Looking for funding for your next event? Look no further. The New School is full of attainable resources for clubs and groups as well as for individual students. The University Student Senate, Student Activities and Finance Committee, The Office of Student Development and Activities, and the Lang Student Union are all organizations whose main goals are to provide funding for student-run activities and events. Depending on the amount of money you need, ranging from pizza for a club meeting to costumes for an entire cast, you can go through one or more of the following funding options:
- The University Student Senate was established in 2001 as the official student government on campus. The USS plans all events and parties on campus and is a source of student groups and activities. To receive funding from the USS, you must request to be put on their meeting agenda through their website, then complete their online funding form and send it 48 hours prior to the meeting. A representative must also be at a meeting to present their proposal to the senators. The USS will grant up to $5,000 a semester. In their most recent meeting the USS funded a three-day symposium hosted by People in Support of Women in Philosophy, The New School Zine, and a project by graduate students among other proposals. For a list of meetings and other information visit www.newschoolsenate.org.
- The Student Activities Finance Committee (SAFC) is in charge of funding events from recognized student clubs or organizations. To apply for funding you must fill out an SAFC budget request form, which will then be reviewed at meetings. The form consists of an itemized budget, a description of the event, and a target population. Groups who submit to the SAFC must first contact the Office of Student Development and Activities to acquire a space for their event. The form should be emailed to safc@newschool.edu prior to their meeting.
- The Office of Student Development and Activities (OSDA) is in charge of organizing events outside the classroom. They plan the Block Party and events surrounding civic engagement. The OSDA will help put you in contact with the best people to ask to fund your project. In some cases they will sponsor it themselves. The OSDA will also print and hang up fliers for events for free.
- If you go to Lang and need funding then attend a Lang Student Union meeting. The LSU receives funding from Lang students tuition every school year and is student run. Any Lang student can attend a meeting and vote on a proposal. The LSU provides funding for groups around campus like the New School Radio, The New School Basketball Team, the Musical Theatre Organization, and the New School Dream Team. They also fund honorarium for speakers and refreshments for most events proposed by Lang students. LSU requirements consist of specific breakdowns of budget requirements and for the event in question to benefit the larger Lang community. The only caveat – the LSU will not fund senior works or travel. Email lsu@newschool.edu for a proposal form.
Tamar is a poet, writer, New York-lover and dweller. She studies jounalism+design at The New School.
