants or its own funds.
Hearing. Each RSO shall send its primary financial officer and another leadership member to attend a hearing before the Grant Allocation Committee to present their grant application and to reasonably answer questions of the Grant Allocation Committee Members. Exceptions shall be granted if requested by the RSO to the Grant Allocation Committee Chair 24 hours prior to the hearing time. Hearing times shall be determined by the Grant Allocation Committee Chair. Changes to hearing times may be requested to the Chair. Hearing time slots shall be strictly enforced. Failure to attend a hearing results in immediate rejection of the grant application. (a) Three Grant Allocation Committee Members shall constitute quorum for the purposes of the hearings, decisions, and appeals. Hearings shall be audio recorded.
Decisions. All decisions shall be made in a viewpoint neutral fashion. Decisions shall be made in the order of when the application was received. When making funding decisions, the Grant Allocation Committee shall take into consideration the amount of money it has to allocate. Approval requires a majority vote of present Grant Allocation Committee Members. Failure to meet approval is automatically deemed a rejection of the application. The Grant Allocation Committee shall set aside five percent of the ASM Operations Grant budget line for appeals. The remaining funds, following final decisions and appeals, shall go towards Open Fund Grants. The Grant Allocation Committee may adjust amounts within an application to facilitate compliance to policy and eligibility of that application for grant approval.
Recommendations. No RSO may receive a recommendation exceeding two percent of the ASM Operations Grant budget line without a three-fourths vote of present Grant Allocation Committee Members. No RSO may receive more than ten percent of the ASM Operations Grant budget line. Initial recommendations shall be available in the ASM office and the ASM Finance Specialist office. All applicants will be notified in writing, either print or digital, of the initial recommendations. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall bring forth legislation to the Student Council regarding Grant Allocation Committee’s recommendations. The Student Council shall consider the recommendations at its next scheduled meeting unless a special meeting is called explicitly for that purpose. The Student Council shall only amend the recommendations to match the final Grant Allocation Committee decision if the initial recommendations submitted are different from the Grant Allocation Committee’s final decision. Recommendations require a two-thirds vote of Student Council for approval. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall notify the RSOs of the decision of the Student Council within two weeks. If the recommendations are approved, the motion shall not be considered again, except under rules outlined in the viewpoint neutrality appeals process in the ASM bylaws.
Appeals. Appeals shall be granted by a majority vote of present Grant Allocation Committee Members if there is new or additional information that was not presented to the Grant Allocation Committee during the hearing process that may significantly affect the Committee’s decision. Appeals requests shall be made to the Grant Allocation Committee Chair through writing, either print or digital, by the appeals deadline. No RSO may appeal if it did not receive Operations Grant funding because of a lack of available Operations Grant funds to allocate to the RSO.
Access and Use of Operations Grant Funding
Accessing Funds. RSOs shall attend a workshop prior to accessing Operations Grant funds. Failure to attend the workshop shall result in a loss of Operations Grant funding. These funds shall then be placed in the Open Fund Grant fund. RSOs shall, in writing, agree to the Operations Grant Policies and Procedures before accessing Operations Grant funds.
Use of Funds. RSOs shall only use Operations Grant funds towards the specific line items they requested. Inappropriate use of Operations Grant funds, as outlined in II(A)3 and II(A)4 shall result in the RSO reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the Operations Grant funds used in the violation.
One-Time Transferring of Funds. Requests for transfers shall be submitted to the Grant Allocation Chair for approval. RSOs requesting a transfer shall be required to fill out a Budget Transfer Form, provided by the Grant Allocation Committee Chair. A properly filled out Budget Transfer Form shall be approved if it meets the following criteria:
The RSO only seeks to transfer funds within the approved line items of its original allocation.
The RSO’s overall allocation does not increase or decrease.
The RSO does not seek to transfer funds to Event or Travel Grants.
The RSO has not made any transfers within their budget during the current fiscal year.
Multiple Transferring of Funds. Any RSO wishing to make additional Operations Grant transfers must abide by the criteria of II(C)3(a), (b), and (c) and must receive approval by a two-thirds vote of present Grant Allocation Committee members at the meeting where the Budget Transfer Form is being presented. No RSO may be allowed to make more than three Operations Grant budget transfers in a single fiscal year.
