GAPSA is proud to provide funding to support student groups and events in alignment with its core mission of fostering community, career-development, collaboration, and advocacy for graduate and professional students. 

Notification Timeline: Groups will generally be notified of award decisions within three weeks after completing the universal group application. If you receive an award, you will receive an award email listing your total funding amount.

The various funds of GAPSA Finance are detailed below to provide more information.

FUNDING PRINCIPLES

Eligibility: 

1. Groups must be registered with the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) for the academic year: https://osa.universitylife.upenn.edu/pennclubs/   

2. Applications must be submitted at least 4 weeks prior to the event date (except for August events).  

3. Proposals must engage a number of graduate and professional students that is commensurate with the amount of funding requested. 

   Note: The eligibility criteria above will be enforced beginning August 1, 2025. Applications for funding from groups that do not meet the above eligibility criteria will not be reviewed or funded; such applications will receive a Notice of Ineligibility and an eligible application may be resubmitted. Additionally, since the University cannot provide payments to GETUP-UAW, such applications will receive a Notice of Ineligibility.  

Priorities: 

1. Events serving multiple G12 schools will receive higher priority. 

2. Promote inclusivity, academic enrichment, and community engagement. 

3. Funding is competitive; awards are not guaranteed.  

Requirements: 

1. GAPSA must be acknowledged as a funding source for promotional materials. Proof of this acknowledgement will be requested as part of GAPSA’s post-award After-Action Review (AAR).  

2. Event information and signup link must be shared with GAPSA using the Newsletter submission form 

3. Events with alcohol must be registered with and approved by the University Life Event Registration. 

4. Compliance with GAPSA and University policies is mandatory. See section IV on Compliance and Reporting. 

5. Groups are encouraged to enroll in the optional Finance 101 training to strengthen their financial competency. 

Inquiries: All inquiries regarding SGEF should be directed to the Director of Fund Management via gapsa.funds@gapsa.upenn.edu 

FUNDING MECHANISMS, REVIEW PROCESS, AND NOTIFICATION TIMELINE

Student groups should submit a single application, the Universal Funding Application, for the funding mechanisms detailed below. Applications will be automatically routed to all relevant funding review committee(s). 

Universal Funding Application: APPLY HERE 

Notification Timeline: Generally, applicants will receive funding decisions within 2-4 weeks of committee review. Funding requests exceeding $10,000 require more extensive review; applicants should anticipate an 8-12 week decision timeline for these requests. 

Key dates: Refer to the table below for the 2025-26 funding windows and deadlines.  

Review and Decision process for Student Group Event Fund (SGEF), the Community Outreach Fund, and the Academic Event Fund (AEF) 

1. Financial Compliance Screen: The Deputy Director of Compliance, in conjunction with other officers in the GAPSA Finance Division, verifies eligibility and adherence to GAPSA bylaws and university policies based on submitted materials. 

2. Evaluation and Funding Determination: All eligible applications are scored using the respective funding committee’s grading rubric. Pursuant to GAPSA Finance Division’s Bylaw 10.1.3, the Finance Committee can approve allocations up to $10,000 and requests above $10,000 may be referred to the GAPSA General Assembly (GA).  

3. Appealing funding decisions: Pursuant to GAPSA Finance Division’s Bylaw 10.1.3, groups may appeal unfavorable funding decisions to the GA if they secure endorsement from either two-thirds of their school's GA representatives or at least 10% of all certified GA representatives. The appeal process begins by emailing the Vice President of Finance (gapsa.finance@gapsa.upenn.edu) and CC’ing the endorsers.  The second step of the appeal process requires two GA hearings. Student groups will present their funding request and allow discussion by the GA during the first meeting. During the second, the GA will deliberate and vote on the funding request appeal. Student groups should anticipate a minimum four-week appeals timeline.  

4. Decision: All events may be funded via cash, in-kind ticket purchases, or a combination of both, at the discretion of the GAPSA Division of Finance. 

COMPLIANCE AND REPORTING*

1. Revenues: All paid registrations and ticket sales for events must be conducted through an official University office or department-managed platform, in accordance with University policy. Additionally, any event receiving more than 40% of its funding through GAPSA’s group event funding mechanisms must use the Graduate Events Eventbrite account for ticketing.  

2. After Action Report (AAR): All groups awarded funding through GAPSA must submit a report on event details, budgeted vs actual expenses/revenue, and proof of compliance. and feedback upon completion of events. Groups that fail to submit an AAR by December 15 for fall semester events and May 15 for spring semester events will 1) be unable to claim their award or 2) be ineligible for future funding until the AAR is submitted and approved.  

3. Auditing: GAPSA-funded events receiving more than $2,500 in funding from GAPSA must reserve two tickets for GAPSA representatives. These events are subject to random in-person audits to verify compliance with funding terms (e.g., alcohol policies). 

4. Funding limits: Refer to the table below for funding limits for each expense category.  

5. *Non-compliance may result in forfeiture of funding, ineligibility for future funding rounds, or referral to the Center for Community Standards and Accountability (CSA) for disciplinary action. These funding limits are provided as a guideline for student groups, and can be waived by Finance Committee, relevant funding agency (such as Research Council members for AEF), or GAPSA General Assembly vote; recommendations from GAPSA’s Bylaws, Constitution, and University policy supersede these limits. 

USING AWARDED FUNDS / PAYMENT PROCESS 

1. All purchases and payments should be made by a financial administrator or through a regional business office and through means designated by Penn Procurement. Groups should NOT use personal funds or expect reimbursement without advance approval. 

2. Groups with a designated 26-digit budget code: 

   1. Groups with a designated 26-digit budget code are expected to work with their financial administrator to coordinate purchases through their account. If this is not possible, please follow the steps for all other groups outlined below.  

   2. Submit AAR  

   3. Once GAPSA reviews and approves the AAR, we will initiate a transfer of funds to the provided budget-code after receipt and approval of the AAR.  

3. All other groups should use the Graduate Student Activities Payment Request Form for all payment and reimbursement requests related to this award.  

   1. Payment and transfer requests  

      1.1 Payment and purchase requests for each item or service should be submitted well in advance of your event/activity and at least one week prior to expected payment or purchase.  

      1.2 Groups should submit the payment request form BEFORE agreeing to any payment terms or finalizing an order/delivery. 

   2. Reimbursements  

      2.1 Reimbursements should be rare and limited to cases in which advance payment arrangements are not possible. Additional restrictions and limitations apply. Please review University guidelines and contact gradcenter@upenn.edu before making any purchases for which you plan to seek reimbursement.  

      2.2 All reimbursement requests must be submitted to the Graduate Financial Operations office within 10 days of purchase.  

      2.3 You must provide original, itemized receipts and invoices for covered expenses. All receipt(s) or invoice(s) *must* include the date, purchaser name, and an itemized list of items purchased with cost. 

4. All payment and reimbursement requests and associated documentation must be submitted by the individual incurring the expense or purchase to an appropriate financial administrator or business office. 

5. Post-event Actions: all groups awarded funding through GAPSA must submit a report, the After-Action Review, on event details, budgeted vs actual expenses/revenue, and proof of compliance. and feedback upon completion of events. Groups that fail to submit an AAR by December 15 for fall semester events and May 15 for spring semester events will 1) be unable to claim their award or 2) be ineligible for future funding until the AAR is submitted and approved. 

Formal 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.