Apply for Endowed Program Funds

Access the funding application and post-activity report, and review key details regarding timeline, eligibility, and decision-making.

Important Notes

Timeline

Councils typically review applications at every bi-weekly meeting, and respond with their decision the following business day. Meeting dates, submission deadlines, and approved program lists are published in every bi-weekly neighborhood newsletter. Please note that councils do not review or approve applications retroactively; all applications reviewed and approved must be for programs with future dates.*

*There is one exception for programs that take place weeks one through three of autumn quarter. Typically the first meeting of the councils is week three of autumn quarter, to provide time for student representatives to be selected, and councils cannot reivew or approve any applications prior to their first meeting. However, during that single autumn quarter week three meeting, they will review and approve eligible applications for programs that took place weeks one through three of the quarter. At no other time will councils review or approve applications retroactively.

Applicant Eligibility

Because these funds are in place to encourage neighborhood houses to host specific types of programming and in some cases are endowed funds with specific obligations, the following eligibility guidelines apply:

• Applicants are required to be resident fellows, residential student leaders or council members that are members of the neighborhood to which they are applying (see special instructions for Mirrielees and Duan below). These positions are trained on appropriate uses of neighborhood and university funds, so they can advise on how to increase the chances of application approval. Additionally, this practice ensures that house leadership is aware of all programming being hosted by their house.
• All approved programs require submission of a brief post-activity report. Houses must submit these reports in a timely manner. Applications for houses that aren’t up to date on their post-activity reports will not be reviewed until they are up to date.
• Houses must have a council student representative who is in good standing (attends council meetings regularly, participates in council-hosted events, etc).  Applications for houses that don’t have a representative in good standing will not be reviewed until the house’s representative returns to good standing.

Application Criteria & Decisions

Councils are eager to distribute funds to houses for their programs! At the same time, they have been tasked with the responsibility to ensure the funds are spent appropriately, and utilize some simple criteria to evaluate funding applications:

1. Does the application clearly articulate the program plan, including logistics and expected outcomes?
2. Does the application include a detailed program budget, including any house contribution and outside funding?
3. Does the application articulate how the program fosters at least one of the neighborhood core principles?
4. Does the program meet the purpose of at least one of the two available funding lines?
5. Is the program an appropriate use of at least one of the two available funding lines?
6. Is the council student member of the host house (or houses) in good standing?
7. Is the host house (or houses) up to date on their post-activity reports for any past approved funding applications?
8. Is there funding available to support the program (in the neighborhood budget, as well as the house reserved budget where applicable)?

Application Decisions

Based on their evaluation using the above criteria, councils can decide to “approve in full”, “partial approval”, “approval contingent on specific changes”, or “decline”. Typically “decline” decisions will include recommendations for changes to make in order to re-submit.  Common reasons for partial, contingent, or decline decisions are outlined below:

Partial Approvals

• Requires financial contribution from another source
• House reserved allocation is running low
• Funding line budget is running low

Contingent Approvals

• Minor clarification of or change to program required
• Minor additional logistical or budget detail required
• Waivers (based on program risk level) required

Decline

• Program includes per person total event cost of more than $150 - new budget required for re-submission
• Program more appropriate for another source of funding (house dues, RF Program, etc) - new program plan required for re-submission
• Program does not meet appropriate uses of any of the funding lines - new program plan required for re-submission
• House did not abide by appropriate uses of funding line or approval decision for any past programs that have received neighborhood funding - documentation of restorative action required for re-submission
• House has not submitted a satisfactory post-activity report for any past programs that have received neighborhood funding - documentation of restorative action required for re-submission
• House does not have a council student representative in good standing - documentation of restorative action required for re-submission

Special Instructions for Duan and Mirrielees

Funds from Duan and Mirrielees are part of all councils’ budgets. To simplify the funding application process for these communities, the following representation will be in place:

• Mirrielees: Two student representatives will sit on the Olive neighborhood council. Funding applications will be reviewed by this council, and the funds will be pulled from all neighborhood councils.
• Duan: Two student representatives from the each of two sections below will sit on the Hyperion and Ginkgo neighborhood councils. Funding applications will be reviewed by these councils, and the funds will be pulled from all neighborhood councils.
  • Floors 1-4: Hyperion
  • Floors 5-9: Ginkgo

Curious to learn more about your neighborhood council’s budget status or what your house has already applied for? Contact your council student representative!