Student groups officially recognized by BSPH Student Assembly are eligible to apply for event funding. Email the VP of Student Groups (sasph.groups@jhu.edu) to check that your group is recognized as active for this academic year and to apply to become recognized.

To request funding for any student group event you will need to submit a budget request outlining the details of your funding request and your event/program.

Please separate your budget request by category including Event, Program, Meetings, and Travel-BSPH.

Student Groups requesting funding must submit a Budget Request by 11:59 P.M. ET of every other Monday of the month*. Apply at least a month in anticipation of the named initiative/program/event date. If you need clarification on the timeline, please refer to the event Budget Request Schedule.

* Student groups are encouraged to submit budget requests months before this deadline if possible -- particularly if the group anticipates incurring a large expense and vendor invoices need to be paid before the event occurs.

Student groups' events are not guaranteed to receive funding. Funding is disbursed on a first-come-first-serve basis, so send your applications in as soon as possible to make sure that you secure funding. There is no funding maximum. In the budgeting worksheet, we provide guidelines for planning your event's expenses. The amount that you request may not be what you receive, so please manage expectations when planning your events -- particularly if the event is an expensive one (>$1500).

Support from Student Assembly's student groups event fund available for events and event activities organized by an officially-recognized BSPH student group that:

• Are planned to occur in the future. No appropriations will be made retroactively for events that already occurred, and

• Are open to the wider Bloomberg School and Hopkins communities or beyond. No appropriations from the Event Fund will be made for events and activities that benefit only the members of the student group (e.g., food or refreshments for group meetings).
  • (Note that the student group's annual $150 Student Group Administrative Fund  can be used for these purposes. For more information see: https://jhu.campusgroups.com/studentassembly/student-group-supplies-fund/)

Additionally, awards or gifts for student group members, donations (both monetary and in-kind), and scholarships for anyone are not eligible expenses.

Unfortunately, BSPH Student Assembly is not able to fully fund all student event requests. If your student group finds itself in this situation, consider the following options:

• Seek funding from relevant departments, centers, other Hopkins schools, or professors' grants that are related to your event

• Apply for additional funding (up to $1,500) from the JHU Alumni Association: https://alumni.jhu.edu/studentgrants

• Lower your budget

• Host a portion of your event in a virtual format

• Appeal the funding decision:
  • Administrative appeal. Groups receiving less than the requested amount of funding because of problems or concerns raised by the Committee may amend their Funding Application to resolve all problems and concerns and submit a new Funding Application to be considered at the next Committee meeting.
  • Primary appeal. Should the group wish to appeal the decision of the Committee, it shall communicate so to both the Vice President of Finance and Appropriations (sasph.treasurer@jhu.edu) and the Vice President of Student Groups (sasph.groups@jhu.edu); the matter will then be discussed on the following monthly Executive Committee meeting.
  • Secondary appeal. In case of unfavorable outcome of this primary appeal, the student group can present a second appeal in a monthly general body meeting; the Student Assembly President will then act as the point of contact to ensure the inclusion of this item in the meeting's agenda.

The School has a very narrow policy regarding student groups and fundraising. The Fundraising Policy can be found on the Development Office's website. While it lists a few exceptions, Student Assembly recognized student groups can't fundraise given the budget they receive from the School through Student Assembly.

Students should NEVER sign contracts for services rendered. If you have questions about a particular expense, please contact the VP of Student Groups VP of Finance and Appropriations (bsph.satreas@jh.edu).

Whenever possible, request invoices from vendors to pay for goods and services -- particularly those that involve large out of pocket expenditures.

Questions about how the billing invoice should be formatted? Email the staff finance manager Steve Bazzetta.

Invoice need to be paid before the event? Submit a payment request via Hopkins Groups.

• Please note that if a vendor is in the JHU payment system, invoice payment may take up to three (3) weeks to be processed and received.
• If a vendor is not already in the JHU payment system, please add an additional two to four (2-4) weeks processing time.

GrubHub is BSPH's preferred vendor for ordering catered food.

• GrubHub allows you to order food through our central Student Affairs account after your budget request has been approved, avoiding up-front expenses.
• Student groups must complete the Hopkins Groups online form and indicate Grubhub as the catering choice. A screenshot of the food order must accompany the request allowing us to provide the exact amount needed for the order.
• All food purchases default to the 615 N. Wolfe Street address. If the event is in a different location, it must be indicated on the Hopkins Groups form, when submitted for approval.
• Grubhub requests must be submitted a minimum of 48 hours prior to the date of the event. Allowing it to go through the approval process.
• Your Grubhub account will be created with your university email address and meal credits will be added and available the day of the event/meeting.
• You will receive an email from the BSPH Grubhub administrator with instructions on how to set up your account;
• Except in extremely rare circumstances, requests to purchase food using any other platform will not be allowed. If you think that you will need to use a restaurant/caterer that is not on GrubHub, contact sasph.treasurer@jhu.edu for advice BEFORE submitting your event funding request.

Jay's Catering is another preferred vendor (https://myjayscatering.com/).

Student groups can also request for shelf-stable food items to be purchased via the Office of Student Affairs' Amazon account using the Payment Action Form connected to your approved request.

When budgeting from materials and supplies, we recommend browsing Amazon.com and saving the URLs for items you wish to purchase.

After your student group's event has been approved, you will receive instructions on how to request for the Office of Student Affairs to order supplies using its Amazon.com account. Avoid paying out of pocket and being reimbursed by requesting that Student Affairs place the order on your behalf.

