Grant Process Overview

Please review the full SAO Grants Process before applying for Student Activities Office Grants. Groups may use the SAO Grants Checklist while they work on through the program

2026-2027 SAO Grants Training Course

Take the SAO Grants training course for an overview of the program and how to apply. This course is also required for all primary and secondary applicants prior to applying. See our policies for more information.

Schedule an appointment with your student group services advisor

Every registered student group on campus has an assigned student group services advisor. It is highly encouraged for groups to meet with their advisors prior to applying to answer any questions you may have. 

Grant Process Overview

Use this overview as a general guide for student groups as they prepare to apply for Student Activities Office Grants. 

SAO Grant Eligibility Table

Use this matrix to know more about how much funding your student group’s event is eligible for through the Student Activities Office Grants Program.

SAO Grant Checklist

This checklist is intended to assist student groups as they move through the program. It includes deadlines, recommendations, and resources that will be helpful at each step of the way.

2026-2027 SAO Grants Training Course

All primary and secondary applications should complete this course prior to applying. It is a comprehensive overview of the SAO Grants program as well as recommended event planning steps to consider before applying. 

Allowable and Unallowable Expenses

Every event has different needs and expenses. Find out more about which expenses can be covered with SAO Grant funding by using this guide. See our policies for more specific information. 

Acceptable Forms of Purchase Documentation

A requirement of the SAO Grants process is submitting the appropriate documentation after your event. Use this resource to ensure that your group’s documentation can be accepted and reviewed by your advisor. 

2026-2027 SAO Grant Deadlines

SAO Grant deadlines are very firm. Please use this resource to ensure that you are meeting all deadlines. An update this year is that application deadlines are now at 10:00 AM on the date listed. 

2026-2027 Proposal Template and Application Form

This template must be used for all 2026-2027 SAO Grant applications. Failure to use this updated template will result in your group’s immediate denial prior to being seen by the committee. 

Operational vs. Program Expenses

SAO Grants is not able to fund operational expenses. This resource can be used to determine whether an expense is operational or specific to the event.

Amendment Request Form

Groups that are made aware of additional security or insurance requirements by the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are able to apply for additional funding after they are awarded. See our policies for more specific information. 

Event Change Request Form

We understand that there may be some required changes to your event after applying. To request changes to your awarded event, please submit this form. Groups are required to submit this prior to their event date in order for changes to be considered. See our policies for more specific information. 

W-9 Form 

All Registered Student Organizations are required to upload a W-9 form in their grant application. The W-9 should be filled out with your student group’s financial information. If additional submissions are required on top of the application attachment, groups may submit their W-9 using the Document Submission Form. 

Instructions:

• Name: Enter the organization’s legal name on the “Name” line and any “doing business as” (DBA) name on the “Business name/disregarded entity name” line.
• Federal Tax Classification: Check the appropriate box that applies to your group:
• Unincorporated Association (most groups): Check the Other box and specify unincorporated association.
• Corporate Nonprofits:
  • If your organization has not received federal tax-exempt status, check the Other box and specify nonprofit corporation.
  • If your organization has received federal tax-exempt status, check the Other box and specify Tax-Exempt Organization. Also check the box for Exempt Payee.
• Address: Enter a mailing address where you would like to receive tax information, if there is any to send. This address can be changed by submitting a new W-9 on behalf of your group.
• In Part I, enter your EIN that you received through filing Form SS-4.
• Sign and date.

Statement of Agreement

• Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Statement of Agreement
• Campus Life Program (CLP) Statement of Agreement
• All grant recipients must complete and submit their Statement of Agreement in order for payment to begin processing.
• To submit their Statement of Agreement, groups can use the Document Submission Form

2026-2027 SAO Grants Training Course

All primary and secondary applicants are required to complete the course prior to applying. Visit the UMN Training Hub to sign up. 

All grant recipients are required to complete the Post-Event Evaluation and the Post-Event Budget tab in your application/budget document within 30 days of the funded event date. 

The form will require you to upload all itemized event expense receipts or paid invoices, including expenses that may not have been funded by the grant award. Please review the Acceptable Documentation resource before submitting event receipts. 

Once this form is submitted, an advisor will review the form and receipts and will only schedule a post-event meeting if they have questions related to the event and financial documents.

Student Activities Grant Logos (All Grant Recipients)
 

Black with Transparent Background

Black with White Background

White with Black Background

White with Transparent Background

Coca-Cola Grant Logos (Coca-Cola Grant Recipients)

In order to be eligible for funding, the Student Activities Office Grants Team and the Grants Committee must find the group and event to align with the following minimum criteria. 

1. The proposal must demonstrate how the event: promotes student development, enhances diversity, equity, and inclusion, and/or benefits the campus community.
   • Student development is defined as the growth, progression and/or increase in capabilities as a result of engaging in activities that develop and demonstrate achievement in several areas, as outlined by the Office for Student Affairs.
   • Diversity is about understanding and honoring the ways people are unique. Diversity here refers to a diversity of viewpoints and experiences. It includes the incredible variety that exists from one person to another. This variety comes from a person’s lived experiences that inform who they are and how they think.
   • Equity is about fairness and providing everyone with the resources they need to be successful. This includes a guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all individuals while working to identify and eliminate barriers to full participation.
   • Inclusion is defined as providing a welcoming and respectful environment where the unique qualities and interests of all individuals and communities are embraced and celebrated. This ensures that everyone has equitable access to opportunities, benefits, and services by creating environments of mutual respect where everyone is valued and supported.
   • “Benefits the campus community” is defined as building community or sharing knowledge within and beyond your own student group.
2. The proposal must explain the event in clear and concise detail.
3. The proposal must contain a complete, balanced, and detailed event budget that aligns with the attached event proposal.
   • Groups with multiple sources of funding for their event must include additional details about the source and what it may cover for their event. 
   • All event expenses, regardless of funding source, must be justified in the event proposal. 
4. The proposal must demonstrate how the event aligns with the group's mission and/or goals, and is a special event for the group.

