General Funding Overview For Professional Students And Organizations

OPTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS

Most funding available to professional students is geared toward student organizations. Individuals who are attending conferences, symposia, etc. for professional development can apply for an individual Professional Development Fund from IPC.

OPTIONS FOR STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Several different sources of funding exist for professional student organizations. The information provided here covers the primary funding options but is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Check with your school for additional funding opportunities. Organizations, keep reading for an overview of funding sources.

Step 1 – Organizational Funding From The Council on Student Life

The first source of funding for any student organization is through the university’s Council on Student Life (CSL), which offers groups two different types of funding. To be eligible for any CSL funding, your group needs to register with CSL. If CSL approves your application for status as a registered student organization, you are immediately eligible for $200/year in operating funds once your organization’s officers attend a mandatory training session (more info below). Newly registered organizations are also eligible for up to an additional $1000/year in programming funds from CSL while established organizations are eligible for up to an additional $2500/year in programming funds. Unlike operating funds which are automatically awarded upon registration each year, organizations must go through a separate application process for programming funds.

For more information on registering as a new student organization and obtaining CSA operating funds, visit http://ohiounion.osu.edu and click on “Activities and Organizations” on the left hand menu. On the menu that then appears to the right of the main menu, click on “Student Organizations/Source” and then click on the option of “Register as a Student Organization.” Follow the directions on the right side of the page. Be ready to provide the following information:

• The student president and treasurer names and contact information (including OSU issued username).
• The advisor’s name and contact information.
• Your organization’s purpose statement and mailing address.
• An electronic copy of your organization’s constitution in either PDF or Word format. Example constitutions can be downloaded from the same site.
• An EIN (Employer Identification Number) or a Federal ID number, is basically a social security number for your organization. OSU requires all organizations have an EIN. If your organization has a bank account, it should already have an EIN. To obtain this number, call the bank and ask that they provide you with the information. You can apply for an EIN via telephone, fax, or mail. The easiest way is to download directions or obtain the form directly from the CSA registration site.

After approval of the application, the president, treasurer, and advisor will be asked to attend a training session. These only last about an hour, and give the leaders basic information pertaining to their respective positions. All registered organizations must fulfill these orientation sessions to be eligible to receive CSA funding.

For more information on applying for CSA programming funds, visit http://ohiounion.osu.edu/studentorgs/orgs_funding.asp to download the CSA application. Follow the directions for submitting the finalized application. The CSA Allocations Subcommittee takes all the programming fund applications, reviews them, and decides whether to approve or not approve funding for each respective application. Be sure to note the deadlines for programming fund applications:

• Requests coming soon.

While many of the professional colleges operate on a different calendar from the rest of the university, the various quarter deadlines still apply.

Step 2 – Organizational Funding from the Inter-Professional Council

In addition to CSA funding, the Inter-Professional Council provides two different types of funding, the amount of which may depend on whether or not an organization has received funding from CSA. The IPC Professional Development Fund is a programming fund available for CSA-registered student organizations that are engaged in unique activities which encourage students’ professional development and improve the professional colleges. Defacto organizations, i.e. the 2nd year Optometry class, are also eligible for this fund. Examples of such events include bringing in speakers to campus and attending profession-related conferences out of town. The PDF funds were made possible through an endowment for IPC though the Provost’s Office of Academic Affairs. All professional students in the IPC colleges and professional student organizations are invited to apply for this fund. Student organizations are eligible for one award per year, up to $500. Applications for PDF funding are due in December and March (firm dates coming soon). Groups may retroactively apply for PDF funds for programming done in the Summer and Autumn of ’07 by the December deadline.

Unlike the PDF fund which requires a student organization to be registered with CSA, groups that are denied status as a student organization, or have missed the CSA funding deadlines, still have an opportunity for additional funding. All student organizations are eligible to apply for IPC Discretionary Funding, however priority goes to organizations that have been denied CSA funding for some reason. On occasion, this will also include student organizations who have received the maximum amount of funding from CSA and are still in need of additional programming funds due to the size and scope of the planned event. The purpose of the event, the student efforts involved, and the type of program will be the primary considerations for awarding funding. Please note that individual students are not eligible for discretionary funding. Examples of past discretionary fund awards range from scholarship donations in memory of students who have passed away during their OSU tenure to social events which are open to the entire professional student body. Applications for discretionary funds are due 1 week prior to the IPC Senate or General Body Meeting that is 30 days or more in advance of your organization’s event.

Please note, discretionary funds are intended for programming not otherwise eligible for PDF funding. If your organization’s event is approved for PDF funding, it will not be considered for additional discretionary funding. Groups may apply for discretionary funding for a separate non-PDF style event, however. For example, if your organization received a PDF to bring speakers to campus for a symposium in the fall, the group is still eligible to apply for discretionary funding for a social event in the spring. Because a group may only receive one PDF award per year, if your second event is otherwise eligible for a PDF (i.e. another symposium or conference) it will not be considered for discretionary funding in place of PDF funding.

Step 3 – Alternate Sources of Organizational Support

Additional support, independent of CSA and IPC funding, can be obtained from the Coca-Cola Marketing Fund as part of Coca-Cola’s contract with The Ohio State University. Whereas CSA funding decisions may be a factor in receiving funds from IPC, IPC encourages all student organizations to apply concurrently for assistance from the Coca-Cola program.

Step 4 – Funding from Within Your Professional College

Some of the Professional Colleges may have funds available to their own student organizations. We encourage all professional student groups to contact their respective school’s student body government for more information.

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