Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for funding?
TGIF funding is not limited to only undergraduate students. We have previously funded graduate, staff, and external-led initiatives, and everyone is encouraged to apply. However, applications must be oriented toward undergraduate participation or enrichment in order to be considered.
Is there a limit to how many times I can apply for funding?
No. TGIF only requires that each event/project you are requesting funding for be its own application. That being said, TGIF highly recommends combining funding requests for the same event series into one application to expedite the grant-making and fund-allocating process.
If we ultimately decide only to fund some of the projects, you will be awarded partial funding with the specific projects that are not getting funded indicated. To be clear, submitting several smaller applications as opposed to one larger application DOES NOT increase your chances of approval. If you submit multiple Main Fund applications for the same event, we will ask you to resubmit one Capital/Infrastructure application which will delay the funding process.
Additionally, TGIF is not for long-term funding. We will not cover costs such as long-term subscriptions or ongoing supply replenishment and we encourage applicants to show that they have exhausted other funding sources before coming back to TGIF repeatedly.
Can I email my application?
No. All applications must be submitted through the Cognito Form links on our website to be considered. If you are unable to attach a budget or other documentation, you may email us those items and indicate the project title you want to attach it to.
What does partial funding mean?
Partial funding typically means that the TGIF committee decided to strike specific line items because they do not adhere to our mission or guidelines. However, if there is a discrepancy between committee members' votes, the partial funding will reflect the proportion of committee members who chose to allocate funding. The committee will try its best to point applicants in the direction of other funds that might fund the rest of their request.
How specific should I be?
As specific as possible. Our committee members are not experts on your projects or industries and would love as much context to make our decisions as possible! Specifically, if you are claiming certain materials as more sustainable than others, please explain what they are and why they’re more sustainable, and include the costs/information about the less sustainable alternative. Additionally, instead of just saying “food” or “groceries” as a line item, please include exactly what you’re purchasing, the amounts, and from where. If you want to fund honorariums for speakers, you must state the names of the guest speakers. Please also make sure that the links you are attaching to your budget documentation work and go to the correct website!
The more information you add, the less likely it is that we will have to follow-up with you over email or call you to attend a hearing, which only expedites the funding process!
How far in advance should I apply for funding?
Note that carry-over accounts (projects that span more than one academic year) are typically not available until late in Fall Quarter, so if you anticipate needing funds in early fall, you should apply to the Week 2 funding deadline.
You must apply at least 2-3 weeks in advance of your project start date, since TGIF does not fund retroactive events. We recommend applying at least a month in advance in case we have any follow-up questions for you. If your event occurred before we can make a decision, we will deny funding. If you have already paid for an event or line item, this also counts as retroactive funding and we will not fund your event or that specific line item.
Please keep in mind that the TGIF committee does not meet during winter or spring break. Therefore if you have an event occurring in week 1, 2, or 3 of winter or spring quarters, you would need to apply by the week 8 deadline of fall or winter respectively in order to ensure your funding request does not become retroactive.
Main Fund apps are due 11:59 pm on Fridays of Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 each quarter. Decision turnaround: ~2-4 weeks
Capital/Infrastructure Fund apps are due on a rolling basis and close on the Friday of Week 8 of Spring Quarter. Decision turnaround varies due to the larger requested funding amounts.
What won’t get funded?
TGIF directives state that we will not fund swag (e.g. tote bags, stickers, water bottles, club merchandise, raffle items), unethically/unsustainably sourced items, car-based transportation if there are feasible public transit alternatives, etc. We strongly recommend purchasing from small, local businesses whenever possible!
Vendors: We do NOT fund Amazon, Whole Foods, Walmart, Home Depot, Custom Ink, etc. Applications with Amazon as a vendor will be AUTOMATICALLY DENIED. If you have no choice but to purchase items from one of these vendors, you must state what extenuating circumstances prevent you from using an alternative. While we have funded Ralphs and Target in the past, we encourage buying from small businesses instead of larger corporations whenever possible.
Food: We highly encourage choosing plant-based, vegetarian/vegan options from local businesses! Some vendors we have funded in the past include Veggie Grill and Pinches Tacos.
Incentives: If you are requesting incentives for participation in a survey, TGIF strongly recommends requesting UCLA Store giftcards, Bruincard deposits, or ASUCLA meal vouchers as your line items. TGIF is not able to fund VISA gift cards or other cash equivalents as incentives, but please send us an email if you would like gift cards for a grocery store before submitting an application as this would require extra steps. If you are requesting incentives for attending an event, TGIF will not fund giveaways for all attendees. Raffles for attendees may be funded on a case-by-case basis.
Check out our Best Practices Instagram post for more information!
How do I measure success?
TGIF is no longer accepting attendance or any proxy for attendance as a measure of success (Instagram following count, number of clicks to a website, etc.). We want to know how you will measure your project’s sustainability impact. While measures of success will be dependent on each individual project, here are some general guidelines that may be helpful:
If you are requesting compostables, you can conduct a waste audit. If you are requesting compostables for an event relating to health or medicine, you may also include drafts of infographics about the intersections between plastic and carcinogens. If your event is for a cultural organization, you may also incorporate some EJ education into the event by including signage on the disproportionate impact of waste on BIPOC communities or talking about waste colonialism and its impacts in different countries.
Implement a survey to ask people what their takeaways from an event or speaker panels were. Or incorporate this into your event through a fun game!
You know your event best, so we encourage you to come up with your own creative methods to measure success! If you need help with this section, feel free to attend office hours or send us an email!
Can I get a giftcard for Tokens of Appreciation instead of BruinCard Deposit?
No. If approved, Tokens of Appreciation are only BruinCard deposits. We are unable to give out gift cards or honorariums as compensation.
How do I make my event accessible?
We understand that UCLA is a pretty inaccessible campus, but there are always ways to improve accessibility or provide accomodations. Check out Semel HCI’s Accessibility Toolkit for ideas on how to make your physical event more accessible and submit documentation to earn the Accessibility Conscious UCLA Seal or USAC FAC’s Web Accessibility Guide for increasing accessibility on social media! Feel free to come to office hours if you want to discuss ways to make your event more accessible! Remember that accessibility helps everyone!
I submitted my req form. When will the payment go through?
After you submit a req form and it is signed by the TGIF Chair, the req form is sent to Student Government Accounting (SGA). At this point, the TGIF team has no control over when SGA processes your req form and sends the money out. From past experiences, SGA can take anywhere from a week to a few months to send out checks. Please check in with SGA directly after you have submitted a req form to find out the status of your req.