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Other Funding Opportunities

Campus Partners

Given that SOFC funds are limited and policies do not align with the specific needs of every organization we serve, we work with 4 Campus Partners to coordinate supplementary funding support.

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Center for Multicultural Affairs' Cultural Engagement Fund 

This fund provides student organizations with financial support to develop and implement programs, which promote the arts, co-curricular education, health and wellness, multiculturalism and social justice, community service, and/or cross-cultural collaboration. The application process is run entirely by the Center for Multicultural Affairs. More information can be found here.

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While SOFC Programming Funding is offered weekly throughout the semester, the Cultural Engagement Fund runs two funding rounds per semester. Therefore, it is imperative that groups plan ahead in order to not miss any deadlines. There are several culturally significant line items that the CEF can fund while SOFC cannot.

Duke Partnership for Service's (dPS) Service Engagement Fund 

This fund is a flexible funding source for service organizations or organizations engaging in service. To access any funds, organizations must apply through SOFC's Programming Fund process. Any expenses that SOFC cannot fund that align with the Service Engagement Fund's mission will be referred to the dPS fund. This will mainly include transportation, materials benefiting community partners, and expenses which may be funded by the SOFC Annual Budget but cannot be requested during the year with the SOFC Programming Fund.

  • Policy Updates:

    • Starting Spring 2022, funding is now capped at $2,000 per group per semester. This cap can be extended if there is a compelling reason.

    • Starting Fall 2021, dPS is no longer funding direct donations to community partners or community organizations. Donations were funded during the 2020-2021 school year purely because most service activities were shut down at the time.

  • Eligibility:

    • Group has Open membership or Selective Membership

    • Group is in good standing with dPS

    • Group has executive members who have attended the Foundations of Engagement training

      • If groups are not able to attend the Foundations of Engagement training, they may instead seek a private consultation with dPS and Duke Civic Engagement (DCE)

    • Group is a service group or is engaging in service-related activities

  • Funded Expenses:

    • Transportation

      • Transportation to and from service sites

        Example: paying for Ubers to and from a Habitat for Humanity build site

      • SOFC has directed all service-related transportation requests to dPS

      • Note: dPS prefers service within the Research Triangle area (Durham, Wake, Orange, and Johnston counties), but long-distance service opportunities may still be funded

    • Capital expenditures in the middle of the year

      • Equipment, materials, etc. that will be kept and stored long-term

        Example: buying a new toolset halfway through the semester

      • The SOFC Programming Fund does not fund capital expenditures, only the Operational and Capital Fund does

    • Exclusive Programming

      • Expenses for service-related activities that are not open to all Duke undergraduates

        Examples: buying supplies for an exclusive volunteer activity for an SLG, general body meeting for a service group

      • The SOFC Programming Fund only funds open events

      • Note: dPS still prefers that service activities be open to all Duke undergraduates, if possible

    • Conferences and Educational Events

      • Expenses for conferences, speaker series, and educational events

        Example: plane tickets and hotel room bookings to send a few students to a service-related conference

      • The SOFC Programming Fund does not fund student travel, only the Operational and Capital Fund does

    • Materials for community partners

      • Supplies, food, etc. for members of the community whom students are actively working with/for

        Examples: buying art kits for local children to use and keep in an art enrichment service event

      • SOFC only funds materials that directly go to Duke undergraduates

      • Note: this does not include direct donations without meaningful engagement

    • Philanthropic events

      • Supplies for fundraisers and philanthropic events

        Example: buying flour and eggs for a bake sale

      • The SOFC Programming Fund does fund philanthropic events, but the funding is limited

    • Other Service-related Expenses

      • If there is a funding need that is not explicitly stated here, please apply anyways. We mainly fund the above items, but we may choose to fulfill other funding requests as well.

  • Application Steps:

    The application is simply an optional additional section of the SOFC programming application.

