Funding Guidelines and Spending Requirements

Requirements for Funding Consideration
  1. Bills must be submitted to RHA via email at unlrha@gmail.com a minimum of two (2) weeks before the set event date.
  2. Bills must include all required information outlined within the Bill Template and the required language outlined in the template.
  3. All funding requests must include an itemized budget. An itemized budget lists out each item to be purchased with the quantity, individual cost, and total cost.
    1. Please feel free to utilize RHA's Budget Template.
  4. Those requesting funding must include the following information in the bill and present on the information during RHA Senate:
    1. Detailed summary of the event,
    2. Explanation of how the funded event will attract students, with emphasis on on-campus residents (e.g. marketing strategies, location of event, communication to residents),
    3. Estimate of how many people will attend the event,
    4. How successful has the event been in the past, if applicable,
    5. Required attendance fees or ticket costs, if applicable.
  5. A representative from your organization must be present to speak about your request or a representative may request a Zoom link if someone cannot be present.
  6. Before funding may be approved, the event must first be APPROVED through NvolveU.
  7. The official RHA logo must be displayed on all advertising for the event as a sponsor.
  8. Any unused funds will be returned to RHA.
  9. All relevant receipts, invoices, etc. must be sent to the RHA Internal Vice President (IVP) no more than two (2) weeks after the planned event date.
  10. Failure to follow Funding Guidelines will result in a delay until issues are corrected or will result in a denial of the funding request.
  11. Those who receive funding and do not appropriately advertise RHA sponsorship or make no effort to follow the Funding Guidelines risk future funding requests being denied by the organization for up to a year or more.
Requirements for Spending Approved Funds
  1. The organizers cannot purchase styrofoam, gift cards, or non-Pepsi beverages as per University Policy.
  2. Purchases must always include tax.
  3. For all food purchases, please review the UNL Catering and Food Policy ahead of time.
  4. Prepared food (non-prepackaged items) must be purchased through a UNL Approved Food Provider (scroll down and click "Approved Food Providers"). 
    1. Please be aware that this list is updated monthly and your event must be before the "County Health Certificate Expires" or the "COI Expires" dates, whichever is sooner, for your food provider to be approved.
  5. Events hosted at the Nebraska Union or East Union buildings or Willa Cather Dining Center (WCDC) must utilize University Catering services to provide food or beverages.
  6. Organizations must request invoices (with tax) or make the purchases and submit itemized receipts to RHA to request payment.
Submit the Bill!

Once the Funding Guidelines and the Requirements for Spending Approved Funds have been reviewed, please follow these steps:

  1. Complete the bill utilizing the provided Bill Template. 
  2. Complete an itemized budget, if applicable. 
    1. While not required to utilize the Budget Template, an itemized budget is required for all funding requests. 
  3. Submit both documents to unlrha@gmail.com. 
    1. Bills must be submitted no later than Thursday at 4:00 PM in order to be seen during RHA Senate the following week. If the bill is submitted after this deadline, the bill will not be seen during RHA Senate for at least a week. Ensure there is ample time before the set event date.
  4. RHA's Speaker of the Senate will review all bills submitted for timeliness, all required information, and any discrepancies. The Speaker of the Senate may reach out for more information or for the bill author to correct any mistakes. 
  5. Once the Speaker of the Senate approves the bill, the bill will be added to the RHA Senate Agenda as a "New Business" item. 
  6. While not required, RHA Senate appreciates having a visual presentation outlining the information for the bill. 
    1. If the authoring organization creates a presentation, please submit the presentation to unlrha@gmail.com before the coming Tuesday. 
  7. During RHA Senate, the bill will be voted on by the RHA Senators. This will result in either an approval or denial of the request.