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. This includes the Student Activities Grants (Administrative and SSF Event) and Coca-Cola Grants (Activity, Development, and Student Events and Entertainment Grant). 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 required paperwork is completed.

Grant Process Overview

The full process can also be found at z.umn.edu/grantsprocess. Please review 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 2023-2024 academic year. Student groups are encouraged to schedule a General Advising appointment with their assigned advisor at z.umn.edu/studentgroupadvising.

• 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.
• First-time primary applicants should complete the financial management training course prior to applying for a Student Activities Office grant regardless of whether the student group they belong to has received grant funding in the past. This training takes approximately one (1) hour. Students may sign up for the training at z.umn.edu/trainingssignup.
• Groups will now need to apply a minimum of 3 months before their event in order to meet the new application deadline. Groups are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, up to 6 months in advance, especially for large scale events. This adjustment was made to ensure that groups receive funds prior to executing their planned event. Review all deadlines for more specifics.
• Grant amount minimum is now $100. For groups that have workshop, lecture, and/or event series, groups may combine their series events into one grant application that meets the minimum threshold. If the event costs under $100, groups are encouraged to conduct sales or fundraisers to help cover the costs of the event.
• No departmental or individual grants will be reviewed or awarded. Only registered student groups are now eligible for Student Activities Office grants.
• Student Activities Office grant awards are tentative until all pre-event requirements are completed within two weeks of receiving the award notification.
• Policies have been updated. Please review all policies prior to applying for Student Activities Office grants.
• Grant initiative options, criteria, and application questions have been updated. More information can be found at sua.umn.edu.
• 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 who have changed their official name and need to update your W-9 are encouraged to submit the ACH/New Group Set-Up Form prior to applying for a grant. 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 getting groups paid.