    1. Group applies for both SOFC and dPS funds through the DukeGroups SOFC Programming Application due on Sundays at 7pm

    2. SOFC makes a funding decisions at its weekly hearing on the following Tuesday

      1. If SOFC chooses to fund the payment request, they will submit a transfer to Business & Finance.

      2. If SOFC finds the payment request applicable to dPS, it transfer the request to dPS for a decision.

    3. dPS will will make a funding decision at its Wednesday weekly meeting

      1. If dPS chooses to fund the payment request, they will submit a transfer request to Business & Finance.

    4. Business & Finance transfers funds from dPS to the group’s fund code

    5. Group spends the allotted funds through Business & Finance

    6. Group fills out dPS accountability form within a week of the event

    7. If applicable, the Group must transfer any unused funds back to dPS or SOFC

  • Decision Guidelines:

    • $2,000 per group per semester funding cap

      • If your organization has a compelling need, dPS may choose to extend your funding cap for the semester

      • To extend the funding cap, your organization Treasurer and/or President must schedule a 45-minute meeting with dPS to discuss the funding need and general club finances

    • Prioritized groups

      • Groups engaged in sustained, ethical service - activities involving meaningful, repeated interactions with community members and partners

      • Groups that have executive members who have attended the Foundations of Engagement training

        • If groups are not able to attend the Foundations of Engagement training, they may instead seek a private consultation with Duke Civic Engagement (DCE) and dPS

    • Financial prudence is required

      • Unnecessary, superficial expenses are unlikely to be funded

    • Items would preferably be purchased from ethical sources

      • If possible, buy goods from local businesses, small businesses, Black-owned businesses, etc.

      • If possible, purchase environmentally friendly, reusable resources

    • Soft caps for food (may be expanded if necessary)

      • $2/person for snacks for an event

      • $2.50/person for pizza

      • $5/person for lunch

      • $7/person for dinner

    • Transportation guidelines

      • Service location should be more than 1 mile from campus (not walkable)

      • Students are expected to carpool as much as possible

      • Students are expected to use public/university transportation when possible

        • dPS is unlikely to fund transportation requests to locations reliably accessed by the Bull City Connector, Duke buses, and similar transit options

      • Exemptions may be granted for the aforementioned guidelines because of medical needs, problems with public transportation, or other specific circumstances

      • dPS will use a reimbursement model for Uber and Lyft rides

        • Currently, dPS does not have the capacity to directly purchase Uber and Lyft rides for students

        • Instead, dPS will transfer money to the club, which the club could then use to reimburse the specific students who paid for the rides

        • Reimbursements may take 6-12 weeks to process

      • dPS will also fund Student Affairs-approved car/bus rentals

        • Groups must coordinate with Student Affairs and handle their own logistics - dPS can only transfer funds and offer advice

        • Through Student Affairs, groups may rent vehicles through the Enterprise on Hillsborough Road, or charter a bus

        • Vehicle rental/chartering may be a long and difficult process - please contact Student Affairs several weeks in advance of the event

    • Group Responsibilities

      • Groups may be asked to meet with dPS to discuss the request before final funding decisions are made

        • A meeting will likely be required for new transportation requests, large requests (over $250), or complicated requests

      • Groups should fill out this accountability form within one week of the end of the event detailing how much money was spent and for what

        • For recurring transportation requests, dPS may request accountability forms every few weeks

        • In the case of event cancellation or similar situations, dPS may ask for the unused funds to be returned

    • Questions?

      • Please reach out to the Duke Partnership for Service Campus Partner listed here.

University Publication Board's (UPB) Bassett Fund 

This fund is meant to support public lectures, special projects and/or experimental undertakings in the field of creative writing and communications arts as well as any expenses of undergraduate publications. To access any funds, organizations must apply through the Bassett Fund application on DukeGroups. 

  • Eligibility

    • Group has Open Membership or Selective Membership

    • Group is in good standing with UPB

    • Group is an official undergraduate publication of the University, defined as any book, magazine, journal, newspaper, handbook, or guide produced regularly by an organization composed primarily of undergraduates whose main purpose is the production of the publication.

