How Can I Secure Funding For My Event?

There are a few different ways to request money from the BC, but keep in mind that there are other sources of funding besides the BC, who will be helpful especially if your event requires co-sponsorship or extra funds outside of what the BC allocates, as per its guidelines.

Coming to BC For Funding

The Budgetary Committee can allocate funding in two ways to clubs: through the Discretionary Fund and through Club Budgets.

If your club does not have a club budget...

then you will have to request your funding through the Discretionary Fund at the weekly BC meetings. To do so, fill out a Discretionary Fund Request (the link can also be found in the menu on the left) before the Wednesday prior to the BC meeting on Thursday. Then, come to the BC meeting the next day to discuss your funding proposal with the BC members. If you do not come to the BC meeting, then your funding request will not be allocated by the Senate, and you will not have funding secured. The only exception to this is if you recieve and email from the Treasurer informing you you need not attend the Thursday meeting. If the BC approves your funding proposal, then the Senate will vote to approve it on the following Monday evening. You are not able to spend any money until after the Senate approves this funding.

If your club does have a club budget...

then you can either request funding through the Discretionary Fund (see above), or secure funding through your club budget.

Club Budgets are determined prior to the start of the semester so that clubs have immediate access to funding once the semester begins; therefore, club budgets must be determined in the semester preceding their use. Be on the lookout for an email from the Treasurer for dates regarding setting club budgets. Usually, clubs will have to meet with their BC Representative two to three weeks before the end of each semester to discuss next semester's club budget, and then the BC will meet a week before the end of the semester to discuss each club's budget for the next semester. Remember, according to the AAS Constitution, Club Budgets must account for 40% +/- 10% of our semester's total operating budget, and are thus the best way to guarantee and secure funding for your club.

Alternate Sources of Funding

Often, clubs and student groups will need to seek alternate sources of funding because either their event requires co-sponsorship and extra funds, or their funding requests do not fall within AAS guidelines. The following is a list of alternate sources of funding on campus:

  • Campus Activities Board (CAB) will be helpful if your club requires extra funding for food and giveaways. Be mindful that CAB has its own funding guidelines and is also limited in the amount of funding that it can allocate toward food and giveaways.
  • The Office of Student Activities, besides being an alternate source of funding, especially for honoraria, is a great resource for students on campus who are interested in learning more about student life and planning events at Amherst.
  • The Office of Student Affiars and The Dean of Students' Office may be able to help with co-sponsorships and food purchases.
  • The President's Office may be able to help with co-sponsorships for honoraria and other expenses for certain events.
  • Various Academic Departments will be able to help out with co-sponsorships for honoraria, especially if the guest speaker or performer has relevance to the academic department.

Please see the subpage "Account Transfers" under "How Can I Access Funding?" for more information about money transfers between departments and the AAS.