Funding Your Programs

Check out full details about Student Org Finance & Best Financial Practices for Student Orgs in our NEW RSO Finance Manual!

TSG Allocations

Temple Student Government provides registered student organizations with the opportunities to apply for funding for programs and conferences.  The allocations guidelines can be found on TSG's website. You can also visit TSG Allocations Office Hours in HGSC 244 for personalized help with navigating Allocations. TSG Allocations can also be contacted via email at tsgabc@temple.edu

For further information, please refer to the 2023 - 2024 Allocations Guidelines.

Other Funding Sources

The Security Fee Fund

The Security Fee Fund exists to subsidize the cost of staffing your philanthropic event with security staff through Campus Safety. If you anticipate that your event will include over 200 attendees or involve cash handling (ticket sales at the door, donations, etc.), your organization might be eligible to draw from the Security Fee Fund. Programs must be open to the entire student body. No student organization may apply for more than $400 in one year. Applications with a minimum of four (4) weeks prior to the event will be accepted. Event cancellations must take place no later than 10 days before the event. Please e-mail Phillip Smith, Director of Student Activities with a brief description of the event to receive an application and a list of expectations for the process. 

Owl Crowd

OwlCrowd is the official crowdfunding site for Temple University. Projects from students, faculty, or staff at the university in need of funding are featured on giving.temple.edu/OwlCrowd and with support from the Office of Annual Giving fundraise to meet their goals. Projects are featured at the discretion of the Annual Giving staff in conjunction with staff from other Temple departments. We expect each campaign to run for a total of 30 days. 

Modeled after GoFundMe and other popular crowdfunding sites, OwlCrowd is designed to give donors a way of making gifts that will have the biggest bang for their buck. It puts front and center grassroots, out-of-the-box projects at Temple that make an incredible difference – projects that may fall under the radar of traditional funding streams or major gift donors. OwlCrowd ensures they can continue to exist, thrive, and grow. 

If selected for an OwlCrowd microsite, your project will be given a web presence that can be shared with your networks and will also be promoted to the Temple alumni base via email at least twice during the campaign. 4 

For your project to be eligible for OwlCrowd you must be Temple affiliated and have a financial account through Temple where the gifts can be deposited. If you do not have an account (FOAPAL), check with your advisor. If you are an established student organization, chances are you may already have one. 

Twenty percent (20%) of the total funds raised through university crowdfunding campaigns conducted on the Owl Crowd platform shall be allocated to a dedicated student grant fund. This fund aims to address urgent financial requirements of student groups that encounter time-sensitive funding needs, which cannot be feasibly met through the traditional crowdfunding process. 

Temple University and the Office of Annual Giving reserve the right to refuse donations and contributions from any crowdfunding effort hosted on any platform other than the Owl Crowd Platform. Temple University does not currently accept payments from services such as Apple, Google, PayPal, or Venmo, and payments from those and similar third-party payments. Gifts through Owl Crowd are tax deductible if made under Temple University's tax-exempt status and if they otherwise qualify for a tax deduction. 

We strongly encourage you to reach out to schedule a consultation meeting before submission. To do so, or for other questions, please contact Laura Wernsdorfer, Assistant Director, Annual Giving Programs, and Initiatives. 

For more information about OwlCrowd, check out giving.temple.edu/owlcrowd or reach out to owlcrowd@temple.edu. 

Temple Performing Arts Center Grant

Student Activities oversees a fund that subsidizes the cost for student organizations, fraternities, and sororities to host events in the Temple Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Applications are currently closed and awardees have been selected for the 2023/2024 academic calendar. 

University Accounts

Student organizations may open university accounts or private accounts at local banks. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the decision is completely that of the student organization officers. Should a student organization want to open an account with a bank outside the University, it will not be able to utilize the University's Tax ID information or include the words "Temple" or "Temple University" in the title of an account.

To open a university account, student organizations can complete the Agency Fund Report Form. 

Using Your University Account

  • Checking Balance- Organization treasurers should keep a log of all expenses and income. At any time during the year, student leaders can email Student Activities staff to verify your university account balance.  

  • Deposit - First come to see Miss Chris in the Student Activities offices. After completing the paperwork, you may then go to the Bursar’s Office, Carnell Hall, First floor. You should make all deposits within 24 hours of receiving them.

  • Withdrawal – Four ways to do so that all require different forms to be submitted to the Office of Student Activities, so remember to plan ahead!

    • Check Request – usually takes up to ten business days, used to:

      • Reimburse someone who has been authorized to make a purchase and has receipts as proof of said purchase OR

      • Pay a business for materials, equipment, etc for which your org was billed

    • Purchase order

      • Guarantee of payment to the vendor and a contract to your organization that you receive what you requisition.

      • You will need to present the following to the Office of Student Activities

        • The name, address, and telephone number of the company with which you are transacting business and the contact person at that company (if known);

        • What it is you wish to purchase and the quantity (if there is a catalog number, part number, etc., this must be included);

        • The total cost of the purchase, including shipping and handling charges (if known)

    • Petty Cash/Cash Advances

      • Fill out the Petty Cash Advance form and have signed by the Assistant Director of Student Activities

      • Take the signed form to the Petty Cash window in the Bursar’s office

      • Retain the Yellow copy of the form and all corresponding receipts

      • Submit receipts, Yellow form and the completed Deposit Reconciliation sheet to the Office of Student Activities

    • Journal Transfer of Funds (JET)– used for the transfer of funds from one University account to another

Forms Needed to Pay Vendors

Fundraising

Some local businesses will ask for a tax ID (EIN) when setting up a fundraising campaign. Student organizations are not permitted to utilize the university's tax ID (EIN). Student organizations can apply for their own on the IRS website, free of charge. The process takes about 15 minutes and does ask the applicant to provide their SSN. Find a helpful guiding document for obtaining an EIN for your student org here.