In this section we will cover:
Key Dates 2024
Action | Date |
|---|---|
Annual Budgeting opens for all clubs & societies. From this date you can create your budgets. | Friday 19th Jan 2024 |
Initial phase of annual budgeting closes for all clubs & societies. After this date, your management group/constituent union reps will begin reviewing your budgets and allocating grant. They can send budgets back to you to request changes, but you can't make unapproved changes to your budgets. | Friday 9th Feb 2024 |
Annual Budgeting fully closes. After this date no further changes can happen to budgets. Further review stages will then occur concerning grant allocations (detailed below). If your CSP has not requested grant, no more changes will occur after this date. | Friday 8th Mar 2024 |
| Clubs, Societies & Projects Board (CSPB) makes final grant allocations. | March 2024 |
Provisional grant allocations released. There will be an appeals stage for CSPs who wish to do so. | Summer 2024 |
| Final grant allocations released. | Summer 2024 |
Please note the above timetable is subject to change at the discretion of the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) and the Clubs, Societies & Projects Board (CSPB). For this reason please pay attention to emails from the Student Activities Team and stay in touch with your Management Group or Constituent Union representatives.
The Budgeting Process & Stages
You can view the live stages here.
Before Budgeting (until 19th Jan)
Before annual budgeting, there are certain things your CSP should do to aid the process.
- Check your constitution - this defines what is core activity for your CSP.
- Submit transaction corrections for incorrect payments and to zero out any funding codes in deficit.
- Review your previous budgets.
Does your CSP have a large amount of reserves?
CSPs are required to fill in the Reserves Justification Form if they meet any of the requirements listed below. This is to provide strong justification for your continued allocation of Union grant, and any surplus of reserves.
- Has a Designated Members Fund
- Has over £10,000 in SGI
- Has total SGI which exceeds average expenditure over the last 3 years
- Receive more than 25% of their annual income from sponsorship, donations, and/or College Funding
- Have any funding codes (Grant, SGI, ICTrust, Harlington, College) in deficit
Submitting Your Budget (19th Jan - 9th Feb)
CSPs must submit their Annual Budget for 2024 by Friday 9th February at the latest. We recommend submitting your budget as early as possible to give your Management Group more time to discuss it with you.
During this stage, it is important to follow the guidance in the next sections on how to budget and how to request grant.
Management Group Review (9th Feb - 14th Mar)
This stage is noted in the budgeting app as "MG1" and "MG2".
During the "MG1" stage, your Management Group or Constituent Union will review your budget, checking that it reflects the true finances of your CSP, and allocating grant where you have requested it. During this time, they may send the budget back to you for amendments or clarifications. MG1 will be critically reviewing both your grant applications and your budget overall.
During the "MG2" stage, a different Management Group or Constituent Union will review the notes and allocations of your own MG1, checking that they are valid and appropriate, as well as making their own recommendations for grant allocation.
It is important to keep a close eye on your emails during this stage in case your budget reviewers request changes to your budget, or have any questions.
Resolutions & Scaling (14th Mar onwards)
Once the review process has finished, CSPB will meet to discuss and resolve any contested grant allocations from MG1/2 at the resolutions meeting. Where MG1 and MG2 reviewers have agreed, CSPB will generally grant the funding. Where MG1 and MG2 reviewers have disagreed, CSPB will have a discussion and resolve the allocation. The minutes from this meeting will be public for full transparency.
Once CSPB has allocated funds to all CSPs, there may be a need to scale all allocations to fit the total available. This will be done by the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) and Deputy President (Finance & Services).
This is the point where you can sit back and relax - your work as a CSP is done!
Appeals (Summer 2024)
Provisional grant allocations will be released early in April 2024. Appeals will be considered by the DPCS and DPFS, with guidance from the Student Activities Team, per the appeals process. Full information in the later section on appeals.
Final Allocations (Summer 2024)
Final grant allocations will be confirmed in June 2024 following approval by the Union's Board of Trustees.
Following final allocations, CSPs will be given the opportunity to alter their membership fee for the 2024/25 academic year. Keep an eye on the Student Activities Centre emails for further information.
Now that you understand the process, head to the next section to find out how to build your budget.
