The Graduate Student Council has limited funds to co-sponsor events or activities that are of interest to the Brown University graduate student body. The maximum funding that may be requested from the GSC for any one event or activity shall be $400, or half of the total budget for the event or activity, whichever amount is less. Any individual or organization requesting funds from the GSC for an event or activity must insure it is adequately advertised, explicitly stating that the GSC has partially funded the event or activity.
Please download a funding request form (at the bottom of the page) and either fill it out electronically or print it out and fill it out by hand. Then return it to the GSC Treasurer at least one week prior to a meeting of the GSC Finance Committee. The funding request must include:
- The amount of funds being petitioned for from the GSC. Either the maximum amount of $400, or some lesser amount.
- The Brown University Account number to receive the funds (if available).
- A copy of the event or activity’s budget.
- The approximate number of graduate students to be in attendance.
- If the event is being organized by or for graduate students from a specific department or departments, the department(s) should be identified in the application.
- A list of all other sources of support, which are currently sponsoring or have been petitioned to sponsor the event or activity.
The individual or a representative of the organization requesting funds from the GSC must be a currently enrolled graduate student.
If in the judgment of the GSC finance internal committee the funding application under consideration is being organized by or for graduate students from a specific department or departments, then the department(s) in question must be in good standing for GSC Attendance (this means attendance at three of the last four GSC monthly meetings) in order for the application to be approved.
The Treasurer will review the request and determine if it meets the requirements of funding from the GSC. The Finance Committee will then vote on the request and notify the student who made the request.
Upon approval by the Finance Committee, the GSC will provide a Certificate of Funding in the amount requested to the graduate student who requested funding. This graduate student must submit an invoice for the use of the funds to receive reimbursement, for no more than the amount specified by the Certificate of Funding, from the GSC. This can occur before or after the event, or even accompany the original request; we just need an invoice. The invoice need not be especially formal; it is simply a document that itemizes individual costs and lists a total cost. The student may prepare the invoice or submit an invoice prepared by someone else.
Upon approval and receipt of an invoice, the funds will be reimbursed either to a Brown University account (as specified on the request form) or as a Check Request through the University Purchasing Office. Check Requests must be accompanied by receipts from the event or activity funded. The reimbursement will be enacted as soon as the Finance Committee approves the invoice (and receives receipts for the event in the case of a Check Request), but may take 1-2 months to clear.
If the funding request is denied, the individual or organization may attempt to alter their funding request or advertising campaign and re-apply to the Finance Committee, or appeal the decision at the next general GSC meeting. However, only one additional application will be allowed per fiscal year (July-June). If declined twice in the same fiscal year, the individual or organization must wait until the next fiscal year to apply for sponsorship.
All groups and individuals who receive GSC funding are required to submit a short testimony describing the outcome of their event along with one or more photos, for use on the GSC website.
Please also note that the GSC reserves the right to retract support at any time if the applicant is ineligible for funding in any way. An initial approval or Certificate of Funding does not guarantee funding; if the applicant fails to meet the criteria above, support will be retracted.