ASFA Special Project Funding - Members Association

ASFA Special Project Funding - Member Association

$15,000 available for the 2026-2027 academic year

Has your association got a project that falls outside your approved annual budget? This fund exists to pay for it.

Before you start, four things to know:

1. This is a reimbursement, not an advance. Your association pays the cost, sends us the original receipts with a cheque requisition, and ASFA reimburses within 14 days.

2. Nothing is funded retroactively. If the money has already been spent, or the event has already happened, we cannot reimburse it. Apply first, spend after you are approved.

3. The Finance Committee meets twice a month - the 1st and 3rd Wednesday. Whatever arrives before 5:00 PM on the Friday before a meeting goes on that meeting's agenda. You will hear back within 14 juridical days.

4. This is for projects beyond your annual budget. Special Project Funding is not a top-up for something already budgeted under Administration, Social Initiatives or Academic Initiatives. The project also has to directly benefit Arts & Science undergraduates, and projects on campus get priority.

Deadline: applications close Friday, April 30, 2027 at 11:59 PM, or earlier if the fund is fully committed. All projects must be finished and all receipts submitted by May 15, 2027.

This form takes about 20 minutes. You can save your progress and come back to it.

Questions at any point, email the Finance Coordinator: finance@asfa.ca
Agreement

Before you begin

Tick all three to continue. If you can't tick one of them, don't give up on the project - email finance@asfa.ca and we'll tell you where your association stands. There's usually a way forward.
Checkbox · Required · All three must be ticked

About your association

Tell us which association is applying, and who we should contact about this application.
Which Member Association is applying?
Required · Options: every Member Association recognized as officially active by Council at the most recent Regular Council Meeting.
MA Signer 1
example@example.com
MA Signer 2
example@example.com
What is your association's name?My association is not listed
Only Member Associations recognized as officially active by the Council of Representatives can apply. Email finance@asfa.ca and we'll check your association's status - associations recognized after the most recent council meeting can be added.
Your full name

First NameLast Name
Email
Insert your ASFA email.
Your position on the MA executive team
Are you a signing officer for your association? (Applications need a signing officer behind them, and reimbursements are issued through your association's signing authorities).
Name of the signing officer approving this application
Their Concordia Email
We will contact them on everything relating to this application.

Is your association's budget currently frozen, or are you under audit or awaiting an audit submission? (You can still submit, but the Finance Committee cannot approve funding while a budget is frozen. Tell us now and we will work through it with you rather than finding out at the meeting).
The application can be submitted but cannot be approved while a freeze is in place.
Special Project Funding is for projects beyond your annual allocation, not a top-up for something already budgeted
If this project were paid from your own budget, which line would it fall under?
How much is left in that budget line today?
An honest answer helps your application. The Finance Committee is not looking for associations with nothing left - it is looking for projects that genuinely could not be run from an annual budget.

Tell us what your association wants to do. Write it plainly - the Finance Committee is made up of students, not grant officers.
Project Title
Short and plain. This is how your project appears on the Finance Committee's agenda.
Describe your project in one sentence
150 characters. This is read out at the meeting, so make it count.
Tell us about your project
200-500 words. Cover: what it actually is, why it matters now, who it is for, and what it looks like on the day. If there is anything unusual about it, say so here rather than leaving us to guess.
Why can't this be paid for from your annual budget?
This is what makes it a special project. A one-off cost, a bigger event than your allocation covers, an opportunity that came up after budgets were set - all good answers. "We spent the rest already" is not.
When does your project start?

MonthDayYear
2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit yearIf it is a one-day event, put the same date. Everything must be finished by May 15, 2027.
When does it end?

MonthDayYear
2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit yearIf it's a one-day event, put the same date. Everything must be finished by May 15, 2027.
Location
Venue Name and Address
If you have not booked yet, tell us where you plan to book.
Why Does This Project Need to Happen Off Campus?
ASFA's regulations give priority to projects on campus, so off-campus projects need a reason - a venue that does not exist on campus, a partner's space, a site-specific project. ASFA does not fund events at bars, pubs, or venues inaccessible to students, and does not fund general assemblies held in those spaces at all.
How Does This Directly Benefit Arts & Science Undergraduates?
This is the single most important question on the form. ASFA's Standing Regulations allow this fund to be spent only on projects that directly benefit Arts & Science undergraduates, so the Finance Committee weighs this answer most heavily. Be specific about who benefits and how. If your project mainly serves your own program, tell us how students from other Arts & Science programs can take part. 100-300 words.
How many Arts & Science Undergraduates do you expect to take part or benefit?
A realistic number. Over-promising is easy to spot and it hurts your application more than a modest number would.
Is your project open to Arts & Science students outside your own program?
Why is it limited, and how are you promoting it within your program?
A project for your own members can absolutely be funded - that is what Member Associations are for. We just need to know so the committee can weigh it fairly.
How are you making this accessible?
Tell us about: step-free access to the venue, cost to attend, whether materials or food are provided, dietary accommodation, language, content warnings, and anything else that affects who can actually show up.
Are you charging a ticket or entry fee?
How much, and what happens to the money?
Revenue from a project ASFA funds is expected to go back into the project or to be returned to ASFA. Tell us your plan.
Are you working with any partners or co-hosts?
Other Member Associations, student groups, faculty, departments, or organizations outside Concordia. Joint projects between associations are welcome - name the other association here.
Have you applied for funding for this project anywhere else? (This does not count against you - projects with several funders usually go further. We just need the full picture).
Where else have you applied?

Sustainability
How will you keep this project sustainable? (ASFA's Sustainability Policy asks events to reach silver certification - 20 actions - under Sustainable Concordia's Sustainable Event Guide. Tick what applies and add anything else in the box.) *(Required, at least one)*
Anything else about sustainability?

Budget

What it costs. Be honest and be specific. A budget with real numbers and a quote attached is far more likely to be funded than a round number with nothing behind it. If you are not sure what something costs, estimate and say so.
How much are you asking ASFA for?
There is no fixed maximum, but this is a shared fund of $15,000 for every Member Association for the whole year, and the Finance Committee weighs each request against what is left. Ask for what you need.
Download our budget template (avaliable on asfa.ca under forms section) - it adds everything up for you, including cost per student. Fill it in, then attach it under "quotes and estimates" below and summarise the main lines here.

Required for any line over $300. A screenshot of a website price is fine. PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB each.
Cancelof
What is the total cost of the project?
Everything it costs, including anything paid for from elsewhere.
How much is your association contributing from its own budget or other confirmed sources?
Enter 0 if none.
Upload your quotes, estimates or price screenshots

Required for any line over $300. A screenshot of a website price is fine. PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 10 MB each.
Cancelof
Does your budget include any of these? (Tick all that apply. None of these are disqualifying - they just need a line of explanation).
Who are you paying, and how much? (Honoraria)
ASFA's standard minimum is $250 for a speaker or facilitator at a workshop, event or presentation, and $50 for a General Assembly chair or facilitator, unless otherwise negotiated. Budget at least that much - underpaying a speaker is not a saving the Finance Committee wants to see.
What equipment, and where does it live afterwards?
Equipment bought with this fund belongs to the association, not to an individual executive. Tell us where it is stored and how it passes to next year's executive.
What are you serving, and roughly for how many people?
At least one third of food served at ASFA-funded events must be vegetarian, and dietary restrictions including gluten-free and vegan options should be accommodated.
What are the prizes, and how does someone win one?
Prizes should be modest and tied to taking part in the project. Cash prizes need a documented selection process.
Partial funding: If the Finance Committee can only fund part of your request, what should we fund first?
This is worth answering properly. It lets the committee approve a smaller amount on the spot instead of sending your application back for another two weeks. Tell us which lines are essential, which you could drop or cut down, and which your own budget could absorb.

