Funding

1. Apply for CSE Small Grant.

2. Apply for CSE WISE Initiative Grant (if applicable).

3. Complete ME Funding Request

Information Needed:

1. Overview of income and expenses from previous academic year for which ME funds were provided

2. Request for Fall and Spring funds

3. Attach printout of account balance from meacctng@umn.edu

4. Attach CSE Small Grant application

5. Email all documents to meundergrad@umn.edu

Please Note:

• Try to limit the number of requests if possible. In other words, if you can request funding for an entire semester, that is ideal.

• Plan for $10/person for food.

• Gift cards are not an allowable expense.

• You can copy/paste from the CSE Small Grant application.

Questions? Email meundergrad@umn.edu

For additional information about all things related to student group policies, visit the CSE Student Organizations Resource Page.

When your student group receives funding, it will be deposited into one or more of the funds listed below. Please familiarize yourselves with the chart strings (EFS accounts) described below. Treasurers for each group are responsible for tracking income and expenses each semester. Please keep a record of this information.

1026 FUND: The funds here are primarily from student fees. These funds are typically used to purchase items for the group (ie. T-shirts). Reimbursement is sent to this account.

1701 FUND with CF1: These funds are donations made to the University Foundation (ie. from a Corporate Sponsor).

1701 FUND with CF2: These are also donated funds, usually from the College of Science & Engineering (ie. CSE Small Grant).

Before drafting your request:

• Create a list of potential sponsors.

• Have a budget and "ask" before contacting a potential sponsor.

• It's generally a good idea to create three levels of sponsorship.

• Determine the type of sponsorship you are requesting:

  • monetary

  • gift in kind (goods or services)

• Solidify what the group has to offer:

  • marketing (signage, logos, speaker)

  • recruitment

  • philanthropic (outreach, service to community)

Writing the request:

• Try to keep the actual request to one page. Additional pages for photos, sponsorship levels, etc. is fine.

• Describe your organization (mission, vision, goals). Describe your event or project. Include personal anecdotes or testimonials and achievements. Include photos and logos of the group. Explain the levels of sponsorship. Describe in detail the benefits of sponsorship. Include contact information. Thank them for their time and consideration of your request.

• Have they sponsored in the past? If so, remind them.

• Start early!

• Checks are to be payable to University of Minnesota.

After the request:

• Follow up and keep them informed. Send them an email with a summary and/or photos.

• Recognize your sponsor (newsletters, social media).

• Ask for feedback and testimonials.

Tips:

• Start with a phone call. Follow up with the letter/packet.

• Remind them donations are tax-deductible.

• Need further tips or examples? Email meundergrad@umn.edu

Pointers for keeping track of incoming money and how to report income.

• If you will be purchasing goods (ie. apparel, mugs, pens, etc) for your group and selling them to members, the purchase will be charged to your group's account.

  • Please set up a system to track the selling of the apparel to your members (recipient, date of purchase, payment method, amount).

    • Here is an example of a tracking spreadsheet with formatting suggestions, but you are free to make your own based on your group's needs.

  • Payments received from the sale will need to be given to the ME Accounting Office for deposit back into the group's account.

    • Deposits are to be made within 1 week of funds being collected or when the total amount reaches $250, whichever comes first.

Please Note:

• Groups are not allowed to sell anything else, including equipment and items purchased to build your projects (ie. drills, etc). If you have questions about this, please email meundergrad@umn.edu.

• All equipment belongs to the University, not the teams.

• If students are also employees on campus and they submit for reimbursement for a purchase, their campus job supervisor will be sent the reimbursement information for approval.

  • Please notify your supervisor ahead of time so they know to expect this. The request will then be routed to the ME accounting team.