Deadline for Budget Transfers. All transfers shall be submitted by April 30th of the current fiscal year, no exceptions granted.
Violations
Violations of Operations Grant Policies and Procedures. Any RSO who inappropriately uses Operations Grant funds shall be held responsible for reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the misuse, regardless of intention to misuse funds or number of misuses of funds.
Termination of Operations Grant Funds. If an RSO misuses Operations Grant funds three times in a single fiscal year, it shall lose its current Operations Grant funding. The remaining funds left allocated towards the RSO shall be placed in the Open Fund Grant fund. The RSO may apply for Operations Grant funding for the following fiscal year.
Open Fund Grant Policies and Procedures
Eligibility and Guidelines
Primary Use of Open Fund Grants. The primary use of Open Fund Grants is to aid RSOs in recruitment and routine operations needs in grant sizes not exceeding $200.
Eligibility. An RSO is eligible to apply for Open Fund Grants by meeting the criteria in I.C.(1) and by agreeing to neither reallocate ASM funding nor act as a funding body, including distributing ASM funds as an Umbrella Organization and distributing other operations materials purchased by ASM funds to other RSOs. Also, the RSO must not be receiving an Operations Grant for the current fiscal year.
Permitted Open Fund Grants Requests. Open Fund Grant requests following the same guidelines as Operations Grants, outlined in II(A)3 and II(A)4. RSOs may make any requests totaling $200 following these guidelines. If the RSO does not specify, the default request is $150 for operations printing and $50 for operations office supplies.
ASM Logo and Disclaimer. An ASM logo and disclaimer shall be included on all printing, except buttons. RSO’s may not modify or edit the logo.
Accessing Funds. RSO’s must meet with the finance staff no more than 60 days after being awarded their grant money.
Application and Violations
Application. The application shall be made available to any eligible RSO in the Fall Semester. Once the application is completed fully, it shall be approved. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall inquire the Financial Specialist every week regarding which RSOs have been approved for Open Fund Grant funds
Violation of Open Fund Grant Policies and Procedures. Any RSO who inappropriately uses Open Fund Grant funds shall be held responsible for reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the misuse, regardless of intention to misuse funds or number of misuses of funds.
Termination of Open Fund Grant Funds. If an RSO misuses Open Fund Grant funds three times in a single fiscal year, it shall lose its current Open Fund Grant funding. The remaining funds left allocated towards the RSO shall be placed in the Open Fund Grant fund. The RSO may apply for Open Fund Grant funding for the following fiscal year.
Event Grant Policies and Procedures
Eligibility and Guidelines
Primary Use of Event Grants. The primary use of Event Grants is to financially aid RSOs in putting on events in line with the mission of the RSO. The Event Grant may not be used for supplement events of departments, GSSFs, or any other entities.
Eligibility. An RSO is eligible to apply for Event Grants by meeting the criteria in I(C)1 and has not received an Event Grant for the semester it is applying for.
Duration, A single RSO can hold an event that lasts up to three days long in which the RSO plans and organizes all the components of the event, and there is a central theme throughout.
Permitted Event Grant Requests. The following categories are permissible to be funded by Event Grant funds:
Honoraria. No University of Wisconsin System student or faculty member may receive honoraria.
Lodging: at a rate per room in line with the Wisconsin state maximum for hotels in the city of Madison. No University of Wisconsin System student or faculty member may receive lodging.
Travel: for performers, speakers, or other individuals invited by the RSO to educate at the event. Any airfare or other travel arrangements purchased by the Event Grant fund not used shall be reimbursed to ASM by the RSO. No University of Wisconsin System student or faculty member may receive travel funds.
Printing: for the event. No printing may be used to advertise for future events or activities put on by either the RSO or other organizations.
Advertising: for the event. No advertising may be used to advertise for future events or activities put on by either the RSO or other organizations.
Space and Equipment Rental: for the event.
Program Supplies: for the event. All program supplies must be disposable and used solely for the event.
Other event-oriented needs not outlined in IV(1)A(i) through IV(1)C and not prohibited in IV(1)D.
Prohibited Event Grant Requests and Uses. The following categories are prohibited to be funded by Event Grant funds:
Food or beverages, or items associated with food and beverages
Gifts, donations, fundraising, contributions, or financial aid
Costumes or supplies used to make costumes (d) Expenses incurred prior to grant approval by the Grant Allocation Committee and meeting with financial staff.
