VITERBI FUNDING BOARD

The Viterbi Funding Board (VFB) allocates the money alloted to VFB for student organization support.

The VFB supports events that benefit undergraduate engineering students at USC and Viterbi.

The VFB is made up of five undergraduate engineering students from different engineering disciplines and academic standings. The VFB meets weekly to review applications and allocate funding.

Policies

Holding an event during the first 2 weeks of school? Funding applications submitted AFTER the event will be considered for funding approval as long as a COMPLETE post event report is submitted at the same time as the application DURING the first two weeks of the semester.

*PLEASE BE SURE THAT ANY UPLOADS OR ATTACHMENTS TO YOUR APPLICATION ARE IN A PDF FORMAT. 

Deadlines

• Applications must be submitted at least 10 business days prior to a student organization’s event.
• Post event reports for approved events are due 5 business days after the event.

*Note that applications open the first day of classes each semester and the last day to accept applications will be two weeks prior to the last day of the classes.

Eligibility

• VFB funding is available only to official USC RSOs and Viterbi-affiliated organizations.
• Funding is not guaranteed.
• Organizations must have a good history of submitting applications properly and following guidelines.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Events must take place in the current semester.
• Events that take place after the last day of classes ie during study days or exam days are not eligible for funding.
• Fundraising events and events with admission fees are prohibited.
• Events should be open to all Viterbi students.
• Reimbursements for expenses must be made to individual students. Reimbursements will not be issued to organizations, departments, faculty, or staff.
• Items that will not be funded include: alcohol, merchandise (t-shirts, backpacks, hats, etc), any items that are not one time use. Events with alcohol will not be approved.
• Cash payments should be avoided.

Other Rules and Regulations

• Only complete applications will be considered for funding
• Funding is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, is limited, and NEVER guaranteed
• Must be in good standing with the Viterbi President’s Council (VPC)
• Organizations that overestimate their attendance more than 2 times will have their funds restricted:
  • After the 1^st offense, get a warning, after 2^nd offense, restricted from funding for the remainder of the semester
• Organizations that submit post-event documents incorrectly or fail to submit post docs on time will have their funds restricted
  • After the 1^st offense a get a warning is given. If documents are not resubmitted within a week of when the warning is sent out, reimbursements will not be provided.
  • At 2^nd offense, restricted from funding for the remainder of the semester
• All events should be published in the Viterbi events calendar
• Thank you gifts, gift cards, and any entertainment expenses must receive VP approval and request must be submitted at least 15 days before the event.

Rights and Obligations of the Funding Board

• Make student organizations aware of the funding status of their applications following the weekly Funding Board meetings.
• The Funding Board will meet once a week throughout the entire semester or until the funds are depleted. The Funding Board will contact student organizations via email regarding the status of applications.
• The Funding Board reserves the right to conduct closed meetings.
• The Funding Board will not judge the validity of a program solely based on its size or number of people that could realistically be expected to attend the program.
• The Funding Board reserves the right to reject, fully fund, or partially fund any application. Upon request, an explanation will be provided to all student organizations not receiving the amount requested.

Obligations of Student Organizations

• Organizations must submit a complete application and all supporting documents.
• Organizations must submit a complete post event report no later than 5 business days after the event.
• Organizations must contact the Funding Board as soon as possible in the event that approved funding is NOT used for any reason.
• Organizations are responsible for keeping track of how much their events are approved for and and notifying the individuals that will be reimbursed (if applicable) how much they will be reimbursed for.
• Organizations must maintain a copy of all receipts and documentation until they have received the reimbursement(if applicable) for that event.
• Organizations may not sign any contracts or agreements (including venue, catering, or speaker agreements). All agreements must be signed by authorized university personnel. Any agreements that contain an unauthorized student signature cannot be funded under any circumstances.