More than 785 student-led organizations and initiatives have successfully taken advantage of funding available through the Georgia Tech Student Foundation’s (GTSF) allocation program since 1986. Each semester, over $50,000 is awarded to reimburse student organizations for equipment and supplies associated with events and initiatives that positively impact the Georgia Tech community. All funding is provided through reimbursement and requires proof of purchase. Organizations are eligible to request reimbursement during the funding semester plus two semesters. Funding is made possible by student gifts to Roll Call, 100% of which are invested in the endowment that is managed by GTSF.
Fall 2026 Allocations Application Timeline
September 1- Applications open September 18 - Applications close September 23-24 - Help Sessions Week of October 11 - Finalists notified
Applications are evaluated on the following criteria.
Novelty – Proposals should bring new events or organizations to campus or feature a major expansion or transformation of an ongoing event that requires additional capital. Novel proposals should provide unique and enriching opportunities to Georgia Tech.
Impact – Proposals should positively impact the Georgia Tech community through on-campus endeavors or provide enriching opportunities for student involvement in the community. Impactful proposals provide tangible benefits through service projects, educational activities, community building, and more.
Sustainability – Proposals should have a plan to be financially self-sufficient in the future and only require GTSF funding for their first undertaking. Sustainable proposals may utilize alternative funding sources in the future, or utilize capital and revenue from their first event to sustain future endeavors.
Feasibility – Proposals should be well-planned upon submission of application and have a marketing strategy to ensure success. Feasible proposals are practical, financially viable, and realizable even if only partially funded by GTSF.
Budget – Include a budget in the Engage application with each line item, including the quantity, price per item, description if necessary, and supporting documents when needed. It is not necessary to include the entire budget for the event, project, or activity as the applicant will have the opportunity to discuss other funding sources in the application.
Submit an application through the Engage platform. Use the above guides for instruction if necessary.
Step 2: Schedule a Help Session
Attend a 15-minute Help Session to work directly with a GTSF member to refine your initial application. Following the Help Session, you can revise your application to increase your chance of securing funding. Select a date and time that best fits your schedule directly in the application form.
Step 3: Funding Sunday
The organizations selected for the next round will present to the GTSF Selection Committee in person. Presentations should recap the key application questions (i.e. Novel, Impact, Sustainable, and Feasible) with a more detailed focus on the specifics of the proposed event, project, or activity (e.g. budget, expected attendance, measures of success, learning outcomes, uniqueness, etc.). The budget must match the information submitted in the final application.
Application Video Guide
Need help completing your GTSF application? Watch this 12-minute video for a step-by-step walkthrough of the application process, with guidance on each section along the way.
Questions & Guidance on Filling Out the Application
This question is the only question read by all graders. It is not assigned its own grade, but any key information about the proposal should be included here to help graders understand your application. Please do not reference your responses to this question when answering other questions. Instead restate relevant details.
This question represents the Novelty criterion. Novel proposals are those that bring new events/initiatives to Georgia Tech or feature a major expansion of an ongoing event that requires additional capital for the transformation.
The proposed initiative should:
Differ from similar, existing events around Georgia Tech’s campus to provide new and innovative opportunities
Bring diverse, unique elements that tangibly enrich on-campus student life
Show transformative development (eg. new ideas, improved quality, increased scale), if building upon a precedent set by a previous initiative
Act as a growth opportunity for the organization in regards to on-campus impact and/or membership
Questions to consider answering when writing your application:
Is your organization's initiative unique on campus? If not, is there an aspect that distinguishes it from similar initiatives?
Does the event/initiative help diversify opportunities available on campus?
Is this the first time the organization is attempting this initiative? If not, is significant development of the initiative demonstrated?
Will the initiative help the organization grow and improve?
Provide a marketing plan to ensure the proposal is successful. This question represents the Feasibility criterion. Feasible proposals are practical and financially viable. Initiatives should be well-planned.