  • Funded Expenses:

    • Websites

      • Expenses for the creation and maintenance of websites (SOFC does not fund websites on third-party platforms)

        Example: Funding “The Muse” website for uploading and curating volumes and creative pieces

    • Programming

      • Expenses for panels, workshops, educational conferences, and/or speaker events

        Examples: Eyes Up Here Stand-Up Comedy Workshop, Undergraduate Research Journal Joint Panel with Georgetown University

      • Costs related to transportation and lodging for travel to speaker events or panels

        Examples: Plane tickets and hotel rooms for a few students to attend an out-of-town conference or panel

    • Blackburn Literary Festival

      • Transportation to and from the Blackburn Literary Festival

      • Expenses related to procuring the speaker for the Festival, including travel and lodging costs

      • Expenses related to hosting a full-day event, such as meals and venue reservations

    • Publishing

      • Expenses for design and illustration tools

        Examples: Fonts, vectors, publishing add-ons, styles, picture rights

      • Expenses for advertising materials

      • Supplies and expenses for print copies and distribution

      • Expenses for online publishing, including platforms and online memberships

    • Capital Expenditures

      • Supplies and equipment, such as cameras or other materials, that will be purchased and stored by the group in question (The SOFC Programming Fund do not apply to capital expenditures during the year once the Operational and Capital Fund deadline has passed)

    • Exclusive Programming

      • Funds for events that are not open to all Duke undergraduates (SOFC Programming funds can only be used for open events)

        Example: General body meetings for the selected members of a publication

    • Other expenses

      • If there is a funding need that is not explicitly stated here, please apply regardless. We mainly fund the above items, but we may choose to fulfill other funding requests as well.

  • Application Steps:

    The application is simply an optional additional section of the SOFC programming application.

    1. Group applies for both SOFC and UPB funds through the DukeGroups SOFC Programming Application due on Sundays

    2. SOFC makes a funding decisions at its weekly hearing on the following Tuesday

      1. If SOFC chooses to fund the payment request, they will submit a transfer to Business & Finance.

      2. If SOFC finds the payment request applicable to UPB, it will transfer the request to UPB for a decision.

    3. UPB will make a funding decision at its subsequent meeting (every week on TBD)

      1. If UPB chooses to fund the payment request, they will submit a transfer request to Business & Finance.

    4. Business & Finance will transfer funds from UPB to the group’s fund code

    5. Group spends the allotted funds through Business & Finance

    6. Group must fill out UPB's accountability form within a week of the event

    7. If applicable, the Group must transfer any unused funds back to UPB or SOFC

  • Decision Guidelines

    • Prioritized Groups

      • Applications relating to fine arts are favored by the Bassett Fund Committee, due to fine arts often being overlooked by other campus groups; however, the committee must show no negative bias toward any group or event because of an ideological conflict. Hence, the funds are available to any group, sponsored by Duke or not, as long as the event is on the Duke campus, is open to the entire student body, and benefits the students.

    • Financial prudence is required (frivolous expenses will not be funded)

    • Soft Caps for Food (can be expanded)

      • $2/person for snacks for an event

      • $2.50/person for pizza

      • $5/person for lunch

      • $7/person for dinner

    • Transportation Guidelines

      • When possible, organizations should use university transport, carpool, or walk if the destination is less than 1 mile from campus

    • Reimbursements

      • The Bassett Fund will use a reimbursement model for Ubers/Lyfts

        • Currently, we cannot directly purchase Uber and Lyft rides. Instead, the Bassett Fund will transfer money to the organization, which the organization could then use to reimburse the specific students who paid for the rides

      • Reimbursements may take 6-12 weeks to process

Duke Student Government's Senate Discretionary Fund 

Organizations should get in contact with a DSG Senator or Executive Board Member to learn how to access discretionary funds. These funds must be accessed by Senators and approved through the Office of the DSG Treasurer via legislative budgetary statute. These funds are meant to be used for special projects and events that often involve collaboration with DSG.

Independent Fundraising

See "Fundraising"

University Units

 Given that SOFC is a subsidizing body and, therefore, cannot always fund line items fully, below is a list of other funding sources and/or offices on campus that might be able to support undergraduate student organizations. While these sources are not directly connected with SOFC, we are providing this list to assist student groups.

*Except for the early funding call in August, we require that requests be submitted at least 11 days in advance of the event date. For requests that are more logistically complicated and expensive, we recommend that they are submitted several weeks in advance. The Programming Fund is open to eligible student groups on a first-come-first-serve basis. Additionally, given that SOFC is a subsidizing body, funding decisions might be different than expected and require financial flexibility on behalf of the student organization. 

SOFC does not fund alcohol or events where alcohol is present.

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Vice-Chair, Executive

Vice-Chair, Management & Communication

Vice-Chair, Auditing & Policy

sofc@duke.edu

Questions?

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