Funding Large Events at MIT

The ASA administers two funds from the Student Life Fee for large events at MIT on behalf of the Division for Student Life and the Graduate Student Office: the Large Event Fund (LEF) and Assisting Recurring Cultural and Diversity Events (ARCADE).

• Application Procedures
• 2008-2009 Important Dates
• Fund Descriptions & Guidelines
• Past Allocations
• Appeals
• Board Members

LEF/ARCADE Application Procedures

The 2008-2009 application is avalable here (Word Document).

Some application tips and guidelines are available as a pdf (guidelines.pdf), including requirements for events with invited/featured speakers and/or performers. Our guidelines and philosophies for allocations are listed under Fund Descriptions and Guidelines.

• Discuss event with SAO staff before application deadline (LEF events contact pspangle [at] mit, ARCADE events contatct aeerwin [at] mit). *REQUIRED for events with invited speakers/performers.* Highly encouraged for all others.
• Check venue availability and make reservations (CAC Virtual EMS, Scheduling Office)
• Complete application and prepare detailed budget (see Sample App, pdf file)
• Email application and budget to asa-treasurer@mit.edu, with subject line "LEF/ARCADE 2008-2009", by 5pm on the deadline dates:
• Sign contract, turn into SAO, and set up appointment with SAO staff to discuss event planning.
• Spend funds, reimbursing for expenditures out of your main account.
• Submit Post-Event Report (see Sample Report, pdf file) to asa-treasurer@mit.edu, with subject line "LEF/ARCADE Post-Event Report." Reports must be submitted by the Post-Event Submission deadlines:
• After the post-event report is received and approved, the lesser of allocated funds and actual expenditures will be transferred to your group’s main account.

Allocation results are usually posted within two weeks of the deadline. You will be allowed to overspend your student group main account by the allocations amount. The final funds transfer will occur after we receive your post-event report.

Do not submit more than one LEF application and one ARCADE application per organization (as the primary sponsor) per period. Any questions regarding this process should be directed to the ASA Treasurer or any one of the Board Members.

2008-2009 Important Dates

2008-2009 LEF/ARCADE funding cycles and deadlines:

• Summer (Events occurring in Jul-Sep): June 22, 2008 (finalized)
• Fall (Oct-Dec): October 1, 2008 (finalized)
• Winter (Jan-Mar): approx. December 1, 2008
• Spring (Apr-Jun): approx. March 15, 2008

Exact applications deadlines will be sent out to all student group officers via the ASA announcement list at least two weeks before the deadline. Once finalized, the deadlines are not flexible.

2008-2009 Post-Event Report submission deadlines:

• Summer (Jul-Sep): October 15, 2008
• Fall (Oct-Dec): December 15, 2008
• Winter (Jan-Mar): April 15, 2009
• Spring (Apr-Jun): June 15, 2009

Failure to submit reports by these deadlines will result in revocation of allocated funds, at which point groups must work with the SAFO director to resolve any negative main account balances.

Fund Descriptions & Guidelines

All ASA-recognized groups, including Sponsored and Club Sports Council groups, are eligible to apply to LEF and ARCADE.

LEF, started in 1998, receives $100,000 of the DSL portion of the Student Life Fee to allocate per academic year over 4 funding cycles.

ARCADE, started in 2002, receives $75,000 of the DSL and GSO portions of the Student Life Fee to allocate over 4 funding cycles each academic year. The mission of ARCADE is to fund events that promote interactions and foster good relationships between the different cultural, ethnic, and otherwise diversified branches of the MIT community.

Allocations Philosophy and Guidelines

• Our goal is to fund events that are unique and make otherwise inaccessible opportunities easy for MIT students to attend. Thus, all events must be open to, and advertised to, everyone in the MIT community. Likewise, events should be held on campus.
• While we recognize the importance of free food at events in drawing student attendees, we do place emphasis on events that students may not necessarily otherwise have an opportunity to attend, with or without food.
• Direct philanthropy will not be funded, as in direct channeling of LEF funds into a charity. Events sponsored by LEF for the purposes of generating donations for charity are okay, but will be given a lower priority.
• Because we want to focus on the event itself, we rarely ever grant funding for items to be given away (prizes) or items that will be kept by individuals after the event (tshirts, etc).
• By default, we do not provide honoraria, especially if the speakers/performers are recent alums. This includes honoraria to be donated to charity. If honoraria are absolutely required, please speak with a SAO staff member before applying.

• LEF Specific Criteria:

• Events must be open to and advertised to everyone in the MIT community and appeal to a large audience (more than 150 people).
• Events should be of a social, not academic, nature.
• Events should have a total budget of more than $2,500.

• ARCADE Specific Criteria:

• Events must be open to everyone in the MIT community.
• Events must have a cultural or ethnic focus.

Things to keep in mind for LEF and ARCADE Applications:

• No group is guaranteed funding from either fund for an event and should *not* spend money they have not yet received.
• Events may NOT receive funding from both LEF and ARCADE.
• The Chair of LEF and ARCADE reserves the right to consider applications under the opposite funding board if it is deemed appropriate.
• Events requiring large space must demonstrate space availability.
• Events that are administratively initiated, funded and run do not qualify for LEF/ARCADE funding.
• Groups requesting funds that have alternative sources of revenue/funds (Student Governments that receive annual funds from MIT, Dorms that collect house taxes, reserve accounts, etc.) should clearly outline how they are spending their other funds and why they should be considered for LEF/ARCADE funding.
• Collaboration with other MIT student organizations is encouraged.
• Events should be alcohol-free (funding cannot be used for alcohol).
• One application per organization (as the primary sponsor) can be submitted per funding cycle.
• Complete, itemized event budgets are required and applications without detailed budgets will not be considered.
• Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
• If partial funding is given to an event which is actually a series of multiple events, then the group is still held to hold allevents listed in their application.  Exceptions can be requested to the funding board, but groups who do not follow the resulting decision will be required to return the funds.

Past Allocations:

Jul-Sep 2008 (pdf)
Mar-June 2008 (pdf)
IAP-Feb 2008 (pdf)
Oct-Dec 2007 (pdf)
Jun-Sept 2007 (pdf)
IAP/Spring 2007 (pdf)
LEF/ARCADE Fall 2006

Appeals

Neither the LEF or ARCADE fund has a formal appeals process,but rather appeals are dealt with on a case by case basis.

Board Members

The ASA Treasurer is the chair of the LEF and ARCADE Funding Board. Other members of the board include members of the ASA, the GSC Treasurer, and the UA Treasurer.