Operations Grants

Operations Grants provide funding for the routine operational and recruitment expenses of student organizations. Award categories include funding for postage, printing, office supplies, advertising, equipment and space rental, subscriptions, graphic and web design and other operational expenses. Any registered student organization in good standing with the Center for Leadership and Involvement (CfLI), may apply for an Operations Grant. The application for the following academic school year opens at the end of the fall semester. For example, the application for the 2023-2024 academic year opened at the end of December, 2022.

The ASM Operations Grant application for the 2023-2024 academic year is now closed. Current applicants can contact ASM for grant workshop information at: asmfinancestaff@rso.wisc.edu

Information for Current Operations Grant Organizations

Eligibility: Remember to re-register your group with the Center of Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) before October 1st. Your org must be in compliance with CfLI’s requirements in order to spend grant funds.

Groups may obtain their Operations Grant funds by emailing asmfinancestaff@rso.wisc.edu to discuss next steps.

The ASM Operations Grant provides funding for Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) for routine operational expenses and recruitment of new members. After applying and attending a hearing before the ASM Grant Allocation Committee, groups are notified of their award status. The RSO would then need to attend a grant workshop with the ASM finance staff the following fall to review grant policies and procedures.

Click on the tabs above to learn more about each step in the grant process.

Only UW- Madison Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) in good standing with the Center for Leadership and Involvement (CfLI) may apply for the ASM Operations Grant. Individuals, departments, or other non-RSO entities seeking operational funding support are ineligible to receive ASM Grant funding.

The ASM Operations Grant can fund:

  • Printing: For operational and recruitment purposes. No printing may be used to advertise for events unless they are specific to recruitment, such as a group kick-off or the Student Org Fair. All printing must contain the ASM Logo & Disclaimer.
  • Office Supplies: Operational supplies required for the functioning of your group.
  • Postage: For operational mailings.
  • Web Hosting: Includes funding for hosting, design and domain renewal.
  • Advertising: Includes mass email funding, social media and newspaper ads.
  • Space / Equipment Rental: For member meetings and kick-offs with sufficient justification.
  • Subscriptions: For the group’s use only – cannot be for a department.
  • Other: Miscellaneous requests that are fundable according to grant policies.

Important notes on the application:

  • RSO officers are the only members of an RSO who can apply for a grant. They will need to log in with their Net ID.
  • RSOs can only apply for ONE Operations Grant per academic year.
  • RSOs are not eligible to receive the ASM Open Fund Grant if they receive an Operations Grant award.

ASM Operations Grant hearings will be held during the spring semester. Your group will be notified of your assigned hearing date once the application process has closed. All groups are heard in order of submission.

The grant contacts will recieve notice of award or denial within 5 business days of the assigned hearing date.

  • If the grant application is denied funds, your RSO will be informed by the ASM Financial Specialist as to the reason for denial.
  • If the grant application is awarded funds, the grant contacts (one or both) are required to attend a grant workshop with the ASM Financial Staff the following fall before funds can be accessed. This workshop is mandatory and provides crucial information to the RSO on how to appropriately spend the awarded grant funds.

If your RSO is awarded funds, you will need to email the ASM Financial Specialist anytime after August 1, 2022 to set up a time to attend the required workshop: asmfinancestaff@rso.wisc.edu

  • The grant workshops take place at the ASM offices: 4301 Student Activity Center (SAC), 333 East Campus Mall, Madison, WI 53715
  • The grant workshops typically last around 30 minutes.
  • During the workshop we will review the award amounts, grant use policy, procedures for spending grant funds, and additional funding resources available to your group.