GPSA Finance Commission

1. Who can apply for GPSAFC funds?

Student groups with more than forty (40) percent graduate and professional student membership that have registered with the Student Activities Office (SAO) can apply for funding. Additional requirements are: (1) either the organisation’s President or its Treasurer must be a registered graduate or professional student, (2) both of these officers must sign the GPSAFC “Statement on Ethical Conduct” available on the GPSAFC website, (3) the organisation’s Treasurer must sign “Affirmation of familiarity” statement available on the GPSAFC website, and (4) the organisation must have a full-time faculty or staff member as its advisor.

2. Are there any organisations or activities ineligible for funding?

There are certain organisations and activities that the GPSAFC cannot fund due to University policy and others that the GPSAFC does not fund as a mater of principle. The GPSAFC Funding Guidelines, available on the GPSAFC website (http://assembly.cornell.edu/GPSAFC/Home), contains a full list and relevant descriptions of all such organisations and activities in Articles III and IV.

3. What types of funding can my organisation apply for?

The GPSAFC differentiates between two types of groups: “field” organisations and “interest” organisations. Interest organisations may apply for Program, Club Sports, Publication, and/or Social funding; field organisations may apply for funding in the aforementioned categories as well as from the Field category. Article VI of the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines specifies what costs the GPSAFC funds under each category.

4. Does my group qualify as a “field” organisation and an “interest” organisation?

Interest organisations are groups that represent an extracurricular pursuit, broadly including any social or academic activity that is not directly linked to the interests of a specific Cornell University-defined academic field. Field organisations are groups whose goals and objectives are to foster the academic and social interests of a particular University-recognised academic field, with specific attention to fostering interaction and communication amongst field members. The graduate school keeps an online record of the graduate fields; each professional school is also considered a field.

5. Are there any limits to how much funding my organisation can request?

The GPSAFC limits how much it allocates to any organisation in its annual budget for a variety of items (full list available in Articles X and XI of the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines). There are no limits on how much an organisation can request for a Special Project, although the GPSAFC rarely allocates more than $1400 for a single event. Organisations that have not applied for funding before, or that have not applied in the last two years, are subject to limits for “First Time Applicants”, defined in Article XII of the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines.

6.What are the differences between the “Annual Budget” and the “Special Project Request”?

As the GPSAFC requires informed estimates of all costs, anticipated attendance, co-sponsorship funding, names of speakers, locations, dates, etc., in order to decide on an allocation for an event, the Special Project Request is the appropriate outlet for applying for funding for most one-time events. Funds for reoccurring events such as seminar series, welcome and farewell events at the start and end of the academic year, and a regular annual symposium can be requested in the Annual Budget Application. An organisation can submit an annual budget application along with a special project request at the same juncture.

If, for example, an organization is planning a large event in January, but has little to no specifics on this event in the preceding April (when annual budget applications are due), it should NOT apply for funding for this event until it can produce enough information to allow the GPSAFC to make an informed allocation decision. When sufficient details are available, it would be appropriate to submit a special project request.

7. What if my organisation wants to hold an event during the summer?

Field organisations can use field funding for summer events. Both field and interest organisations can apply for a limited pool of summer funding. The money available for summer funding will depend on how much the GPSAFC has left in its account at the end of the academic year. Organisations must apply for summer funding by the Friday preceding the GPSAFC’s final business meeting of the year (which is usually in early April).

8.After my organisation receives funding, are there any additional rules we must follow?

There are multiple rules that an organisation must follow even after funding has been allocated in order for an organisation to receive reimbursement. For example, the organisation: (1) must submit events to the University calendar two weeks prior to the event, (2) must turn in receipts within one month of expenditure, and (3) must hold Program events on campus and other events within Tompkins County unless the GPSAFC pre-approves a different location. A full list of these regulations is available in the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines.

9. Are there any expenditures that are always ineligible for funding?

Yes, Article V of the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines contains a list of these items.

10. What if I want to appeal my organisation’s funding allocation?

A student organisation can submit an appeal if it believes that an annual budget or an event deserves and requires additional funding. In fact, the GPSAFC will often ask organisations that have provided minimal details in an application to submit an appeal with additional information that will allow the GPSAFC to make an informed decision. An organisation can also appeal if it believes that the GPSAFC has treated it unfairly in making its allocation. In this case, the organisation must reference which parts of the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines it believes have been violated. A comprehensive description of all appeal procedures is available in Article VII of the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines.

11. How can I find out more information about funding particulars?

You can consult the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines (available on the GPSAFC website: http://assembly.cornell.edu/GPSAFC/Home), which are the official rules of the GPSAFC. The GPSA amends the Funding Guidelines regularly, so we advise organisation Treasurers to read the Funding Guidelines through fully before submitting annual budget applications and at the start of a new academic year. For additional information you can also e-mail the GPSAFC at: gpsafc@assembly.cornell.edu.