Legal Services
Elections or campaigns of political candidates at local, state, and national levels
Revenue-producing events, in which the revenue benefits the RSO or any UW–Madison affiliate
Any purchases not pertinent to the mission of the RSO.
Fireworks
Decorations
Events that the RSO has already fundraised for
Events where participants receive academic credit, either at this University or another institution
Events that are a majority social rather than educational
Printing Guidelines. All ASM funded event printing and advertising material must be completed by StudentPrint. If StudentPrint cannot complete the printing job, the order must be completed by another University print shop. If another University print shop cannot complete the order, the RSO must request a special exemption from the Grant Allocation Chair to print with an outside vendor.
ASM Logo and Disclaimer. An ASM logo and disclaimer shall be included on all publicly distributed materials and all printing, except buttons. RSO’s may not modify or edit the logo. Publicly distributed materials distributed before being awarded an ASM grant must be amended to include the logo and disclaimer within five calendar days after meeting with the Financial Specialist. If the event begins less than five calendar days after meeting with the Financial Specialist, then all advertisements must be updated by the time the event starts.
Application Process
Criteria. The following criteria shall be used to guide Grant Allocation Committee in allocating Event Grant funds:
The honoraria request is in range of similar speakers and performers.
The facility for the event suits the size of the intended audience and type of event.
The travel expenses are reasonable for the type of event.
The event does not duplicate an event already held in the current semester by a different RSO or provided by other University departments or programs.
The RSO has not already received an Event Grant for the current semester.
The location is in a building owned by the University of Wisconsin– Madison, except with a two-thirds vote of the Grant Allocation Committee.
There is an active educational component that incorporates the RSO’s mission and a benefit to all attendees.
Timeline. RSOs must apply at least six weeks (42 full calendar days) prior to the date of the event, no exceptions. Grant Allocation Committee cannot fund any events after the last day of spring final exams.
Application. Applications will be available on the Grant Allocation Committee Event Grant website. A valid “wisc.edu” email must be used in the application for both the primary and secondary contact. Failure to do so shall nullify the application. Any RSO may contact the Chair or a Grant Allocation Committee Member with questions on filling out the application. Applications shall be checked by the Financial Specialist and Grant Allocation Committee Chair. Corrections shall be requested by the Chair to the RSO, if needed. Applications shall meet the following criteria:
Filled out correctly.
Contain accurate, reasonable, and correctly added funding amounts that are within state limits.
Clearly describe all expenses, even beyond the ones requested.
Clearly explain how the event funding will aid the RSO in meeting its event needs and accomplishing its goals.
Show that the RSO is seeking funding support outside ASM, either through other grants or its own funds, but not through fundraising specifically for the event.
Hearing. Each RSO shall send its primary financial officer and another leadership member to attend a hearing before the Grant Allocation Committee to present their grant application and to reasonably answer questions of the Grant Allocation Committee Members. RSOs must apply at least six weeks (42 full calendar days) prior to the date of event, no exceptions. Three Grant Allocation Committee Members shall constitute quorum for the purposes of the hearings and decisions. Hearings shall be audio recorded.
Decisions. All decisions shall be made in a viewpoint neutral fashion. Decisions will be made in the order of when the application was received, except at the discretion of the Chair. When making funding decisions, the Grant Allocation Committee shall take into consideration the amount of money it has to allocate. The Grant Allocation Committee shall check for mistakes, policy violations, and other discrepancies in the application when evaluating the application. Approval requires a majority vote of present Grant Allocation Committee Members. Failure to meet approval is automatically deemed a rejection of the application.
If the decision to award an amount is under two percent of the ASM Event Grant budget line, the Financial Specialist shall inform the RSO the next business day concerning the Grant Allocation Committee’s decision.
If the decision to award an amount is over two percent of the ASM Event Grant budget line, the Financial Specialist shall inform the RSO the next business day concerning the Grant Allocation Committee’s decision. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall bring forth legislation to the Student Council regarding Grant Allocation Committee’s recommendation. The Student Council shall consider the recommendation at its next scheduled meeting unless a special meeting is called explicitly for that purpose. The Student Council shall only amend the recommendation to match the final Grant Allocation Committee decision if the initial recommendation submitted is different from the Grant Allocation Committee’s final decision. Recommendations require a two-thirds vote of Student Council for approval. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall notify the RSO of the decision of the Student Council the next business day. If the application is approved, the motion shall not be considered again, except under rules outlined in the viewpoint neutrality appeals process in the ASM bylaws.
