Clubs

This year, club funding will be allocated for use by term. If a club fails to use the funds allocated for a given term by the deadline, the funds will be released and reallocated among clubs for use in the following terms. This change is intended to improve the efficiency of club funding allocations and thus better support more campus extracurricular activities. Email Hannah [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns about the new process.

Eligibility

Which clubs can get ASCIT funding?

Clubs must be officially approved in order to be eligible for ASCIT club funding.  Every club must register or renew their registration with SFE for the corresponding school year and join the club continuity program if required. Student-led organizations affiliated with any office or division of Caltech (ex. Student Shop) that would not ordinarily register with SFE will need to register separately with the ASCIT Director of Operations to receive funding. Registration/re-registration requires the club president for the upcoming academic year to fill out a form from the SFE with club and officer information, as well as club purpose.

What does Club Accountability look like?

All Clubs are required to meet with the ASCIT Director of Operations every time they request funding to discuss the club's plans to use the funds. Additionally, clubs with significant funding allocated to activities not completed by the end of a given term will be asked to meet with the Director to discuss the club's activity in the past term and going forward. Further meetings may be required at the discretion of the Director.

When submitting for reimbursements from ASCIT funds, clubs will be required to provide receipts and details documenting how the funds were used in accordance with the club's mission and to the benefit of the undergraduate student body.

These systems are meant to ensure that all registered clubs are active throughout the school year so students are not misled about our club offerings. Clubs are expected to maintain consistent channels of communication with current and potential members (e.g. an up-to-date website, social media, or responsive contact info), and events receiving ASCIT funding are required to be advertised to the undergraduate student body.

What kinds of things are not funded?

• Unless you run a food-based club, we try not to fund food. If requesting food and are not a food-based club, we are putting a maximum of $1000 for food excluding event funding.
• Club merchandise (ie. jerseys and t-shirts), gift cards, and salaries, including speaker fees, are not funded. 
• Ubers may also not be funded, with exceptions made for volunteering-based organizations.

How do eligible clubs apply for funding?

ASCIT hosts a club funding process for eligible clubs in the fall of each academic year, led by the Director of Operations, President, and Treasurer. ASCIT BoD contact information can be found on donut. The application for funding can be found here.

The ASCIT Board of Directors will hear from each club during meetings held from Monday October 6 through Saturday October 18. If clubs intend to use funding before these days and/or cannot meet on those days, they will have to meet separately with the Director of Operations (please email at [email protected]). These meetings are subject to any other member of BoD sitting in (including rescheduling if there are conflicts). Alternate meetings cannot be scheduled less than 12 hours in advance, and you must directly contact Hannah. This is to ensure that the Director of Operations and any other members of BoD are properly prepared for alternate meetings. 

Following each term's funding deadline, a smaller round of funding will be run in the same manner to reallocate unused funds. The presence of these funds is not guaranteed, so it is strongly recommended that clubs include all projected requests in the primary fall funding round. More information will be announced about these funding opportunities as they approach.

The Director of Operations will host office hours on Thursday October 9, 12-1pm and Tuesday October 14, 4–5pm outside Red Door to answer questions about funding.

What information should be provided for the application?

All clubs should follow this budget template. Use this funding form to apply for funding. 

You will need the following information for the form:

• Club name and contact information
• Amount received from ASCIT last year
• Number of members
• A plan for how funding will be used, see below for key points to cover in this plan
• The itemized budget, following the template above. While clubs are not required to follow their itemizations exactly, you are expected to make a good faith prediction of how the funds will be utilized to the best of your current knowledge. 

Typically, information ASCIT considers for club funding includes the following: 

• The number of undergraduates involved, the benefit/cost per undergraduate.
• Detailed list of all types of expenditures the funding will be used for
• How the money will be used and how it will benefit undergraduates
• Previous funding requests and support from other offices

Do all funds requested get approved?

ASCIT will go over each application, deliberate carefully, and allocate money equitably based on previous club funding, available ASCIT funds, and the application itself. The amount granted at the conclusion of the application period is guaranteed to be funded by ASCIT for the specified terms, provided you use the appropriate channels to retrieve the funds.

How do we use the granted ASCIT club funds?

There are two ways to use ASCIT Club Funds: by reimbursement or by direct purchase by the ASCIT Treasurer. 

Reimbursement: Clubs who spend money on items that were approved by ASCIT in the fall can then send the receipts for those expenditures to the ASCIT Treasurer. The ASCIT Treasurer will then confirm these expenditures fall under approved categories and put together a signed fund transfer form. The bursar's office will transfer this money to the club's bursar account. 

To transfer ASCIT funds to the club bursar account, the club member/treasurer must fill out this form. You will need the club bursar number, description, and receipts from the purchases merged into one PDF to be attached. The form will be sent to the ASCIT Treasurer, who will review the reimbursement request, and send the form to the Bursars to transfer funds into the club's bursar account. 

Direct Purchase: This option is meant for but not limited to equipment and large purchases. Once a week, the ASCIT Treasurer will hold office hours. Clubs are welcome to attend these office hours where the ASCIT Treasurer will be able to use their pcard to purchase approved items.

