Student Groups Face Tiered Fundraising Rules
The University of Chicago's Student Government Finance Committee has introduced progressive fundraising requirements for organizations requesting more than $2,500.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Financial Aid
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Student organizations requesting more than $2,500 from the Student Government Finance Committee must now fundraise on a marginal rate system, replacing flat percentages applied to the total request. Organizations were notified of the changes Monday night.
Why it matters
The new structure is intended to prevent situations where requesting slightly more funding would trigger a disproportionately higher fundraising burden. For Chicago-area students, it changes how campus groups budget and plan events at the University of Chicago.
Requests under $2,500 carry no fundraising requirement, while larger requests now face marginal rates of 35%, 50% and 60% on each successive dollar tier. The previous guidelines applied flat rates of 10%, 25% and 33% to the total amount requested.
The players
University of Chicago
A private research university on Chicago's South Side, whose Student Government Finance Committee adopted the new fundraising requirements for student organizations.
The details
College Council also approved Ella Kodl as chair of the Health and Wellness Committee by unanimous consent. The changes were communicated to student organizations on Monday night, and the new rate applies progressively to each dollar after the $2,500 threshold.
Timeline
Monday: College Council meeting where the Student Government Finance Committee announced the new guidelines.
Monday night: Student organizations notified of the fundraising changes.
Legal Context
The shift from flat to marginal fundraising rates mirrors tiered tax structures, where each additional dollar is taxed at a higher rate instead of raising the rate on the entire amount. Under the earlier University of Chicago guidelines, a request just above a threshold could sharply increase the required fundraising total.
Student organizations requesting more than $2,500 will need to plan fundraising under the new tiered percentages before submitting budget requests. Groups seeking larger allocations should calculate the marginal requirement on each dollar above the threshold.
The takeaway
Student organizations planning larger budgets should model fundraising targets by tier rather than assuming a single percentage applies to the full request. Reviewing the marginal structure before submitting funding requests can help avoid unexpected shortfalls.
Further reading
For related coverage of campus funding, see Financial Aid in the Chicago edition.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Chicago Maroon.
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