LEF/ARCADE Fund Descriptions & Guidelines

Both LEF and ARCADE draw from the Student Life Fee and are administered by the ASA on behalf of the Division for Student Life and the Graduate Student Office.

All ASA-recognized groups of all designations (including MIT-Funded, Sponsor-Funded, MIT Student Group, FSILG, and Club Sports Council groups) are eligible to apply to LEF and ARCADE.

LEF, started in 1998, receives $100,000 of the DSL portion of the Student Life Fee to allocate per academic year over 4 funding cycles.

ARCADE, started in 2002, receives $75,000 of the DSL and GSO portions of the Student Life Fee to allocate over 4 funding cycles each academic year. The mission of ARCADE is to fund events that promote interactions and foster good relationships between the different cultural, ethnic, and otherwise diversified branches of the MIT community.

Allocations Philosophy and Guidelines

• Our goal is to fund events that are unique and make otherwise inaccessible opportunities easy for MIT students to attend. Thus, all events must be open to, and advertised to, everyone in the MIT community. Likewise, events should be held on campus.
• While we recognize the importance of free food at events in drawing student attendees, we do place emphasis on events that students may not necessarily otherwise have an opportunity to attend, with or without food.
• Direct philanthropy will not be funded, as in direct channeling of LEF funds into a charity. Events sponsored by LEF for the purposes of generating donations for charity are okay, but will be given a lower priority.
• Because we want to focus on the event itself, we rarely ever grant funding for items to be given away (prizes) or items that will be kept by individuals after the event (tshirts, etc). Depending on the size and scope of an event, up to $100 will be allocated for any prizes.
• By default, we do not provide honoraria, especially if the speakers/performers are recent alums. This includes honoraria to be donated to charity. If honoraria are absolutely required, please speak with a SAO staff member before applying.
• Events should target all MIT students. Events that will draw only members of the sponsoring organization, either in theory or in practice, will not be funded.

• LEF Specific Criteria:

• Events must be open to and advertised to everyone in the MIT community and appeal to a large audience (more than 150 people).
• Events should be of a social, not academic, nature.
• Events should have a total budget of more than $2,500.

• ARCADE Specific Criteria:

• Events must be open to everyone in the MIT community.
• Events must have a cultural or ethnic focus.

Things to keep in mind for LEF and ARCADE Applications:

• No group is guaranteed funding from either fund for an event and should *not* spend money they have not yet received.
• Events may NOT receive funding from both LEF and ARCADE.
• The Chair of LEF and ARCADE reserves the right to consider applications under the opposite funding board if it is deemed appropriate.
• Events requiring large space must demonstrate space availability.
• Events that are initiated, planned and run by a MIT department or administrative unit do not qualify for LEF/ARCADE funding.
• Groups requesting funds that have alternative sources of revenue/funds (Student Governments that receive annual funds from MIT, Dorms that collect house taxes, reserve accounts, etc.) should clearly outline how they are spending their other funds and why they should be considered for LEF/ARCADE funding.
• Collaboration with other MIT student organizations is encouraged.
• Events should be alcohol-free (funding cannot be used for alcohol).
• Complete, itemized event budgets are required and applications without detailed budgets will not be considered. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
• If partial funding is given to an event which is actually a series of multiple events, then the group is still held to hold all events listed in their application.  Exceptions can be requested to the funding board, but groups who do not follow the resulting decision will be required to return the funds.