• All Student Activities Office (SAO) Grants are tentatively awarded and dependent upon student groups’ completion of Student Activities Office requirements.
  • Groups must complete all pre-event requirements outlined in their award notification by their respective deadline.
  • Operational events and operational expenses are not eligible for funding. Student Activities Office Grant funding is intended to support special student group programs and special events. 
    • Operational events: events and programs that are an essential part of the group and/or are for the purpose of administrative duties including but not limited to group meetings, rehearsals, practices, and other regular programming. Operational events are considered unallowable.
    • Operational expenses: expenses that are for the group’s general functions rather than specific to the event(s) applied for. Operational expenses also include materials that may be added to the inventory of a group to be used at a later date. Applications that include operational expenses will still be considered for funding, but no funding will be awarded by the Student Activities Office Grants Program towards such expenses.
  • All determinations of operational events and operational expenses are made at the discretion of the Grants Team and Grants Committee, and cannot be appealed.
• Any changes to student group status and standing may impact the group’s award.
• Student groups may be tentatively awarded no more than $10,000 per academic year through SAO grants.
  • Groups applying for partnership grants have the award split evenly in their total for the year. The primary applicant’s group will be responsible for receiving and managing the grant funding. For any awards that cannot be evenly divided, the primary group will receive the difference. 
• Groups that receive funding are required to be the sole responsible party for planning, financing, and executing the approved funded event. Groups found to be “fronting” for another student group or external organization will forfeit their grant award and may be referred to the Student Group Conduct process.
• Misuse of grant funds may impact the standing of the student groups involved per the Student Group Conduct process
• All purchases for the event need to be made on or prior to the event date.
• The SAO Grants Program cannot fund events more than once. 
  • Duplicate applications for the same event in the same cycle must be disclosed to the SAO Grants team prior to the application deadline. Failure to do so may result in the forfeiture of funding for this event. 
• All decisions made by the SAO Grants Team and committee are final. No appeals are permitted.
  • Groups may apply to amend their award prior to their event date using the amendment application form. This form may be used by groups that are made aware of additional charges required by the University of Minnesota related to security or insurance. 
    • Any additional funding must remain within the event’s total funding eligibility based on the SAO Grant Eligibility Table and cannot exceed the group’s $10,000 limit for the year. 
    • All decisions made by the SAO Grants Team in regards to this application for amendment are final and cannot be appealed.
• Any precedent set by the Student Activities Office Grants Committee that is not directly reflected in SAO Grant policy from a previous year does not carry over into subsequent years. 
• The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, familial status, disability, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission created for the purpose of dealing with discrimination, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Student Activities Office Grant funds will not be awarded to organizations or programs that do not adhere to this policy.
• Student groups and student group events must comply with all University policies and procedures, as well as local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Failure to do so may result in an immediate denial or forfeiture of funding.
• All Student Activities Office Grant application deadlines must be met by 10:00 AM (Central Time). 

Student groups should apply for funding as early as possible to ensure that there is funding available for their event. We recommend a minimum of two grant cycles (deadlines) before your event date in order to receive funding prior to your event. 

Please review the grant application deadlines prior to applying. SAO grants will not be awarded for events that have already taken place. Due to the volume of grants we receive, we cannot make exceptions to the deadlines.

Assume that the people reading your proposal have no prior knowledge about your group, program, or event. More details in your proposal makes it easier for the committee to understand the value of your event.

Your budget should also be detailed and complete. This includes documenting all anticipated event expenses, even those not covered by SAO grants, and anticipated income above and beyond SAO grants needed to cover the anticipated event expenses. Groups are encouraged to ask vendors for quotes prior to completing the budget. The information provided in the event proposal and budget should align.

First-time applicants are encouraged to set up a meeting with their assigned Student Group Services Advisor. Meeting with an advisor does not guarantee grant funding, but will increase your chances of being tentatively awarded.

No, meeting expenses are considered operational. SAO grant funding is intended to support activities, programs, and special events that promote student development. See our Allowable and Unallowable Expense Document for more information.

The amount you can receive per event depends on a number of factors. There are a variety of different grant initiatives, each of which has different criteria. 

Each grant initiative has a maximum award amount per event, and groups can receive funding from multiple initiatives for a single event. Please review the grant eligibility chart to view funding eligibility. Registered student groups may be awarded up to $10,000 per year.

Some ways that groups have done this in the past include membership dues, fundraisers, other grants, and partnerships. See our website for information on other sources of income. 

Yes, your group can apply again, as long as you apply within the application deadline. SAO grants will not be awarded for events that have already taken place. We recommend applying at least two cycles in advance to allow your group a chance to reapply for SAO grants, if needed. 

Student Group Services Advisors are happy to meet with any group and provide feedback from the Grants Review Committee to help improve your proposal.

Yes, your Student Group Services Advisor is more than happy to meet with you, answer questions, and review your application prior to submitting.

It depends. Events may be pushed back, but not into the next fiscal year which ends June 30th. Please fill out the event change request form prior to your original event date, so the Grants Team can confirm the eligibility of your event date and update our records.

No, there is not an appeals process for the denial of grants. Decisions made by the committee are final. We recommend applying two cycles ahead of time to allow groups to reapply. 

However, if you have been awarded a grant and made aware of additional charges from the University of Minnesota, your group can fill out the amendment request form. Please keep in mind that additional funding must remain within the event’s total funding eligibility based on the SAO Grant Eligibility Table and cannot go above the group’s $10,000 limit for the year.