Managing a school's grants, from budget to final report
Envelope, published criteria, committee, payments, reports: sharing grants between student associations in a way that is fair, clear and traceable.
For a student life office, grants to associations are a balancing act: sharing a limited envelope between dozens of projects, fairly and transparently, then checking that the money was used as planned. Without a method, it quickly turns into applications lost in emails and reports that never arrive.
Where the money comes from
Depending on the institution, the envelope may combine:
- a student life budget voted by the institution;
- a share of the CVEC, the contribution de vie étudiante et de campus (student and campus life contribution) that students pay when they enrol (€105 for the 2026-2027 year; students holding a means-tested state scholarship, boursiers, are exempt). It funds, among other things, health, sport, culture and social support projects on campuses, including initiatives run by associations;
- partnerships or the school's own funds.
Each source may have its own rules of use: that is the first thing to clarify.
Setting the envelope and the criteria
Before opening applications, set:
- the total amount available, and possibly how it is split between several rounds during the year;
- the award criteria: number of students reached, openness to all, fit with the institution's priorities, share of self-funding, reports from previous years;
- ineligible expenses: for example alcohol, or expenses that benefit only the board members.
Publish these criteria. Rules known in advance make decisions easier to accept, including when the answer is no.
The application calendar
Set deadlines and keep to them. Two or three rounds a year give associations time to prepare their projects, and the committee time to compare them. A single application template (project, forecast budget, administrative documents) simplifies everything: see, on the associations' side, applying to your school for a grant.
The committee
Put together a committee that mixes management, student life staff and, often, elected student representatives. For each application: the criteria applied, the amount requested, the amount awarded, and the reasons for the decision. The committee's minutes serve as the reference if a decision is challenged.
Paying, monitoring, following up
- Pay according to the announced calendar, possibly in two instalments (an advance, then the balance on receipt of the report).
- For a public grant of more than €23,000, an agreement is compulsory (article 10 of the French law of 12 April 2000): see the school–association agreement.
- Monitor projects in progress: a project that is postponed or cancelled must be reported.
The report
Ask each association for a report after the project: expenses incurred with receipts, gaps against the forecast, actual attendance. For a public grant above €23,000, a compte rendu financier (financial report on the use of the grant) must be submitted within six months of the end of the financial year. Make the next grant conditional on the report for the previous one being submitted: it is the most effective rule.
Reporting to management
At the end of the year, you must be able to say how much was paid, to which associations, for which projects, with what impact. If the data is scattered, this report takes days. If it is kept up to date as you go, it takes an hour.
With toGaether
In toGaether, the school manages its envelopes; associations submit their applications on the platform with their forecast budget. The school tracks each application, the payments and the reports, and gets a consolidated view of all its associations for reporting to management.
This article gives general guidance; public institutions also apply their own budget management rules.
