DIVISION OF FINANCE
GROUP FUNDING
See also: Individual Student Travel Grants
GAPSA provides funding to support student groups and events that bridge Penn’s graduate schools and foster community, career-development, and collaboration.
For most group funding applications.
For Empowerment Funding, administered by the IDEAL Council.
Available funds
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Money for registered graduate and professional student groups to host events and programs. This is the main, general-purpose group fund — if your event does not fit one of the more specific funds, this is the one to apply for.
Who can apply
Any registered graduate or professional student group. Your group must be registered with and approved by the Office of Student Affairs for the current school year.
How are applications evaluated
Applications are evaluated to ensure that the student group’s event can credibly provide broad benefit to the graduate and professional student community at Penn. The strongest applications will respond directly to the Evaluation Rubric, highlighting:
Broad benefit to graduate and professional students
Penn-focused use of funds
Cost efficiency
Multi-school benefit
Attendance estimate substantiation
Competent and responsible event planning
Positive track record with GAPSA
Budget detail and credibility
Clear marketing and outreach plan
How much you can get
University guidelines dictate per-capita limits on funding awards depending on the type of event.
Please note that funding is competitive and not guaranteed. Events may be funded in full, in part, or denied funding.
Requests over $10,000 go through a longer review and may go to the General Assembly.
When decisions happen
Applications are reviewed about once a month at Finance Committee meetings. You'll usually hear back within 2–4 weeks of review. Requests over $10,000 can take 8–12 weeks.
Questions?
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For collaborative events hosted by two or more Penn graduate schools.
The Interschool Parntership Fund (IPF) is a co-funded pool managed by GAPSA and participating G12+ school governments to support cross-school events and initiatives. Each participating school invests 10% of its G12 allocation in the IPF Fund, and GAPSA matches the use of these funds dollar-for-dollar.
Instructions for accessing IPF funds
Note: Student groups do not apply directly for IPF funding. An officer of your G12 student government must submit the application. If you have an event idea, contact your G12 to discuss IPF Fund eligibility.
Application: Apply here
Contact: https://www.gapsa.upenn.edu/executive-board-2025-2026 and CC gapsa.funds@gapsa.upenn.edu
Review Process: The fund is open on a rolling basis.
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Supports graduate and professional student events that are academic in nature — symposiums, workshops, small conferences, academic discussions, and gallery exhibits. This fund is administered by GAPSA’s Research Council and Finance Division.
What makes AEF different
Other GAPSA funding streams prioritize events that reach a broad slice of Penn's graduate community. AEF instead rewards scholarly and intellectual merit, whatever the field and however small the audience. If your event has real academic value but a narrow following, this is likely your best fit.
Purely social events — happy hours, mixers, and the like — aren't eligible.
What we ask of funded events
Events should be open to all graduate and professional students and must be advertised through GAPSA channels.
How to apply
Submit through the Universal Funding Application during the standard funding cycle. Eligibility is decided jointly by GAPSA Finance and the Research Council; if your application isn't eligible, you'll be told why and given a chance to fix it.
Get an endorsement from at least one voting member of the Research Council. The Chair circulates eligible applications to members as a courtesy, but endorsement isn't automatic — reaching out to Council members before you apply is strongly encouraged. The current member list is on the GAPSA website.
Present your proposal at a Council meeting, in person or virtually. If you can't attend, a pre-recorded video or written statement works. The Council may ask for more information.
Receive a decision. Recommendations and decisions go out the same day as the meeting. If more deliberation is needed, you'll get a Notice of Postponement with a timeline and any next steps. Awards are confirmed in a letter from GAPSA Finance and may combine AEF with other funding sources.
Evaluation Rubric
Budget. Budgets should be reasonable, cost-effective, and aligned with the goals of both your event and GAPSA. Your proposal should make clear that awarded funds will go solely or largely toward components that benefit Penn graduate and professional students.
Impact on the Field. The event should show the capacity to make a difference within a related academic discipline or field of study.
Academic Focus. The event should have a clear academic focus, a substantial educational component, or both.
Unique Perspective. The event should offer something new — at least in part — by taking up topics that aren't commonly covered elsewhere on campus.
Participants. The event should engage Penn graduate and professional students. It may also be open to the broader community.
Past Funding. If the event has received GAPSA funding before, attach an After Action Report (AAR) for review.
Contact: gapsa.research@gapsa.upenn.edu & CC gapsa.funds@gapsa.upenn.edu
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For current IDEAL Council Member groups to apply for annual base/operating budget allocation funding. Applications are evaluated against the Empowerment Fund’s Evaluation Rubric.
Apply here (Empowerment Fund Application)
Review Process
This form should be submitted once per semester, typically in August/September and in December/January. Application reviews take between 3-4 weeks.
Contact
gapsa.ideal@gapsa.upenn.edu and CC gapsa.funds@gapsa.upenn.edu
Basic requirements
All GAPSA funding awards must comply with University process and requirements. Before submitting any application, review the Student Group Funding & Finances page for information regarding spending limits, payment requests, ticketing, policies, and registration for events serving alcohol. It is your responsibility to be familiar with this information. Non-compliant events will not be funded or have payments processed.
Be a registered group with the Office of Student Affairs for the year. (Register here: https://osa.universitylife.upenn.edu/startclb/)
Apply early. Send your application at least 4-5 weeks before your event. Two to three months ahead is better, so payments can clear Penn's purchasing rules.
Follow Student Group Funding & Finances guidelines.
Advertise with GAPSA. Event information and signup link must be shared with GAPSA using the Newsletter Submission Form. You must credit GAPSA on your event promotional materials.
After the event, you must submit an After-Action Review(AAR). Future funding depends on the timely submission of adequate AARs.
How to spend and receive your funds
The University pays vendors directly — you should not pay out of pocket and expect to be paid back. Follow these steps:
Seek Penn-approved vendors. Most goods and services — catering, venue, merchandise, professional services — are bought through a Purchase Order. The Grad Center (or your group's financial administrator) issues the PO and pays the vendor for you. • Find a Penn-approved supplier • How purchase orders work.
Receive your GAPSA Award Letter. This provides a breakdown of awarded funds per spending category and is required to submit payment requests.
Don't commit to any payments before submitting a payment request. Submit the Graduate Student Activities Payment Request Form before you agree to a price, sign anything, or place an order. Only Penn Purchasing can enter a contract on the University's behalf. Always identify yourself as a student and loop in the Grad Center (gradcenter@upenn.edu) on any vendor pricing talks.
Reimbursement is a last resort. Only for unplanned needs that couldn't be arranged in advance. Get the Grad Center's approval before spending personal money, then submit within 10 days of purchase with itemized receipts. Personal expenses made without prior approval will not be refunded.
Timing: submit payment requests at least one week before payment is due, or 3–4 weeks ahead if the vendor isn't already in Penn's system.
Keep for every expense: an itemized receipt, the business purpose, and a list of attendees.
Payment questions: gradcenter@upenn.edu.
Complaints and Grievances
Groups who wish to submit a formal complaint or grievance can contact the GAPSA President using gapsa.president@gapsa.upenn.edu, the Office of the Provost using provost-ed@upenn.edu, or the Graduate Student Center using gradcenter@upenn.edu.