Grant Funding

Fraternities and sororities in good standing with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the University of Pennsylvania are eligible to apply for OFSL Grant Funds. Before applying for grant funding, please be sure to review the following important information.

Apply for GRANT FUNDING

NOTE: All funding is by reimbursement only. If your organization did not send a representative to the semesterly Grant Funding Training, then you are not eligible to receive funds from or reimbursements through OFSL for that semester. Even if your funding is coming from another source, we cannot perform the reimbursement through our budget code.

Eligibility & Requirements

In order to be considered for funding opportunities, applying organization must:

    • Be a recognized fraternity or sorority at the University of Pennsylvania
    • Be in current good standing with the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and the University
    • Not have received prior OFSL grant funding in the semester of application
    • Be requesting funds for events in which the primary purpose is student development/programming
    • Have sent a representative from their organization to the OFSL Grant Funding Training that semester

OFSL reserves the right to revoke a grant award if any of the following requirements are not met:

    • All meetings requested by OFSL are attended by at least one chapter member
    • All purchases and transactions approved for funding comply with OFSL and University policies
    • The primary purpose of the event centers on student development and/or programming

OFSL may remove future grant eligibility to chapters who do not submit the following post-event requirements within 14 days of the event date:

    • Concur Expense Report
    • Post-Event Assessment and other requested materials (photos, event flyer, etc.)

Mission Alignment

  • All funding requests must align with the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life mission and philosophy. The funding application will require organizations to explain how their event or program represents each of the five aspects of our office philosophy: Vanguard, Foundation, Compass, Relationships, and Impact.
  • Additionally, all grant requests must fulfill one of the following outcomes:
    • Leadership Development
      i.e. event planning, programs for member development, etc.
    • Professional Development 
      i.e. professional networking, employment-seeking skills, exposure to career options, etc.
    • Community Development
      i.e. relationship building among Greek organizations, council collaboration, and participation in campus-wide events

Budget

Organizations are eligible to receive a maximum of one grant award per semester. A budget template provided in the application must be completed before funding consideration can take place. Here are some examples of eligible and ineligible expenses

Eligible Event Types

  • Chapter/council meetings
  • Philanthropy events
  • Service events/outings
  • New Member Presentations
  • Regional or National conferences
  • Other on-campus events not specifed

Ineligible Event Types

  • Events where alcohol is available or permitted
  • Events that do not align explicitly align with the OFSL mission and philosophy
  • Date Nights
  • Formals

Eligible Expenses

  • Campus Copy Center printing or publications
  • On-campus venue/room reservation costs
  • Equipment rental or purchase
  • Conference registration fees (Regional or National)
  • Ground transportation (i.e. taxi, Lyft, subway)
  • Food and non-alcoholic beverages
  • Supplies/decorations

Ineligible Expenses

  • Off-campus or third-party venue reservations and catering
  • Monetary awards (i.e. prizes, gift cards, cash)
  • AirBnB lodging
  • Car rental or mileage
  • Any purchases transacted outside of the grant fund agreement/timeline

Past Grant Recipients

Spring 2018

  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. – Penn Gent
  • Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – 25th Annual Pharaoh’s Ball

Fall 2017

  • Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – College Brothers’ Retreat
  • Intercultural Greek Council – We Need to Talk: Black Men Discuss Sexual Violence
  • Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity – Phired Up! Workshop
  • Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity x Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc. – Break the Cycle Charity Game Night
  • alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, Inc. – Northeast Regional Conference
  • Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. – La Luna Ball
  • Sigma Lambda Upsilon / Senoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. – Dean’s Training
  • Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity x Penn Barbell – Mr./Ms. Penn Recap Panel
  • Diversity and Inclusion Board (DIB) – TableTalk: Diversity and Inclusion Board Collaboration

2016-2017 Academic Year

  • Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. – Crescent Ball, December 2016
  • Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. – Pharaoh’s Ball, January 2017
  • Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority – 4th Annual Philanthropy Gala, April 2017

Questions about grant funding?

Contact Jo Ann Nasino
Contact Rachael Garret Canfield