No RSO shall receive more than five percent of the Event Grant budget line.
The Grant Allocation Committee may adjust amounts within an application to facilitate compliance to policy and eligibility of that application for grant approval.
Honoraria Cap. The honoraria shall be limited to the following caps based on UW student expected attendance:
Under 100: $1500 total
Between 100 and 250: $2500 total
Above 250: $4000 total
Advertising Cap. The advertising shall be limited to the following caps based on UW student expected attendance:
Under 100: $400 total
Between 100 and 250: $800 total
Above 250: $1400 total
Access and Use of Event Grant Funding
Accessing Funds. RSOs shall meet with the Financial Specialist after approval to access funds. The meeting must occur at least three days prior to the event date, unless due to the hearing date, are unable to meet before the three-day window. RSOs found failing to abide by the “access to funding” rule or violating any part of the Grant Allocation Committee Policies and Procedures document could have their grant brought up for revocation at the next Grant Allocation Committee meeting at the discretion of the Chair. Once a revocation hearing has been scheduled, no funds shall be expensed until after that hearing has been concluded. The RSO will be notified at least 24 hours before their grant is brought up for revocation and they will have an opportunity to speak in Open Forum. The Grant Allocation Committee will vote with majority vote if the grant should be revoked. These revoked funds shall be placed in the Event Grant fund. RSOs shall, in writing agree to the Event Grant Policies and Procedures before accessing Event Grant funds.
Use of Funds. RSOs shall only use Event Grant funds towards the specific line items they requested and approved for. Inappropriate use of Event Grant funds, as outlined in IV(A)3 and IV(A)4 shall result in the RSO reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the Event Grant funds used in the violation.
Budget Transfers. Requests for transfers shall be submitted to the Grant Allocation Chair for approval. RSOs requesting a transfer shall be required to fill out a Budget Transfer Form, provided by the Grant Allocation Committee Chair. Upon receipt of a completed Budget Transfer form with proper justification for the transfer, in line with IV(1)C, IV(1)D and IV(2), the Chair shall approve the transfer. The Chair shall report Budget Transfer Forms submitted and receive input from the Committee at the discretion of the Chair. Grant Allocation Committee may overrule the action of the Chair with a simple majority vote. (Please refer to V(3)C for additional restrictions.)
Submitting Documents for Reimbursement. All documents, invoices, statements, and bills must be submitted within 30 days after the event for consideration of processing and reimbursement. Any funds not allocated, spent, used, or reimbursed following the processing of submitted documents shall be placed in the Event Grant budget line for reallocation.
An exception to this policy is granted if the RSO completely fills out a 30- Day Extension Form, requested from the Chair. The RSO must request the form by the 30th calendar day following the event. The form, once received, must then be completed within 5 business days. The RSO shall then have 30 additional calendar days to submit documents starting from the 30th calendar day following the event. After 60 calendar days following the event, any funds not allocated, spent, used, or reimbursed following the processing of submitted documents shall be placed in the Event Grant budget line for reallocation.
Violations
Violations of Event Grant Policies and Procedures. Any RSO who inappropriately uses Event Grant funds shall be held responsible for reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the misuse, regardless of intention to misuse funds or number of misuses of funds.
Ineligibility of Event Grant Funds. If an RSO violates Event Grant Policies and Procedures, it shall lose current funding and eligibility for Event Grant funding in the following semester.
Travel Grant Policies and Procedures
Eligibility and Guidelines
Primary Use of Travel Grants. The primary use of Travel Grants is to financially aid RSOs in going on travels in line with the mission of the RSO.
Eligibility. An RSO is eligible to apply for Travel Grants by meeting the criteria in I(C)1 and has not received a Travel Grant for the fiscal year it is applying for.
Permitted Travel Grant Requests. The following categories are permissible to be funded by Travel Grant funds:
Registration Fees: for the travel.
