Annual Funding Review and Application Process

Every spring existing student groups are asked to submit a proposed budget for the following academic year. The incoming SBA treasurer convenes a diverse Budget Committee consisting of students, usually 1Ls and 2Ls, to review all of the submitted budgets.

Groups submitting budgets must provide:

• Contact information for the incoming officers
• A statement of purpose for the upcoming year, detailing proposed events
• A proposed budget, with itemized expenses for each event
• Any accounting information from the current year that has not been submitted previously

In considering the budgets, the group will often consider:

• The proposed student budget, including original events planned for the upcoming year
• How much of the group's allotted budget was spent in the past year
• Whether the group had spent it's money in a manner consistent with the organization's purpose
• The history of the organization and the size of its membership

Certain expenses are standardized for all groups. For example, each group will receive the same amount of money for publicizing events and providing snacks at the first meeting of the year. While many expenses are granted or denied consistently, the committee also takes into account the purpose of the student organization. For example, while most groups only receive funds for food or snacks once a semester, groups who perform in part a social function (such as LALSA or the West Coast Connection) will receive money for these events.

The SBA treasurer submits the Budget Review Committee's proposed allotments to the full SBA which gets the final vote. The small groups budgets and the SBA's own proposed budget are then reviewed by the Law School's Finance Department at the beginning of the academic year.