Revamped grant system allows for increase in club activities

As Chinese Club president junior Nathon Chin sat in front of his computer staring at the ASB Grant Google Form, he couldn’t help but but get excited about funding a club trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Chin, like many other club presidents on campus, has applied for an ASB grant, a system that provides funds for club activities and fundraisers. After having applied in early March, the Chinese Club has not yet received word on its application status, but is hopeful it will be granted.

The system, originally instituted last year as a part of Speak Up for Change week, is an opportunity for school-approved clubs to earn up to $500 for club-related activities. This system has recently been revamped in order to both solidify and accelerate the grant application process.

“We had to redo most of the grant application, because our current form didn’t have enough details,” said junior Roland Shen, the ASB tresurer. “We wanted to see a detail-by-detail breakdown of how every club will be spending their money.”

The grant-system has since benefited numerous clubs such as the Future Business Leaders of America Club (FBLA) andM-SET Robotics, helping fund each club’s need for extra monetary support for equipment, bus rides and attire.

senior Lesley Huang, the president of FBLA, said that because of increased participation in club activities this year, her clubwas need of more funds to transport individuals to and from competitions, including state conferences. The money also helped pay for scholarships to go to the conferences for some students.

Huang, who also manages finances for the school’s M-SET Robotics, said that the team also applied for a grant in early March in hopes of receiving money to fund the large costs of purchasing robot parts and equipment. After buying 20 new motor controllers, each selling for around $100, Huang hopes that the grant system will “alleviate at least some of the expenses.”

According to Shen, six clubs have submitted applications as of late March, asking for amounts ranging from $90 to $500 — most of the statuses of these applications, Shen said, are still pending.

ASB vice president Spring Ma said that the new application process will allow the ASB to figure out why a certain club is asking for an amount such as $500 instead of $450 or less. Ultimately, the main goal of the ASB grant system is to bring more permanent change to the school and student body.

“We’ve always been making sure that the money is connected to the students,” Ma said. “We will try to fund all projects that [have the potential] to have a long-term impact on as many students as possible.”