Lodging: only members of the RSO registered on the WIN system and listed in the application shall be allowed to use lodging funds, at a rate per room in line with the federal maximum for hotels in the city of travel.
Transit Costs: The Travel Grant can fund transit costs associated with the travel. Transit costs include (but are not limited to) expenses associated with airline, bus, or train travel, vehicle rental, parking, or mileage reimbursement.
Other travel-oriented needs not outlined in V(1)C(i) through V(1)C(iii) and not prohibited in V(1)D.
Any transit costs paid for by ASM, but not used by the traveler(s), shall be reimburse by the RSO to ASM.
Prohibited Travel Grant Requests and Uses. The following categories are prohibited to be funded by Travel Grant funds:
Food or beverages, or related items associated with food and beverages
Gifts, donations, fundraising, contributions, or financial aid
Costumes or supplies used to make costumes
Expenses incurred prior to grant approval by the Grant Allocation Committee and meeting with financial staff.
Legal Services
Elections of any kind (National, Local, Campus, etc.)
Revenue-producing travels: regardless of the cost of the travel.
Any travel that is credit producing, either at this University or another institution
Travels and purchases with a focus on job or internship searches.
Travels that are a majority social rather than educational, with incorporation of the group’s mission.
Any travel in which UW–Madison RSO’s are the sole or primary participants, with the exception of service trips.
Travel that the RSO has already fundraised specifically for.
Application Process
Criteria. The following criteria shall be used to guide Grant Allocation Committee in allocating Travel Grant funds:
The travel request must be central to the purpose of the RSO.
The travel is not prohibited by any University, local, state, or national policy.
The amounts requested and itinerary are reasonable for the travel.
The travel does not duplicate a travel already held in the current semester by a different RSO or provided by other University departments or programs, unless a Travel Duplication Form is submitted by the travel date.
The RSO has not already received a Travel Grant for the current academic year.
There is an educational component and the RSO has plans to make what was learned available to other students.
The RSO shall maximize the number of attendees per room for lodging requests.
The majority of activities undertaken on the travel must serve the primary purpose of travel.
Timeline. RSOs must apply at least six weeks (42 full calendar days) prior to the date of the travel, no exceptions. Grant Allocation Committee cannot approve any travel taking place after the fiscal year end.
Application. Applications will be available on the Grant Allocation Committee Travel Grant website. A valid “wisc.edu” email must be used in the application for both the primary and secondary contact. Failure to do so shall nullify the application. Any RSO may contact the Chair or a Grant Allocation Committee Member with questions on filling out the application. Applications shall be checked by the Financial Specialist and Grant Allocation Committee Chair. Corrections shall be requested by the Chair to the RSO, if needed. Applications shall meet the following criteria:
Filled out correctly with the list of members going. These members must be listed on the RSO page in the WIN System.
Contain accurate, reasonable, and correctly added funding amounts that are within state limits.
Clearly describe all expenses, even beyond the ones requested.
Clearly explain how the travel funding will aid the RSO in meeting its travel needs and accomplishing its goals.
Show that the RSO is seeking funding support outside ASM, either through other grants or its own funds, but not through fundraising specifically for the travel.
Hearing. Each RSO shall send its primary financial officer and another leadership member to attend a hearing before the Grant Allocation Committee to present their grant application and to reasonably answer questions of the Grant Allocation Committee Members. Failure to attend a hearing results in immediate rejection of the grant application. Three Grant Allocation Committee Members shall constitute quorum for the purposes of the hearings and decisions. Hearings shall be audio recorded.
Decisions. All decisions shall be made in a viewpoint neutral fashion. Decisions will be made in the order of when the application was received, except at the discretion of the Chair. When making funding decisions, the Grant Allocation Committee shall take into consideration the amount of money it has to allocate. The Grant Allocation Committee shall check for mistakes, policy violations, and other discrepancies in the application when evaluating the application. Approval requires a majority vote of present Grant Allocation Committee Members. Failure to meet approval is automatically deemed a rejection of the application.
If the decision to award an amount is under five percent of the ASM Travel Grant budget line, the Financial Specialist will inform the RSO the next business day concerning the Grant Allocation Committee’s decision.
