USG is proud to be able to help fund the hundreds of student organizations in our Hawkeye community. We want to make the process of accessing these funds as easy as possible for student leaders.

In this section of the USG website, you will find information on how to utilize our funds, opportunities that are offered by other campus partners, and who to contact if you have questions or concerns.

You can submit a student organization funding request through the Engage Budgeting System.

Learn how to submit funding requests

A Brief Overview of Finance

• Each student pays a flat “Activities Fee” of $37.50 per semester or $75 per academic year.​

  • In FY23, this created a budget of $1,883,400​

• This fee, also referred to as the Student Activity Fee (SAF), provides the funding for both USG and GPSG, among other student services​

• The SAF Committee, a committee of students and advisors that meets periodically throughout the year, determines funding for each budget/account.​

• The SAF currently serves as our one and only source of revenue.​

How do we spend our money?

• USG Operates on a Fiscal Year basis (July-June)​

• Much of our revenue goes to “Fixed Cost Budgets”​

  • These are organizations/services here on campus that receives most of their funding from the SAF.​

  • In FY23, this budget was $1,178,000​

• The remaining funds are split by a proportion of student population between USG (79%) and GPSG (21%) and are allocated into one of three accounts:​

  • Operational Budgets for Governments​

  • Contingency​

  • SABAC

Student Auditing Budgeting and Allocations Committee (SABAC) 

• This account funds requests from Student Organizations for events, trips, initiatives, or maintenance.​

• In FY23, SABAC was given a budget of $368,930​

  • This provided a bi-weekly budget of $12,562.17​

• The USG Finance Committee reviews, adjusts, and approves these requests on a biweekly basis.​

  • Review, adjustment, and approval is strictly based on compliance with the funding guidelines listed on the USG website

Contingency Fund

• Created through reversions (unspent funds) from prior years and any money left over from SAF.​

• This funding is completely discretionary and serves as the main source of funding for major projects within USG.​

  • Finance Committee Members should work with other committees and campus partners to fund initiatives/projects directly benefitting students.​

• At the end of each administration, the Contingency Fund must have a balance between $120,000 and $60,000, with a recommended balance of $90,000.​

Contingency Fund (Approval Process)

• In accordance with the USG Bylaws, the approval process for Contingency expenditures varies depending on the amount:​

  • $0-$1,499.99​

    • Approved by two thirds vote of President, Vice President, and Director of Finance​

  • $1,500-$4,999.99​

    • Approved by majority vote of the Finance Committee​

  • $5,000+​

    • Approved through written legislation and vote by the entire USG Senate​

• Our main question when considering a Contingency expense: Does this project directly benefit students' experience?​