• Submit a "Payment Request" under your approved budget area and select " Purchase of supplies via BSPH Student Affairs Amazon account"
• You will be instructed to upload an Excel document outlining the items you wish to be ordered.
• These supply orders can take 7-14 (or more) days to be delivered, so please plan accordingly.
• Please keep in mind the following purchasing guidelines.
  • All purchase requests must be linked to an approved budget request within Hopkins Groups.
  • Supply purchases MUST be made by using BSPH Student Affairs' Amazon account.
  • Budget approximately 2 weeks for these orders to be placed and delivered.
  • Pick-up at BSPH Suite E1002, M-F 9:30am - 4pm (excluding school holidays).

Additionally, the Student Assembly office has LOTS of supplies in its stock for student groups to use. Complete this form to request supplies: https://cglink.me/2dh/s82522. Available supplies and resources include:

• Color printer

• Directional signage

• Printer paper, cardstock, colored paper

• Tableware, cups, plates, utensils, etc

• iPads / Laptops (HP)

• Speakers and Projectors

• Miscellaneous office supplies
• Hot water and tea carafes

When budgeting for promotional materials, we recommend browsing vendors that BSPH student groups have used in the past to get a sense of how much custom promotional materials cost. Suggested vendors include:

• 4imprint: https://www.4imprint.com/
• Campus Stop: https://www.campusstop.com/

• Eco Promotional Products: https://www.ecopromotionsonline.com/

• FedEx (request JHU discount): https://local.fedex.com/en-us/md/baltimore
• Geiger: https://geiger.com/
• JHMI Pathology Department Poster Printing: Email nbarkerj@jhmi.edu and jrchris@jhu.edu
• Oriental Trading: https://www.orientaltrading.com/

After funding for your student group's event has been approved, you will receive instructions on how to request an invoice for payment so that BSPH will be charged directly for the order.

If you are showing a copyrighted film during a student group's event that is open to the BSPH community you must secure a public performance license. The terms of the license and the costs associated with your screening will vary on a case by case basis. Licensing fees are based on the title you select, anticipated audience size and venue.

One suggested distributor for obtaining a quote and the license is Swank (https://www.swank.com/). After you request a quote from the license distributor, reach out to the Student Assembly Treasurer (bsph.satreas@jh.edu) to connect you with a staff-member who will assist with completing a Film Exhibition Request Form and any other contracts.

Unfortunately, no. Gift cards are not able to be purchased or reimbursed with University funds as they qualify as taxable income to their recipients.

We understand that things happen. Student Assembly is happy to work with student groups whose events were postponed to a later date due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.

Event funds cannot "rollover" to another program/event.

Prevention is the best cure -- so plan carefully! Student Assembly will only cover expenses for an event that were approved in the budget application. Student groups may shift funds within categories of eligible expenses, for example:

If the budget goes over, student groups can use their $150 "Student Group Administrative Fund" as a cushion, but anything on top of that will not be covered. Funds cannot be retroactively applied to cover costs from a previous event, so please stay within budget! Awards or gifts for student group members, monetary donations, and scholarships for anyone are not eligible expenses under the student group event fund.

Student Assembly will only cover expenses for an event that were approved in the budget application. Student groups may shift funds within categories of eligible expenses, for example:

If the student group's spending for an event is below the requested amount, student groups may contact the SA Treasurer for permission to add a new category of eligible expenses to their budget. (This request may not be approved -- particularly if it is for a speaker flight, or engaging an outside vendor because the steps to process these items are cumbersome). Excess funds cannot be retroactively applied to cover costs from a previous event. Excess funds cannot be "saved" and applied to costs of a future event. Awards or gifts for student group members, monetary or in-kind donations, and scholarships for anyone are not eligible expenses.

Following your event, all those approved for funds are required to submit "Payment Requests" including providing post-event information including attendance, event strengths & opportunities for growth, and other event details. If you need further instructions on this process, see our step-by-step tutorials for invoice payment requests and reimbursement requests.

All invoices, receipts, reimbursements, speaker expenses, honorarium, etc. must be submitted no later than 2 weeks after your event via a payment request under your approved allocation within Hopkins Groups. As an event/program host, you are responsible for ensuring all invoices and Foodify payment requests are submitted properly so payment is issued to the vendor in a timely manner.

Payment request types include:

• Invoices: Whenever possible, request invoices from vendors to pay for goods and services -- particularly those that involve large out of pocket expenditures.
  • Questions about how the billing invoice should be formatted? Email the staff finance manager Steve Bazzetta.
  • Invoice need to be paid before the event? Submit an payment request via Hopkins Groups, and e-mail the staff finance manager Steve Bazzetta for assistance.
    • Please note that if a vendor is in the JHU payment system, invoice payment may take up to three (3) weeks to be processed and received.
    • If a vendor is not already in the JHU payment system, please add an additional two to four (2-4) weeks processing time.
  • Following the event be sure to submit any relevant invoice(s) for payment.
• Guest Speaker: Expenses incurred by guest speakers (airfare, ground transportation, etc.) are processed as reimbursements to the person or institution that purchased the items on the speaker's behalf.
• Reimbursements: Individual students can make purchases for the event out of pocket (up to $1,000 per student) and be reimbursed.
  • Show the cashier/vendor the JHU tax exemption certificate so that sales tax is not applied to the purchase as tax expenses cannot be reimbursed.
  • Save all itemized receipts!
  • Submit a reimbursement request.

Payment requests are first confirmed to match the original amount awarded to you and then are approved shortly thereafter. BSPH Finance managers will process the paperwork. In the rare instances of personal reimbursements, students can expect reimbursement within 4 weeks after correctly submitting all required documents.