The Office of Student Affairs supports the academic and community explorations of students by providing an environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency and partnership in co-creating their optimal CBS experience. OSA seeks to deliver a transformational experience, inside and outside of the classroom, by helping students connect to faculty, each other, and the greater CBS community.
OSA’s Community Engagement Grant (CEG) provides funding to Columbia Business School (CBS) student clubs to foster impactful community-wide events that are inclusive of all CBS students.
Events funded through the Community Engagement Grant must be inclusive and open to all students.
- Events must support CBS students’ academic, career, or community experiences.
- Applications must be submitted at least four (4) weeks in advance of the proposed event date.
- Clubs must indicate whether the event is community-wide or club-only.
- All proposals must include a clear event purpose and measurable outcomes.
- A completed budget using the CEG Budget Template is required with the application.
- Once approved, events must be listed on the club’s CampusGroups portal if not already posted.
Program Requirements
For Community-Wide Events (open to the full CBS community):
- Eligible for up to $2,500 per event.
- Must be widely promoted to the entire CBS community.
- Events focused on food must include a meaningful educational or cultural component.
- Must take place as described in the application.
For Club-Only Events (not open to all CBS students):
- Eligible for up to $500 per event.
- Must still include an educational, cultural, or mission-driven element (pure social or networking events are not eligible).
- Must be clearly labeled as “club-only” in the application.
- Must be promoted within the club and listed in CampusGroups.
For All Events:
- Changes to date, location, format, or scope must be approved in advance by the club’s OSA advisor and the grant committee.
- Canceled or postponed events must be communicated to your OSA advisor as soon as possible.
- Events must follow all standard CBS club programming and financial policies.
- Grant funds are disbursed after the event and only if all financial protocols (including FNP submission within two weeks) are followed
The following expenses and event types are not eligible for Community Engagement Grant funding:
- Alcohol, including beer or wine
- Individual conference registration fees or student club-sponsored conference expenses
- Travel and lodging
- Honoraria or gifts for speakers
- Executive board dinners or club-sponsored meals that do not involve the broader CBS student community or meet other CEG criteria
- Activities occurring outside the semester in which the award is requested
- Events that are primarily social in nature, including:
- Club mixers
- Socials
- Parties
All events must include a clear academic, cultural, or community-building purpose to be considered for funding.
- The Community Engagement Grant opens on Monday, January 19, 2026 at 9:00AM, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the semester until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 1, 2026(four weeks before the last day of student group programming on Friday, December 5, 2025).
- Event proposals must be submitted at least four (4) weeks before the event date to allow sufficient time for contract processing, space reservations, and approval.
- Decisions will be communicated via email within one week of application submission.
- Note: The grant committee will consider events taking place within the first month of the application opening date.
While the Office of Student Affairs encourages students to proactively plan events and community building opportunities, we recognize that there are times in which we must create spaces to respond to real-time world happenings that deeply impact our community. The CBS Community Response Grant serves as a method of providing funding for community events that encourage students to discuss, process or celebrate events that impact society on a regional or global scale.
- Real time events: Over the past year we’ve seen many examples of when our community has wanted to come together to discuss a current event; examples include anti-Asian violence, the war in Ukraine, floods in Pakistan, and protests in Iran. A real-time event is something that cannot be predicted, but deeply impacts our community on a local, domestic or global scale.
- