SAAF
The Student Activities Assistance Fund (SAAF) was established in 2012 as a supplemental grant to assist enrolled undergraduate students in registered student organizations with financial support to participate fully in their student organization’s programs and events. While most student organization expenses are paid by the university, sometimes individuals may be asked to cover their own sports/athletic equipment, travel costs to attend an academic conference, or national association fees. The SAAF is meant to help reduce the financial burden for undergraduate students.
Common expenses eligible for SAAF offer/reimbursement include but are not limited to:
- Conferences and travel to/from conferences hosted by national organization of which student is a member of the campus/local chapter
- Member dues to cover financial gap to participate in sports club, fraternity, sorority
- Gear, equipment, and uniforms necessary for activity
- In-city rideshare/public transit for activities hosted/sponsored by student organization
- Bonding, social, and exec outings, subject to conditions set and met by SOA/student org advisor
To maximize use of fund and support as many experiences as possible, SAAF is operating on application cycles. Students should only request financial support for eligible activities if they will be able to upload receipt/proof of payment by the cycle's deadline. Students with recurring expenses can apply in each cycle for the appropriate anticipated expenses. Requests for expenses for past experiences will not be awarded, regardless of financial need.
This is an example of the request timeline:
- Complete general questionnaire on Northwestern OneForm
- Complete SAAF Opportunity specific questionnaire on Northwestern OneForm within the appropriate cycle and include anticipated expense details
- Await 'offer' email on the review date for the cycle
- 'Accept' the offer and upload proof of payment/receipt in the 'post-acceptance' questionnaire
- A reviewer from the SAAF program will either email the participant or the student can expect to see the award 'post' to the student's CAESAR account shortly after the award acceptance and proof of payment deadline for the appropriate cycle.
Fall 2024-25 Cycles are below. Winter/Spring quarter cycles will be published here at the start of Winter Quarter
| Application Cycle | Application Open/Close Dates | Offers Sent | Award Acceptance and Proof of Payment deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Cycle 1 | January 7-13, 2025 | January 15, 2025 | January 27, 2025 |
| Winter Cycle 2 | January 17-22, 2025 | January 24, 2025 | February 13, 2025 |
| Winter Cycle 3 | February 3-13, 2025 | February 15, 2025 | March 28, 2025 |
| Spring Cycle | March 24-April 4, 2025 | April 8, 2025 | April 22, 2025 (Student Affairs will review/approve receipts and proof of payment in order they arrive with all processed by April 29, 2025) |
Offer amounts are based on the following factors:
- Personal financial need level as determined by Northwestern Financial Aid
- Total anticipated expenses
- Necessity and specificity of item for the activity (may consult advisor for this expense type or to consider alternative avenues to cover expense)
- Total program budget
Offers that are not accepted with proof of payment uploaded by the deadline will be forfeit back into the general SAAF budget and added to future cycle budget. Different windows might yield different offer levels depending on demand and fund availability.