Apply


This page provides an overview of the Student Senate funding process.  All funding requests require at least two weeks for fulfillment. This timeline runs from when funding is approved, not when it is requested.

Our funding process has four steps:

  1. Preparing a budget of items you would like Student Senate to provide, such as event supplies, catering, and third-party services.
  2. Submitting your funding request for review. We take all submissions through forms on Rock Chalk Central. Find “Student Senate Funding Application” or “Community Development Funding Request,” followed by the appropriate year.
    Submitting part 2: After your funding request has been approved. Please submit legislation for your request to be voted on through the Rock Chalk Central legislation form. 
  3. Presenting your request to our student representatives. Here, you’ll be given the opportunity to explain the goals of your organization and how funding from Student Senate will allow you to improve student life. The exact presentation process varies by the source of funds.
  4. Coordinating your purchases and payments with our executive staff. Our Treasurer oversees allocations from Wednesday-Night Funding. Our Fund Development Director oversees allocations from Community Development Funding. We rely on support from career funding coordinators for all requests, who will discuss the details of your budget with KU’s finance and accounting staff.

Most funding requests are submitted during the academic year for events later that year — for example, a request submitted in October for an event in November. We provide two sources of funds.

  • Wednesday-Night Funding. These requests are processed through our legislative branch (which meets on Wednesday evenings each week) and serve all clubs across campus. The meeting schedule is available on our front page. Wednesday-night funding will provide around $80,000 during the 2024–25 academic year. Wednesday-Night Funding was formerly called the Student Senate Unallocated Account.
  • Community Development Funding. These requests are processed through a special-purpose board of students. The Community Development Fund was created to provide dedicated support to multicultural student organizations. It provides less funding overall — $70,000 during the 2023–24 academic year — but allows more flexibility. Community Development Funidng was formerly called Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Funding.

Bulletins

November 29, 2023. Wednesday-night funding for food will be limited to $500 per academic year for each student organization. This change was made by Bill 2024-051, an amendment to the Student Senate Constitution. The change does not apply to the DEI Fund, which will continue to limit food without a culinary tradition to $500 per semester.

November 16, 2023. Funds may not be used for Canva Pro subscriptions for the foreseeable future. This change is due to complications with the payment processes used by KU and Canva.

Submission Deadlines 2024–2025

CycleMeetings (Wednesdays)Deadline (Fridays)
01Student Councils: September 4
Students' Assembly: September 11
August 30 @ 5:00 PM
02Student Councils: September 18
Students' Assembly: September 25
September 13 @ 5:00 PM
03Student Councils: October 2
Students' Assembly: October 9
September 27 @ 5:00 PM
04Student Councils: October 16
Students' Assembly: October 23
October 11 @ 5:00 PM
05Student Councils: October 30
Students' Assembly: November 6
October 25 @ 5:00 PM
06Student Councils: November 13
Students' Assembly: November 20
November 8 @ 5:00 PM
07Student Councils: December 4
Students' Assembly: December 11
November 29 @ 5:00 PM
Winter Break
08Student Councils: January 29
Students' Assembly: February 5
January 24 @ 5:00 PM
09Student Councils: February 12
Students' Assembly: February 19
February 7 @ 5:00 PM
10Student Councils: February 26
Students' Assembly: March 5
February 21 @ 5:00 PM
11Student Councils: March 12
Students' Assembly: March 26
March 7 @ 5:00 PM
12Student Councils: April 2
Students' Assembly: April 9
March 28 @ 5:00 PM
13Student Councils: April 16
Students' Assembly: April 23
April 11 @ 5:00 PM

Reserving Funds: The Line-Item Process

Line-Item Funding allows student organizations to reserve funds for the next academic year, to provide security for planning. You let us know how much funding you’ll need for your events, then fill in the exact budget items later on.

Both Wednesday-Night and Community Development Funding are available through Line-Item Funding. Applications for Line-Item Funding are collected in late fall and early spring through Rock Chalk Central. A student committee will review applications and prepare a proposal for how to equitably serve each club. That proposal will then be voted on in our legislative branch over two weeks. This allows dissatisfied groups to voice their concerns and ask for changes.

To use a Line-Item allocation, fill out the purchases submission form on Rock Chalk Central. The Treasurer or Fund Development Director will forward your budget and fulfillment details to the Student Senate funding coordinators to disburse your funds. Our fulfillment timelines apply to Line-Item budgets: two weeks at minimum, and longer for some kinds of purchases, such as those relating to travel.