SGA offers funding for various student organizations in the forms of: Contingency, Program Grants and Front-End Budgeting (FEB group). Learn more below.
Resources
Contingency funding is a financial resource allocated by the Student Government Association to support recognized student organizations at James Madison University. These funds are sourced from student fees and are intended to help organizations cover the costs of events, conferences, and other initiatives that enhance campus life.
Organizations may apply for contingency funding if they are planning new programs, experiencing shortfalls in fundraising, or otherwise require supplemental financial support. Funding is capped at $3,000 per organization, per year.
All requests must follow the guidelines outlined by the SGA Finance Committee, its Financial Procedures, and receive final approval from the Student Senate.
Organizations must demonstrate that all avenues of fundraising have been reasonably pursued and exhausted, including proof of at least two tangible fundraising efforts within the past academic year. Groups that receive more than $10,000 annually from a university department or entity are not eligible. Additionally, organizations may not apply for substantially similar events or expenses for three consecutive years.
Contingency funding is intended to supplement financial need and ensure equitable access to programming opportunities for all student organizations.
Allowable Expenses:
● Conference or registration fees
● Reusable supplies and materials
● Speaker or performer fees (paid directly to the service provider)
● Advertising and promotional materials
● JMU-approved vehicle rentals (via Motor Pool only)
● Equipment rentals and fuel (for JMU vehicles)
● Food and beverages (must be from JMU-approved vendors and for on-campus events only)
Prohibited Expenses:
● Reimbursements for purchases made before funding approval
● Honorariums, gifts, or giveaways
● Costumes, makeup, decorative items, or other non-reusable supplies
● Hotel accommodations
● Airfare, train tickets, gas reimbursements, or personal transportation costs
● Events or purchases that generate any revenue or net profit
● Loan payments or debt reimbursement
● Fundraising activities or charitable contributions
Requirements:
To apply for Contingency Funding through the Student Government Association, student
organizations must follow the process outlined below:
- Submit the Contingency Application
- Complete the official Contingency Funding Application.
- Submit your request six academic weeks before the date the funds are needed.
Requests submitted less than six weeks are at the discretion of the Student Body
Executive Treasurer
- Prepare Required Documentation
- Submit a W-9 Form with your application (requires your organization’s EIN). If you do not
know your EIN, contact the IRS at 800-829-4933. - Submit or have on file a Vendor E-Payment Form with the Student Life Fiscal Staff.
- All information regarding documentation will be provided post-application.
- Submit a W-9 Form with your application (requires your organization’s EIN). If you do not
- Meet with the SGA Finance Chairperson
- After submitting your application, you will schedule a meeting with a Finance Committee
representative, after the application is reviewed - During this meeting, you’ll discuss your funding proposal and begin preparing your
presentation.
- After submitting your application, you will schedule a meeting with a Finance Committee
- Present to the Finance Committee
- Deliver a formal PowerPoint presentation to the Finance Committee the following week.
The committee will vote to approve, deny, or table your request.
- Deliver a formal PowerPoint presentation to the Finance Committee the following week.
- Present to the Student Senate
- If approved by the Finance Committee, your request will proceed to the full Student
Senate for a final presentation and vote, hosted on Tuesdays at 6:15PM.
- If approved by the Finance Committee, your request will proceed to the full Student
- Complete Follow-Up Requirements
- All approved organizations must submit receipts and relevant documentation at the end
of the semester, when requested. - Organizations that fail to complete this process or return unused funds may be ineligible
for funding for two full semesters.
- All approved organizations must submit receipts and relevant documentation at the end
Violations of the Contingency criteria outlined in the Financial Procedures may disqualify an
organization from future funding, as determined by the SGA Finance Committee. For
assistance, contact sgafinance@jmu.edu.
A Program Grant is a dedicated funding opportunity provided by the Student Government
Association for non-Front-End Budgeted (non-FEB) student organizations at James Madison
University. These grants are reserved during the annual budgeting process and are intended to
support events that demonstrate a broad, on-campus and campus-wide or community-wide
impact.
Program Grants are ideal for organizations planning innovative, large-scale events that enhance
student life, introduce new programming to campus, or engage the broader JMU community.
For questions or assistance,please contact: sgafinance@jmu.edu
To be eligible for a Program Grant, an organization must be a non-FEB student organization that
is officially recognized by the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement and has been in
good standing for at least 12 months. Program Grants are reserved exclusively for non-FEB
groups and are intended to support events with a demonstrated campus-wide or
community-wide impact. Eligible organizations may submit applications each semester for
individual events.
To be considered for a Program Grant, an event must demonstrate a campus-wide or
community-wide impact and meet the following criteria:
- The program enhances student life at James Madison University.
- The program diversifies or introduces new opportunities to the campus community.
