The Student Government Association offers grants every semester to provide students, organizations and departments with funds to travel, hold educational events on campus or for other departmental needs. The deadline to apply for grants this semester is April 14.

Travel grant applications must be submitted at least seven weeks prior to travel. Organizational and departmental applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the event or project date. Those interested in applying for a grant must first schedule an informational meeting with SGA’s graduate assistant Julie Perise to learn about the process.

“Depending on the grant that they would like to apply for, we go over the rules and the procedures involved with that grant so that they will be informed as they submit their materials that they need to apply. I give them the information that they need to have so that they can do that properly,” Perise said.

An organization or department cannot receive more than one grant within one fiscal year. Additionally, organizational grant requests cannot exceed $500, and departmental requests may not exceed $1,500. No travel grant request can exceed $500 for less than three students or $1,000 for three or more students.

Regarding the funding for the grants, SGA coordinator Brendan Daigle said, “The grants come from a budget that SGA has that students contribute to. It’s part of, I guess you could say, the fees. Because those are funds that are generated by students, those are things that have to be voted on in order to be allowed to have those funds come out for usage.”

SGA Vice President Darnell Butler Jr. briefed the weeks-long procedure that follows the applicant’s meeting with the graduate assistant and grant application submission.

He said, “We review the bill and bring it to the Senate meeting, then we’ll send that bill to our appropriations committee where they go over budgets and things like that. If they want this bill to pass through, they’ll recommend it to the senate, and we’ll vote on it in the senate meeting. If it passes, they’ll go through the purchasing process.”

Butler said the travel grant process is different this semester due to the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“Because of COVID, the university isn’t allowing traveling, but instead, we’re allowing students to apply for travel grants to attend virtual conferences and things like that.”

As coordinator, Daigle’s role in the grant process includes signing off on legislation and acting as an advisor for the students who are involved in reviewing and voting on the applications.

She said, “I attend the Senate meetings where they are voted on. I‘m an advisor, so if the GA who sets up the initial meeting, if she has any questions, she comes to me. Darnell comes to me if he has questions. I review all the documents to make sure they’re good to go before everything is signed off above me.”

For additional questions regarding grants, contact SGA Vice President Darnell Butler Jr. at [email protected].