Arts Initiative Student Arts Grant

Capital Investment Fund

The Capital Investment Fund was created to address the need of student groups who have difficulties securing funding for large-scale overhauls of equipment or supplies.

Such groups only need an injection of supplemental funds every three to five years to revamp outdated equipment or technology to remain modern, effective and/or safe. Examples might include Columbia TV’s need to purchase new cameras or Columbia Kayaking’s need to replace their boats for safety reasons. These groups have struggled to finance necessary purchases because of high overhead and historically-based allocations.

The Capital Investment Fund is capped at $20,000, and awards are granted in the fall and spring. A joint committee of the four student council Vice Presidents of Finance, governing board representatives and relevant administrators will oversee applications and determine how to allocate funds. The funds will come from the budgets of the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC), the Engineering Student Council (ESC), General Studies Student Council (GSSC) and Student Government Association of Barnard (SGA).

Eligible groups are asked to consider their needs carefully to determine whether they are a good fit for the Capital Investment fund. Due to the specialized nature of the fund, a Capital Investment Fund award is only granted to a student group once every three years. The group must prove that the grant will be used to benefit the undergraduate community, such as by elevating the level of event programming, providing academic resources, improving community, promoting wellness or more.

Apply:

Fall 2024 Capital Investment Fund Application

Questions? Email treasurers@columbia.edu or review the JCFC Constitution.

Columbia College Dean's Travel Fund

The Columbia College Dean's Travel Fund (CC Travel Fund) provides financial support to currently enrolled Columbia College students for domestic or international travel, networking, competitions, conferences and/or service work connected to recognized student group activities.

Columbia College Student Council proposed the Columbia College Travel Fund, which is generously financed by the dean of Columbia College and administratively supported by Undergraduate Student Life.

Questions? Email cctravelfund@columbia.edu.

Joint Council Finance Committee

To increase campus unity and to better serve student groups, the four undergraduate student councils of Columbia University — Columbia College Student Council (CCSC), Engineering Student Council (ESC), General Studies Student Council (GSSC), and the Student Government Association (SGA) — created a joint committee in Fall 2010: The Joint Council Finance Committee (JCFC).

This fund covers new events, emergency funding and subsidized travel for recognized student groups.

Apply:

Fall 2024 Joint Council Finance Committee Application

Questions? Email treasurers@columbia.edu or review the JCFC Constitution.

Event Management AV and Technical Fees Fund

As of Fall 2024, Event Management has established a fund to help cover AV costs for student group events in Lerner Hall.

AV charges under $600 will be automatically approved by the fund for qualified events and applied to event reservations. For events in Roone Auditorium, charges under $675 will be automatically approved for qualified events.

The fund will apply once per group, per event, per day. 

Events from early in the Fall 2024 semester will have the fund applied retroactively and may not reflect in account reports for a period of time. All charges against the fund must be made within the fiscal year in which the event occurred, and the fund will only cover events that occur within the academic term.

For events with AV costs in excess of $600 ($675 for Roone Auditorium), student groups are encouraged to apply to the President and Provost's Student Event Fund.

The President and Provost’s Student Event Fund

The President and Provost’s Student Event Fund is available to all recognized Columbia University student organizations. It provides financial support to projects that benefit the University community through initiatives that foster inter-group communication, collaboration and educational programming on campus.

Each semester the President and Provost make funds available specifically for funding undergraduate initiatives. The review committee currently includes representatives from Columbia College, Barnard College, Columbia School of General Studies and Columbia Engineering. Each semester this committee is charged with awarding funds to those applications that best align with these goals.  

A project or event should:

• Cross school and university boundaries
• Benefit the University community
• Promote inter-group communication and collaboration
• Be cultural, educational or social in nature

Groups may only apply for the fund after an event has taken place, and will include receipts and other budget information about the event in the application. Applications are reviewed at the end of each semester, and the deadline will be updated each semester on the webpage linked below.

For more information and the application, please visit the President & Provost's Fund webpage on the Event Management website.

Religious Life Co-Sponsorship Fund

The Earl Hall Center for Religious Life supports collaborative efforts between two or more recognized student groups at Columbia University to promote intercultural and interfaith understanding on campus during the academic year. Applications are accepted in the fall and spring semesters. Please read over the application and address any questions to religiouslife@columbia.edu before completing the application.

SEAS Dean's Travel Fund

The SEAS Dean's Travel Fund is open to undergraduate student groups that engage in engineering competitions, conferences or service projects. Domestic travel applications must be submitted at least one month prior to travel dates in order to be considered. International travel applications must be submitted at least two months prior to travel dates in order to be considered.

Once an application is submitted, the travel fund committee will follow-up with the applicant in order to set-up an interview and discuss the funding request in depth. If a trip is funded, the group will then work with the SEAS travel fund team to purchase travel. The applicant is also required to complete a debrief form at least one month after the trip has ended.

Sponsorships with Other Schools

You must receive your adviser’s approval before you approach a group from another institution or invite students from other universities to an event. Any off-campus advertising must be approved by your adviser, and admission policies applicable to the event must be clearly explained in publicity. Additional conditions regarding security and guest lists will be determined based on the specifics of your event. Learn more about external sponsorships. 

Student Group Co-Sponsorship

Consult with other recognized student organizations to find groups that may be interested in organizing and co-sponsoring an event with you. Be sure to loop in your adviser when you plan a co-sponsored event. Learn more about student group co-sponsorships.