What is our club's bursar account?

If your club is an approved club, it will have a bursar account. If newly approved, please contact the bursar to get an account set up and remember to send this account number with any requests for ASCIT reimbursement. If you have any questions about your account, please first ask your previous club treasurers, then the ASCIT Treasurer, and lastly the bursar's office.

How can we reimburse individuals?

This step is the responsibility of the club. Only club officers can request reimbursements for themselves or other club members. You must wait until the bursars account has sufficient funds to file a reimbursement, typically after ASCIT funds have been transferred to the club bursar account. Then individuals may be reimbursed by submitting a Caltech Help ticket through the following steps/submitting the following information: 

1. Request Type: Student Financial Services → Reimbursement Request → Club Reimbursement
2. Select ACH or Check: ACH is direct deposit and only available for Caltech students. Check is for services and non-Caltech payees. 
3. Subject: Include the Payee Name
4. Request Detail: Include the reason for the request, description and date of any event, etc.
5. Enter the Payee Name, UID and Mailing Address (if check option), Club Bursar number, Club name, and amount. Note only club officers can make requests. If you followed the previous steps in this guide, your bursar account should have the funds to cover the reimbursement.
6. If the payee is not the one submitting the request, include them in the carbon copy. 
7. Attach all receipts and approvals from ASCIT, GSC or Erica Crawford

Can additional funds be requested?

If all ASCIT approved funding has been used by a club for the year, clubs may apply for additional funding through the Additional Funding form, which should be sent to the ASCIT Treasurer. This form must be submitted at least 2 weeks before the scheduled event/expenditure occurs. This form must be submitted by an undergraduate member of the club. Once approved by ASCIT, receipts may be submitted to the ASCIT Treasurer after the event occurs using the process described above. The Additional Funding form may also be used for club event funding in general, if the event was not listed in the original budget item list of granted ASCIT funds or was not granted funds. Pre-planned/Anticipated Additional Funding requests should be listed in the budgets submitted during funding, as shown on the budget template. 

Is there a deadline to submit reimbursement requests?

All reimbursement requests from ASCIT will be due one week after purchase. Extensions can be granted if the need is communicated to the ASCIT Treasurer. Additionally, clubs must specify which term they intend to use the funds in the club budget, and reimbursement requests to use those funds must be submitted by that term's deadline: Dec 27 for fall term, Mar 28 for winter term, Jun 27 for Spring term, and Sep 26 for summer funding. However, the process of individual reimbursements from the club's bursar account, which does not involve ASCIT, can be done at any time.

Do ASCIT funds rollover to the next academic year?

No, clubs must reapply for ASCIT funding at the beginning of each academic year. However, any funds that currently exist in their club bursar account will remain and can continue to be used.

How do I send emails to the undergraduate student body?

The ASCIT Secretary manages club announcements. Events that receive ASCIT funding are contingent on advertisement to undergraduates. You can send your club announcement to the secretary at the email listed at ascit.caltech.edu.

Other potential funding sources?

• Moore-Hufstedler Fund: Mainly for large-scale student projects. There are two rounds of funding throughout the year, the deadline for the first round of funding being October 6. A proposal is required detailing your project. Find more info at Moore-Hufstedler Fund (MHF) | Student Affairs (caltech.edu).
• Student Investment Fund: SIF has a couple rounds of funding disbursements throughout the year, and an email will be sent when the next round of applications opens. These funds are typically for one-time purchases, and can be used to buy equipment, resources, etc but no recurring costs (ie. subscriptions).
• Caltech Center for Inclusion & Diversity: The CCID can provide support for clubs that support the CCID's mission statement, and there are potentials for co-sponsorship for events.
• Housner Fund: Exclusively for undergraduates, the Housner Fund can help support academic focused activities. The deadline for each round of Housner funding is Add Day of each term, and the third Friday in July for summer funding. A proposal is required detailing the request for funding and budget. Find more info at George W. Housner Student Discovery Fund | Dean of Undergraduate Students (caltech.edu).
• Graduate Student Council: If your club has a large graduate student presence/involvement, we will encourage you to apply for GSC funding as we try to prioritize clubs with undergraduates. For more information, the GSC Treasurers can provide more information and guidance. The GSC website can be found at gsc.caltech.edu. 
• Corporate Sponsorships: CALE can help connect student clubs to companies for recruiting and sponsorship purposes. Due to the current institute policy, there is a 20% overhead on any donations from companies, so be sure to account for this in budgeting if asking for company donations. Companies can also sponsor specific events and activities for the club, which avoids the 20% overhead. CALE has put together a guide with information on how to find sponsorships and form employer relations available here. Email [email protected] for more information and to get started. 
• Retreat and Activity Fund: Clubs and student organizations/groups can request up to $1500 for an event, conference, program, competition, etc. There is no strict restriction on using the fund for multiple programs, but can applied for once during each academic year. Extra Funding | Student Experience (caltech.edu)
• Caltech Y Student Awards: The Caltech Y has a number of travel awards that students can apply for various kinds of travel. Most are open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Find more information here: What We Do | caltechy.