The School of Engineering (SoE) provides funding and other resources (faculty time, space on campus for meetings and events) to engineering project and professional groups and engineering honor societies.  

Student groups should be affiliated with a governing body at Brown before seeking funding from the School of Engineering.

Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) - The vast majority of undergraduate organizations are recognized by the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS) through a process called Categorization.

Graduate Student Council (GSC) - Organizations created specifically in the interest of graduate students are recognized by the Graduate Student Council (GSC) through an application process.

Departmental Organizations - SoE sponsors one Engineering Departmental Group (DUG) for all undergraduate concentrators. In rare cases, when a group can not be recognized and governed by USC or GSC, a group can apply directly for SoE funding and staffing.

For UCS and GSC recognized groups, SoE acts as a sponsor and transfers approved funding to the Student Activities Office (SAO) for administration.

Budget Requests

Each student group is required to fill out a formal application to be considered for funding. Each year, every student organization must complete the Proposal for Support for Student Organizations (the budget form will open in February and is due before March, for the coming academic year.)

Budget requests will be reviewed based on planned activities, and their impact for the Brown Engineering community, comprehensiveness and detail of budget, proportion of dollars requested to total membership, and levels of participation in funded activities. Priority will be given to activities that have the most impact for the engineering undergraduate or graduate community. Activities with an audience primarily of non-engineering students, or events fully off campus may not be able to be funded.

 As a rule, Engineering funding requests for student groups:

• Should focus on student activities that support engineering students within our Brown University community
• Preference is given to activities that support diverse engineering populations, are the most inclusive, and have broader impact to the students in the School of Engineering
• Engineering funds cannot be used to fund items such as alcohol, gifts, speaker honorarium, or consulting fees
• Funds awarded must be used for the designated purpose
• Groups with activities that directly relate to engineering, and have primarily engineering members are eligible 

Questions on proposals should be directed to Celinda Kofron, Associate Dean, Educational Initiatives, celinda_kofron@brown.edu

Timeline

All applications will be reviewed by the Dean of Engineering and the Engineering Executive Committee by April 15th. They review the activities the group has conducted, their impact, and how much funding the School of Engineering will provide in the upcoming year.

Multiple Funding Sources

School of Engineering funding is not designed to cover all of your funding needs alone, please also plan to apply to the Undergraduate Finance Board OR the Graduate Student Council as well as relevant departments (Physics, CS, Applied Math, Chemistry) for funding. 

Spending Funds and Reimbursement

Engineering co-curricular group spending (for engineering funds only):
For UCS and GSC recognized groups, the funding received from Engineering is transferred to SAO for administration. These groups are expected to follow all SAO guidelines for utilization.

For DUGs, funding is given to student groups as an allocation and you contact the administrative assistant to your faculty advisor for reimbursements each time you make a purchase. 

Groups typically make purchases on their credit cards and if you submit right away you can receive the reimbursement check before the credit card is due. (For students who are on university payroll for a job, they can get their reimbursement sent to them electronically if they have their paychecks delivered this way.)

You will need to provide the administrative assistant for your advisor an original receipt - as soon as possible after the purchase (within a few days). If you are unsure what your group balance is you may contact Tina Trahan in our finance office to confirm what funds remain. Your funding from Engineering does not roll over, but any funds you receive from fundraising or grants should roll over. 

Any purchases from Amazon must go through the administrative assistant for your advisor. 

If a group overspends beyond the allocated budget, the amount will be deducted from their next year's allocation. 

NOTE:
There are several categories such as alcohol, or gift cards, which cannot be purchased with University funds. Additionally, School of Engineering funds cannot be spent for marketing (t-shirts, posters, web services, advertising), consultants, speakers fees, or professional services. For groups that want to spend money on marketing, it is possible to use other sources of funds (such as UFB, Grad Council, or gift funds). Please speak to your advisor before making any purchases of which you are unsure. More information on University financial policies can be found at the Student Activities Office. Finally, your expenditures during the year should align with your budget request. For example, you may not redirect funds that were allocated to a study break to buy a computer.  
 

SAO groups sponsored by SoE:

• Project Based Groups and Teams:
  • Alternative Protein Project
  • Brown Rocketry
  • Brown Space Engineering
  • Scientists for a Sustainable World
  • Women Build@Brown
• Professional Organizations and Societies:
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  • Biomedical Engineering Board
  • Engineers without Borders
  • Graduate Engineering Council
  • Graduate Students of Color in STEM
  • Latinx Graduate Collective
  • National Society of Black Engineers
  • Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
  • Society of Women Engineers

SoE Departmental Organizations:

• American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists
• Brown Biomedical Engineering Society
• Continua Research Society
• ENGN DUG
• Formula Society of Automotive Engineers
• Sigma Xi
• Tau Beta Pi
• Women in Engineering Graduate and Postdoctoral Network