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.
The ASM Operations Grant application for the 2025-2026 academic year will be opening in the summer of 2025. The grant hearings will begin in the fall and grants will be awarded at that time. The operations grant funding will be applicable until October 2026. For questions, please contact the ASM Grant Allocation Chair: grants@asm.wisc.edu
Information for Current Operations Grant Organizations
Remember to re-register your group with the Center of Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) before October 13th. Your organization must be in compliance with CfLI’s requirements in order to spend grant funds.
Grant workshops will be held via a Canvas course. Please fill out this form to indicate which RSO officers would like partake in the Operations Grant workshop. These individuals will be added to the Canvas course and are the only individuals that will be authorized to expense Operations Grant funding for your RSO.
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 receive notice of award or denial within 5 business days of the assigned hearing date.
- If the grant applicant is denied funds, your RSO will be informed by the ASM Financial Specialist as to the reason for denial.
- If the grant applicant is awarded funds, two (or more) RSO officers are required to partake in 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.
Grant workshops will be held via a Canvas course. If your RSO was awarded funding, please fill out this form to indicate which RSO officers would like to partake in the Operations Grant Workshop. These individuals will be added to the Canvas course and are the only individuals that will be authorized to expense Operations Grant funding for your RSO.
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.