In-Person Funding Request Process
During the 2023-2024 Academic Year, SAFAC will be operating through an In-Person funding request process. Office hours will take place in Shalala 210-H located in the Student Org Suites and committee meetings will take place on Wednesdays from 2:30-5 p.m. in the Iron Arrow Room on the third floor of Shalala. To visit office hours please click here to see the schedule.
Once the treasurer meets with the SAFAC delegate during office hours, an intake form will be completed which will detail the contents of the organization’s budget. The SAFAC delegate will then send signature requests through AdobeSign in the order of the President, Treasurer, and Advisor. After the budget is signed by these parties, it will be sent to the Department of Student Activities & Student Organizations (SASO) to finish the intake. Once the budget is received by SASO, they will reach out to the organization treasurer to schedule a budget review session where the treasurer would be able to present their non-fast-track regular budget to the SAFAC committee. Budget review sessions take place each Wednesday from 2:30-5 p.m. Travel, fast-tracked Regular, and Early budget requests do not require presentations.
Funding Principles
In order to receive funding from SAFAC, student organizations must be registered and in good standing with the Committee on Student Organizations (COSO). Organization membership and programs must be open to all University of Miami undergraduate students.
SAFAC’s role is to subsidize organizations’ expenditures. SAFAC is not responsible for fully funding the totality of student organizations’ operations. Student organizations are encouraged to seek outside sources of income (i.e. dues, sponsorship).
Submission of a budget does not guarantee that the items requested will be funded, even if the same items were funded in previous years.
SAFAC will not repay any items that were purchased prior to receiving funding approval.
Organizations may begin expending requests without approval no earlier than two weeks after the budget is submitted to the Department of Student Activities and Student Organizations. Requests purchased before or during this two-week window will be seen as repayments and will not be funded. Groups that purchase items prior to receiving approval from SAFAC do so at their own risk and may be required to reimburse the organization’s account from departmental or personal funds.
SAFAC only allocates funds for one fiscal year. A referendum is required for multi-year expenditures. Unused funds will be returned to SAFAC at the end of each fiscal year (May 31st).
It is the responsibility of organizations and treasurers to be familiar with these guidelines and to be aware of any caps that may impact organizations’ ability to request funding throughout the year.
Priority in SAFAC funding is given to student organizations that enhance student life, enrich the extracurricular experience, and/or improve the educational climate of the University. Funding shall be based on the merits of programs designed for and open to the entire university community.
SAFAC funding is only awarded to programs/funding requests that relate to the guiding principles of the student organization requesting the funds.
SAFAC funding will be based on the demonstrated necessity of expenditures (as determined by SAFAC) for the successful existence of the organization or completion of a program.
SAFAC reserves the right to add Guidelines throughout the academic year.
The Vice President for Student Affairs approves all funding decisions made by SAFAC.
Funding Procedures
There are three types of funding requests: Early Budgets, Regular Budgets, and Travel Budgets. Early Budgets are submitted once a year in the spring for the following fall semester’s expenditures. Regular Budgets are submitted up to two times during the year for expenditures during that same year. Travel Budgets are submitted and reviewed on a weekly rolling basis for upcoming travel.
In order to apply for any type of funding, a student organization must be registered with the Committee on Student Organizations. The correct form(s) must be submitted to SAFAC in digital format. The organization’s primary officer, treasurer, advisor, and SAFAC liaison must sign digitally via Adobe Sign. Forms will not be processed without signatures. Organizations are required to meet with their liaisons prior to receiving any signatures.
Early Budgets
To be eligible to submit an Early Budget request, student organizations must be registered with the Committee on Student Organizations by the end of the fall semester.
Organization treasurers must attend a mandatory Treasurer Training workshop (held in January/February) prior to submitting their student organization’s funding request. All information and forms regarding the funding process will be distributed at this time.
Funding for programs must be listed in priority order. Most important programs should be listed first on the request form.
Supporting documentation must be attached to funding requests for any requested items above or not included in guidelines.
SAFAC reviews all Early Budget forms over a designated weekend in April. Student organizations are notified of funding allocations in writing prior to the end of the spring semester.
Regular Budgets
All student organizations are eligible to submit up to two regular budget requests each academic year.
Student organizations may not request funding for a program/event that was held prior to the submission of the request, or for programs/events where funding has already been committed (via a signed contract, for example).
Funding for programs must be listed in priority order. Most important programs should be listed first on the request form.
Supporting documentation must be attached to funding requests, for any items above or not included in guidelines. See the SAFAC Documentation Policy, found under “SAFAC Budget Guidelines”, for more information about appropriate documentation.
Generally, student organization representatives will be scheduled to present their requests to SAFAC. In some cases, student organizations may elect to expedite their funding request process by submitting without presentations. Organizations wishing to do so can find out more information by speaking to their liaisons.
Organizations will be notified of funding allocations in writing approximately one week after their SAFAC appointment.
Travel Budgets
In general, student organizations may submit up to 10 travel requests over the course of the academic year. These travel requests will count toward the event limit for organizations. Travel requests are reviewed on a rolling weekly basis and returned to organizations within two weeks.
Student organizations may not request funding for any travel performed prior to the submission of the request. All travel requests must be fully approved before any funds can be expended by the student organization.
Supporting documentation must be attached to funding requests, for any items above or not included in guidelines. See the SAFAC Documentation Policy for more information about appropriate documentation.
SAFAC Travel Budget requests are scheduled without presentation appointments.
Organizations will be notified of their travel funding allocations in writing approximately two weeks after submitting their requests to SAFAC.
Funding Policies
Student organizations must use funds in the manner in which they were allocated. SAFAC monitors student organization accounts and may require student organizations to submit documentation detailing their account transactions.
Student organizations are held responsible for their accounts and are accountable for the funding they receive. Student organizations must repay SAFAC for any debt incurred.
Student organizations may not make a profit from any event funded in part by SAFAC.