If the decision to award an amount is over five percent of the ASM Travel Grant budget line, the Financial Specialist shall inform the RSO the next business day concerning the Grant Allocation Committee’s decision. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall bring forth legislation to the Student Council regarding Grant Allocation Committee’s recommendation. The Student Council shall consider the recommendation at its next scheduled meeting unless a special meeting is called explicitly for that purpose. The Student Council shall only amend the recommendation to match the final Grant Allocation Committee decision if the initial recommendation submitted is different from the Grant Allocation Committee’s final decision. Recommendations require a two-thirds vote of Student Council for approval. The Grant Allocation Committee Chair shall notify the RSO of the decision of the Student Council the next business day. If the application is approved, the motion shall not be considered again, except under rules outlined in the viewpoint neutrality appeals process in the ASM bylaws.
No RSO shall receive more than ten percent of the Travel Grant budget line.
The Grant Allocation Committee may adjust amounts within an application to facilitate compliance to policy and eligibility of that application for grant approval.
Travel Grant Cap. No grant award shall exceed $3000. If the number of members going falls below six, the cap shall be $500 per member going on the travel.
Access and Use of Travel Grant Funding
Accessing Funds. RSOs shall meet with the Financial Specialist after approval to access funds. The meeting must occur at least three business days prior to the travel date, unless due to the hearing date, are unable to meet before the three-day window. RSOs found failing to abide by the “access to funding” rule or violating any part of the Grant Allocation Committee Policies and Procedures document could have their grant brought up for revocation at the next Grant Allocation Committee meeting at the discretion of the Chair. Once a revocation hearing has been scheduled, no funds shall be expensed until after that hearing has been concluded. The RSO will be notified at least 24 hours before their grant is brought up for revocation and they will have an opportunity to speak in Open Forum. The Grant Allocation Committee will vote with majority vote if the grant should be revoked. If revoked, these revoked funds shall be placed in the Travel Grant fund. RSOs shall, in writing, agree to the Travel Grant Policies and Procedures before accessing Travel Grant funds.”
Use of Funds. RSOs shall only use Travel Grant funds towards the specific line items they requested and approved for. Inappropriate use of Travel Grant funds, as outlined in V(1)C and V(1)D shall result in the RSO reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the Travel Grant funds used in the violation.
Budget Transfers. Requests for transfers shall be submitted to the Grant Allocation Chair for approval. RSOs requesting a transfer shall be required to fill out a Budget Transfer Form, provided by the Grant Allocation Committee Chair. Upon receipt of a completed Budget Transfer form with proper justification for the transfer, in line with V(1)C, V(1)D, and V(2) the Chair shall approve the transfer. The Chair shall report Budget Transfer Forms submitted and receive input from the Committee at the discretion of the Chair. Grant Allocation Committee may overrule the action of the Chair with a majority vote. All budget transfers must be submitted before RSO event or travel, with exceptions considered for circumstances outside the control of the student organization. Each RSO is limited to one budget transfer request per grant.
Submitting Documents for Reimbursement. All documents, invoices, statements, and bills must be submitted within 30 calendar days after the travel for consideration of processing and reimbursement. Any funds not allocated, spent, used, or reimbursed following the processing of submitted documents shall be placed in the Travel Grant budget line for reallocation.
An exception to this policy is granted if the RSO completely fills out a 30-Day Extension Form, requested from the Chair. The RSO must submit the form by the 30th calendar day following the event. The form, once received, must then be completed within 5 business days. The RSO shall then have 30 additional calendar days to submit documents starting from the 30th calendar day following the event. After 60 calendar days following the event, any funds not allocated, spent, used, or reimbursed following the processing of submitted documents shall be placed in the Travel Grant budget line for reallocation.
Violations
Violations of Travel Grant Policies and Procedures. Any RSO who inappropriately uses Travel Grant funds shall be held responsible for reimbursing segregated fees in the amount of the misuse, regardless of intention to misuse funds or number of misuses of funds.
Ineligibility of Travel Grant Funds. If an RSO violates Travel Grant Policies and Procedures, it shall lose current funding and eligibility for Travel Grant funding in the following semester.
Policy Administration
Approval Authority:
Grant Allocaton Committee Chair
Policy Manager:
Grant Allocaton Committee Chair
Contact:
Grant Allocaton Committee Chair -- Grant Allocation Committee Chair, grants@asm.wisc.edu