Declarations and Signature

Almost done! Read these and tick each one. They are the conditions of receiving funding, and the Finance Committee holds applicants to them.
ASFA Special Project Funding - Terms and Conditions
Member Associations · Fiscal year June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2027

1. ASFA allocates a minimum of $15,000 to the Member Association Special Projects Fund, as required by Standing Regulation 73. Funding is granted at the discretion of the Finance Committee so long as the project directly benefits Arts & Science undergraduate students (Reg. 74). Priority is given to projects taking place on campus (Reg. 75).

2. This stream is open to Member Associations recognized as officially active by the Council of Representatives. Applications must be submitted or countersigned by a signing officer. The project must be additional to the association's approved annual budget. An association whose budget is frozen cannot receive funding while the freeze is in place.

3. No retroactive funding. ASFA does not reimburse expenses incurred before the Finance Committee approves the application. Submitting an application is not approval.

4. Approved funding is paid as a reimbursement. The association pays the cost, submits original receipts with a completed Cheque Request Form (avaliable on asfa.ca under forms section), and ASFA issues reimbursement within fourteen (14) days of a complete submission. Advance payments are available for budget items over $300 under Reg. 65, and require original receipts within seven (7) juridical days of receiving the funds.

5. Applications close April 30, 2027. All projects must take place, and all receipts be submitted, by May 15, 2027, so that every application is financially completed and accounted for before May 31, 2027, as required by Standing Regulation 76. Receipts submitted after May 15, 2027 cannot be reimbursed.

6. The Finance Committee may approve an amount lower than requested. ASFA reimburses actual documented expenses up to the approved amount and never more, whatever the final cost of the project.

7.hanges to the project. Any material change to the dates, scope, location or budget lines after approval must be sent to finance@asfa.ca and cc'd to clerk.finance@asfa.ca before the money is spent. Unapproved changes may void the approval.

8. Funded projects must comply with ASFA's Policy against Harassment, Discrimination and Violence, its Sustainability Policy and its Ethical Purchasing Policy. Events are expected to reach a minimum silver certification (20 actions) under Sustainable Concordia's Sustainable Event Guide, to avoid single-use plastics, and to ensure at least one third of food served is vegetarian. A completed Sustainable Event Form must accompany the Cheque Request Form (Reg. 243).

9. ASFA will not fund alcohol, general assemblies or events at bars, pubs or other venues deemed inaccessible to members at large (Reg. 62), personal equipment retained by individuals, honoraria paid to the applicants themselves, costs already covered by the association's approved annual budget, external printing without prior permission (Reg. 53), or political campaign material.

10. A short post-project report - what happened, how many Arts & Science undergraduates attended, photos, and a final accounting against the approved budget - is due with the receipts. Future applications from the association may be refused until an outstanding report is filed.

11. Acknowledgement. Funded projects must acknowledge ASFA's support in their promotional material and tag @asfaconcordia where social media is used.

12. The Finance Committee has the authority to investigate any suspicious usage of Special Project Funding allocations and must report to Council on completion of any investigation (Reg. 78). Misuse of funds may result in a requirement to repay, a freeze of the association's budget, and a finding of bad standing.

13. An association may contest a decision of the Finance Committee in writing to finance@asfa.ca within seven (7) juridical days of receiving notice of the decision.

14. Information submitted is used to assess the application, is shared with the members of the Finance Committee, and appears in summary form in the Finance Coordinator's quarterly report to Council. Names of funded projects and associations may appear in ASFA's public reporting and promotion.

15. Meeting every requirement in this form does not guarantee funding. The envelope is finite and is allocated across the whole year at the Finance Committee's discretion.
Agreement
Optional Consent
Sign as a signing officer of your Member Association, or on their authority.
Date

MonthDayYear
2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit yearEnter today's date

Submission

Before you submit, check your answers and read the conditions below. Submitting isn't approval - you'll hear back within 14 juridical days.
Should be Empty:

Before you begin

About your association

Tell us what your association wants to do. Write it plainly - the Finance Committee is made up of students, not grant officers.

Sustainability

Budget

Declarations and Signature

Submission