Student Activities Office Grants

Student Activities Office (SAO) Grants are available to assist with a variety of expenses related to student group events and digital engagement. Contact the Student Activities Grants Assistant at saogrant@umn.edu with any questions.

We have one comprehensive grant application which will automatically consider you for all grant initiatives for which you qualify. Review the Grant Eligibility Table for a breakdown of the different initiatives.

Application Deadlines

Student groups and departments should apply for funding as early as possible to ensure that there is funding available for their event. Please review the grant application deadlines. All applications received by a given application deadline will be reviewed the following week so long as funding is still available. Applications are reviewed and awards will be funded once all pre-event requirements are met.

Grant Process Overview

Please review the full SAO Grants Process before applying for Student Activities Office Grants.

The Student Activities Office Grants Team has made the following changes to the overall process in response to student group feedback for the 2024-2025 academic year. Student groups are encouraged to schedule a General Advising appointment with their assigned Student Group Services advisor or reach out to the SAO Grants Assistant with any questions. Groups must be re-registered for 2023-2024 to have their applications considered. More information about annual registration may be found at sua.umn.edu.

• August 2024 events will now be eligible for funding.
• There is no December deadline.
  • Please see our comprehensive list of updated 2024-2025 SAO grant deadlines for more information.
• Currently registered student groups must have started the Student Activities Office Annual Registration process for the 2024-2025 school year prior to applying for a SAO Grant in order to be eligible for funding.
  • If tentatively awarded, the group will not receive funding until the registration process is complete.
  • Retroactive funding is not available
  • Tentatively awarded grants will be forfeited if the group is not registered by their event date.
• The Financial Management Training Course is now called the SAO Grants Training Course.
  • Students must sign up to gain access.
  • All primary applicants must have completed the training course prior to applying.
  • Primary applicants that have completed an SAO Grant in the past will not need to retake the course unless they opt to.
  • Primary applicants must complete the course at a total grade of 90% or better with both quizzes finished.
• Groups must use the 2024-2025 SAO Grant Proposal Template in order for it to be considered.
• SAO Grants policies have been updated for 2024-2025.
• Student groups are encouraged to utilize resources offered through the Student Group Resource Center located on the second floor of Coffman Memorial Union.

New applicants and/or groups are encouraged to submit the ACH/New Group Set-Up Form prior to applying for a grant. This also applies to groups who have changed their official name and need to update their W-9 on file. This allows the Grants Team to get a head start on setting their group up as a vendor with the University, which often takes the most time in the process.