The Good Bull Fund: 

Through generous support of the Office of the President, this fund is established to cover or offset expenses related to the planning and implementation of student-led activities at Texas A&M University.   

Funding Request Periods: 

Spring 2025 (Activities occurring January 2025 - May 2025)

• Application Available: September 6, 2024
• Application Deadline: October 31, 2024
• Limit Per Request: $3,000

Required Criteria:

• Must be a Recognized Student Organization that is in good standing with the university.
  • Recognized without restrictions
  • Not under review/investigation or pending review/investigation for student organization conduct issues
  • Not 30 days past due on any financial obligation to the university
• Activities must be in compliance with the University Statement on Harassment and Discrimination.
• Receiving organization must acknowledge support from the Good Bull Fund in marketing and promotional materials.

If the activity is an event or program:

*The activity must fall within the specified date range for funding and should be limited to one event or event series (same event several times). Requests for multiple events will not be considered. 

• Activity should be open to the student and campus community.
• Activity must be student-planned/student-led.
• Activity must comply with expectations outlined in Student Rule 42: Activities of University-Recognized Student Organizations including, but not limited to:
  • Following applicable contract review procedures
  • Having activity reviewed and approved by the organization advisor
  • Following applicable brand standards in the University Brand Guide

If the activity is travel and/or professional development:

*The Travel/Professional Development activity should include representation of the organization at local, regional, national, or international opportunities. Professional development activities that are planned by and for organizational leadership/membership only (i.e. retreats, training days, etc.) will not be considered for funding.  

• Activity involving travel or professional development relates to the mission or purpose of the sponsoring organization.  Professional development refers to specialized training, advanced learning, or continuing education that is intended to help student leaders and organizational members develop new skills, stay abreast of current trends, and/or improve their knowledge of a specific area of interest.
• If applicable, activity meets all student travel requirements as outlined in Texas A&M Standard Administrative Procedure 13.04.99.M1.01 including, but not limited to travel notification and the use of waiver/release forms.

Preferred Criteria: 

• Activity takes place on-campus.
• Activity supports or showcases one or more of the Texas A&M values of Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, or Selfless Service.
• Activity provides benefit or positive impact to Texas A&M students and/or the surrounding community.
• Activity is free to participants.

Limitations:

• In accordance with University Rule 07.03.01.M1, allocated funds may not be used to “endorse, support or promote any political candidate (either incumbents or new office seekers, members of their staffs, or their campaign representatives) or any partisan political activity.”
• Allocated funds cannot be distributed to other student organizations, charitable organizations, university departments, or entities other than the requesting organization.
• Allocated funds cannot be used to purchase drugs, alcohol, or any other illegal or illicit substances or items as defined and prohibited by Texas A&M student rules.
• Allocated funds will only be distributed to an on-campus Student Organization Finance Center or university fiscal account.
• Allocations will be limited to a maximum of $3000 and will be made based on 1.) the total amount of funding available and 2.) the total amount of funds requested by all organizations.  Partial allocations may be given, as needed, to accommodate multiple requests.
• Organization must disclose any other university special funding that has been received in the same year for the referenced activity.
• Other reasons that a request may not be funded include: the activity is primarily serving an internal audience (other than eligible travel/PD requests) and is not open to the student and/or campus community; the request includes ineligible or undefined activities and/or activity expenses (i.e., general operating expenses, individual payments or awards, etc.); the application review does not result in a funding recommendation from the allocation committee.

Funding Process: 

1. Organizations may apply for funding once per funding period, based on the date of the event or program.
2. Applications for funding will be reviewed by a committee consisting of one full-time Texas A&M staff member, one full-time Texas A&M faculty member, two current undergraduate students, and one graduate student.  Committee members who are affiliated with an organization applying for funds will not be allowed to participate in the funding decision(s) for that organization. The Committee will be chaired by an Assistant Director of Student Activities or higher.
3. Organizations will be required to submit information pertaining to the criteria above, in addition to a budget for their event or program.  A rubric will be used to determine how well the request aligns with the criteria and purpose of the funding.  Those organizations with the highest rubric scores will receive first priority for funding until all funding has been allocated, or all funding requests (meeting criteria) have been funded.
4. Allocations will be made based on the total amount of funding available and the total amount of funds requested by all organizations.  Partial allocations may be given to accommodate multiple requests.
5. Organizations may be asked to meet with the allocation committee in person to discuss their request.
6. All funding decisions will be approved by the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs or designee before allocations are distributed to the student organization.
7. Organizations may be asked to provide a post-event impact statement regarding their use of the funding. Such statements may be used in marketing and promotional materials and/or to provide relevant data and feedback to university leadership.

*Emergency or expedited funding can be considered with support of a Texas A&M University department head or higher.

For more information about the Good Bull Fund, visit the links below: 

Texas A&M Today:  President Announces Good Bull Fund