- The event must be open to the public.
- The event may not charge for tickets.
- The event may not produce a profit for the requesting organization.
- The event may produce a profit for outside charities and causes.
- The organization’s advisor must endorse the program.
- The grant request must be submitted to the SGA Finance Committee and approved by
the Student Senate at least 10 weeks prior to the proposed event date. Requests within
10 weeks require a two-thirds Senate vote to proceed. - A meeting with Student Life Fiscal Staff must be scheduled at least 6 weeks prior to the
event if funding is approved. - FEB organizations are not permitted to co-sponsor Program Grant events. However,
they may offer non-financial assistance. - If the program generates revenue, the organization is responsible for paying any
applicable taxes on that income. - Events involving musical performances (excluding DJs) may not exceed $5,000 in
contract fees. - Maximum funding amounts are determined by the number of sponsoring organizations:
- $5,000 for single-sponsor events
- $7,500 for events co-hosted by two groups
- $10,000 for events co-hosted by three or more group
To apply for Program Grant Funding through the Student Government Association, student
organizations must follow the process outlined below:
- Submit the Program Grant Application
- Complete the official Contingency Funding Application.
- Submit your request ten academic weeks before the date the funds are needed.
Requests submitted less than ten weeks are at the discretion of the Student Body
Executive Treasurer
- Prepare Required Documentation
- Submit a W-9 Form with your application (requires your organization’s EIN). If you do not
know your EIN, contact the IRS at 800-829-4933. - Submit or have on file a Vendor E-Payment Form with the Student Life Fiscal Staff.
- All information regarding documentation will be provided post-application.
- Submit a W-9 Form with your application (requires your organization’s EIN). If you do not
- Meet with the SGA Finance Chairperson
- After submitting your application, you will schedule a meeting with a Finance Committee
representative, after the application is reviewed. - During this meeting, you’ll discuss your funding proposal and begin preparing your
presentation.
- After submitting your application, you will schedule a meeting with a Finance Committee
- Present to the Finance Committee
- Deliver a formal PowerPoint presentation to the Finance Committee the following week. The committee will vote to approve, deny, or table your request.
- Deliver a formal PowerPoint presentation to the Finance Committee the following week. The committee will vote to approve, deny, or table your request.
- Present to the Student Senate
- If approved by the Finance Committee, your request will proceed to the full Student Senate for a final presentation and vote, hosted on Tuesdays at 6:15PM.
organization from future funding, as determined by the SGA Finance Committee. For
assistance, contact sgafinance@jmu.edu.
Reserve Requests are permitted for any FEB organization to make additional purchases outside of their allotted budget. At the end of each year, any unused funding from an FEB group’s budget will be placed in its Organization Reserve Account. Reserve requests may only fund capital expenditures. The request will need to be approved by both the Student Body Executive Treasurer and the Student Government Senate.
To submit a Reserve Request, or with any further questions regarding the process, please email the SGA Student Body Executive Treasurer (sgafinance@jmu.edu).
receive annual budgets directly from the Student Government Association through the
university’s student fee allocation process, because they are deemed so important to the
University's functions. These groups are approved based on their broad campus impact and the
essential nature of their missions.
Rather than applying for individual funding requests throughout the year, FEB groups are
allocated funds during the SGA’s annual budgeting cycle to allow them to focus on their
programming and operations without the burden of ongoing fundraising. Allocations vary by
group and may range from approximately $3,000 to over $100,000, depending on demonstrated
need and the availability of funds.
FEB status is granted by the Student Senate and requires a two-thirds vote following a thorough
application and review process. Only a limited number of organizations may hold FEB status at
any given time.
- Student Government Association (SGA)
- SafeRides
- Student Ambassadors (SA)
- Madison Equality (ME)
- University Program Board (UPB)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- Black Student Alliance (BSA)
- Latinx Student Alliance (LSA)
- ResQED
- Students for Minority Outreach (SMO)
following criteria:
- The organization has a far-reaching impact on the James Madison University community.
- There is no existing formal funding for the group through a university department or national organization.
- The organization appropriately manages and utilizes its current funding.
- The services provided by the organization are not duplicated by another FEB group or university office.
- Continued reliance on fundraising would prevent the organization from fulfilling its mission effectively.
- The organization has been a recognized student organization in good standing with the Office of Student Activities and Involvement for at least two consecutive academic years.
- The organization’s purpose and operations are of such significance that it warrants being budgeted in advance rather than applying through Contingency or Program Grant processes.
- Approval for FEB status requires majority approval from the FEB Advisory Committee followed by a two-thirds vote of the Student Senate.
Schedule a meeting with the Student Body Executive Treasurerciation (sgafinance@jmu.edu).
- There are currently no openings for new FEB groups.