The proposed initiative should:
Develop a comprehensive plan that, at a minimum, includes basic preparations and groundwork already in place for successful execution of the proposal
Avoid unrealistic and impractical elements, and provides evidence of the organization’s ability to follow through with the proposal
Prepare a thorough marketing plan that specifically identifies a target audience, emphasizing how the proposal is specifically tailored to the audience
Supply relevant information on financing the proposal, particularly noting that the proposal is viable even with partial funding from GTSF
Questions to consider answering when writing your application:
Does the organization’s initiative have a defined target audience?
Is there an explicit plan on how the organization will effectively market to its audience?
Is the event/initiative well planned?
Is the organization clear on what steps still need to be taken to effectively run the initiative, and do these remaining steps seem achievable by the event date?
This question represents the Sustainability criterion. Sustainable proposals require GTSF funding initially, but will be financially self-sufficient in the future.
The proposed initiative should:
Include primarily reusable budget items, and/or explain any temporary items that are integral to the event
Not require future GTSF funding. It must emphasize plans to support future endeavors and/or find alternative funding sources (if intending for the initiative to be recurring)
For recurring proposals: Provide specific details on how the proposal will use funding to either purchase reusable items and capital or to gain revenue to fund future initiatives without GTSF funding.
For non-recurring proposals: Explain why funding is essential for this specific proposal, and address how funding will allow the organization to undertake new initiatives in the future. Non-recurring proposals should still generate a lasting impact on Georgia Tech to align with the GTSF funding goals.
Please be specific on the pillars you consider essential to a successful event and provide tangible examples of the benefits to Tech students. This question represents the Impact criterion. Impactful proposals should positively impact the GT community either through on campus endeavors or facilitating GT student activity. The proposed initiative should:
Provide a clear, tangible impact of the proposal in improving the general welfare of the Georgia Tech campus, or identifies a specific group that substantially benefits in the community.
Emphasize the direct impact on Georgia Tech students that would be made possible through funding of your budget items, rather than only discussing the broader impact of your organization and/or items for which you are not requesting funding from GTSF.
Describe a strategy for quantitatively measuring the success of the initiative, focusing on the proposal’s impact on the intended audience
GTSF can only allocate funds towards items that are listed in the budget. Items must be listed in the budget on individual lines.
Funding happens on a line-by-line basis, so your budget should be ordered by priority (the most wanted items should be at the top of the budget). If an item in thebudget does not receive funding, items beneath it cannot receive funding.
Every line item must have a working link to a quote that contains the specific, correct price of that item. The descriptions for each line item should also be clear and detailed (e.g. indicate how many of an individual item are in a pack of items if you are buying multiple per unit) and reflect the quote. If an item does not have a corresponding link, it will not be funded.
Generally, funding does not include giveaways (e.g. t-shirts, prizes, food) unless it is the focal point of the initiative, so it is advisable to place any items that could be construed as falling within the giveaway category lower on the budget.
GTSF will only consider your organization for funding if over half of your budget is covered by our bylaws.
Know what sources offer the best prices for your budget. During the presentation round, you may be asked about utilizing other sources to access these items. A well-prepared response will demonstrate to the decision board your organization/initiative commitment to the success of your event, project, or activity.
Item Priority
Item
Price
Item Amount
Total Price
Source
1
Item A
$3.00
3
$9.00
target.com/item
2
Item B
$8.99
1
$8.99
amazon.com/item
Does the initiative seek to improve the general welfare of the Georgia Tech community?
If not, does it provide an opportunity for members of the Georgia Tech community to improve the general welfare of a third party while also gaining useful experiences themselves?
Is it clear who the initiative/event is benefitting?
Is it clear why the impact and benefits of the initiative are important?
GTSF is unable to fund giveaways, so T-Shirts, Stickers, etc. If a t-shirt is integral to the event, such as making volunteers easily identifiable to participants, then they could be funded. It all depends on how you pitch the event, project, or activity for which you are seeking funding.
The reason the applications must be turned in by the first deadline is because we ask applicants to attend a feedback session so you can get help on your application. Applications are not accepted after the first deadline has passed. If you missed the deadline, please consider applying next semester.
