Student Activities/President’s Programming (SAPP) Fund

The Student Activities/President’s Programming (SAPP) Fund is designed to provide financial support for student clubs and their events on campus.

All registered student clubs are obligated to follow Rice University policies and procedures for the utilization of SAPP Funding. Please note, all clubs that apply for SAPP Funding must have a Treasurer who has successfully completed Treasurer Training. Financial guidelines and procedures may be found on the Controller's Office Website.

Submit an application for SAPP funding

Spring 2025 Deadlines:

Sunday, January 19, 2025
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Sunday, April 13, 2025

Tiers/Criteria

Overall

Must be a registered club and in good standing with the Student Activities Office
If awarded, must have completed Club Financial Training in order to utilize SAPP p-card
If awarded, must include SAPP logo in marketing
Clubs cannot receive over $10,000 in SAPP funding within one academic year

Tier 1 Programs

Estimated attendance less than 200 attendees
Registered student clubs can request up to $1,500 per event
- If collaborating with other organizations, a club may request up to $2,000 for a single event

Tier 2 Programs

Estimated attendance between 200-450
Event must have occurred in previous year
Clubs must have an active Rice club fund account with funds available
Club must provide previous itemized, budget from past event, in addition to anticipated itemized budget for current requested event
Registered student clubs can request up to $2,000 per event if they demonstrate a need for increased financial support
- If collaborating with other organizations, a club may request up to $2,500 for a single event
Clubs must provide an Event Risk Management Plan to be eligible to receive funding which exceeds normal $1,500 cap

Tier 3 Programs

Estimated attendance exceeds 450
Event must have occurred for at least the past three (3) years
Clubs must have an active Rice club fund account with funds available
Club must provide previous itemized, budget from past event, in addition to anticipated itemized budget for current requested event
- Recommend using SAPP Budget template as a part of submission
Registered student clubs can request up to $3,500 per event if they demonstrate a need for increased financial support
- If collaborating with other organizations, a club may request up to $4,500 for a single event
Must have demonstrated effort to seek funding from alternate sources in addition to SAPP
- Please note, this would be included as a multiple choice question with a list of existing options (examples: external sponsorships, alumni donations, ALFA Fund, GSA grants) to be explored by students
Must attend Event Risk Management and Planning Meeting with Student Activities to discuss and review
- Risk management plan for the event
- Previous year reflection/debrief notes
- Past and current budget
- Cost saving resources/options
- List of anticipated vendors and cost
Clubs are only eligible to receive Tier 3 level funding once per year

Prior to submitting a SAPP Fund Application, please review the following:

One of the main purposes of this fund is to foster Rice community. Closed events (for organization members only) usually do not receive funding. Preference will be given to events that are open to the campus community.
The committee does not fund expenses for non-Rice participants.
- NOTE: For events with both Rice and non-Rice participants, food can only be funded for Rice participants.
Student workers (student DJs, photographers, etc.) are not funded. Any form of payment towards a Rice faculty/staff/student will also not be funded.
Events to be held on-campus will be given priority during the approval process over events that are to be held off-campus.
If your club has a negative balance in your c-fund your club must submit an action plan to bring account out of negative balance.
Only finals study breaks qualify for funding. Mid-term or mid-semester study breaks will not be approved.
Clubs may only submit 2 funding request per round. Additional events requesting funding should be submitted in the following round. If more than two applications are submitted in one round the first 2 applications will be reviewed.
Registration Fees (for competitions, conferences, etc.):
- The committee will fund up to 100% of the registration fees for a club’s first request, with a maximum $150 cap per person.
- Subsequent requests by the same club will only be funded up to 25% for registration fees.
  - PLEASE NOTE: A second request cannot be submitted for the same competition/conference/etc.
General Meetings:
- The committee only funds the first general meeting of each semester (as these are usually aimed toward recruiting members, teaching about the club, etc.).
- Future club meetings will not be funded.
Event Series:
- For an event series that recurs weekly, please submit one application for the full slate of events.
- For an event series that recurs monthly, please submit an individual application for each occurrence.
- For an event series that occurs over the span of one week, please submit one application for the full week of events.
Marketing/Printing:
- If marketing materials are being requested, be sure to provide a detailed breakdown of how funds will be spent (i.e. $15 on poster printing, etc.).
- Please be cognizant about sustainability when printing!
Ticketed Events:
- NOTE: Events that use Venmo as a payment collection method will not be considered for SAPP Funding.

SAPP Funding will not be approved for the following:

Alcohol
Contributions to campaign funds (includes political contributions/endorsements)
Donations to other organizations or charities
Transactional fundraising events that don't foster community (e.g. boba sales)
- NOTE: This includes events that have the intent to generate profit by mandating a participation fee.
Prizes/giveaways (includes speaker gifts)
Transportation costs (gas, shuttle services, plane tickets, parking, etc.)
Lodging (hotels, etc.)
Gift cards
Salaries
Payments to Rice faculty, staff, or students
Expenses for any event that occurred before the deadline, except in the first round
Mid-year or mid-semester study breaks
Club promotional items (t-shirts, wristbands, stickers, buttons, etc.), unless they demonstrate event relevance
Routine operational costs (e.g. website hosting, recording equipment)

Examples of what has previously been funded:

Event support
First general meetings only
Cultural Shows
Speaker series
Educational Information (e.g. posters, pamphlets)
Food for campus wide events
Music/Play rights for theater/performance events
Screening right fees for movie showings on campus
New initiatives that benefit Rice
Rental fees

After Approval:

The SAPP Fund logo must be included on all printed advertisements for any event that receives funding.
All receipts must be submitted within one (1) week after the event in order to be eligible to receive funding.
All clubs that receive SAPP funding must complete a SAPP Post Event Form within one (1) week after the event.
Awarded funding must be spent as specified in the application. Any changes (new items, different quantities, etc.) must be approved by the SAPP Fund Committee before money is spent.
- If a club uses funding toward unapproved purchases, funding privileges will be revoked for the remainder of the semester.
Any unused funds from a SAPP award must be returned to the funding pool for redistribution. Clubs are not permitted to repurpose leftover funds for other activities or events. This ensures that funds are available to support as many clubs as possible.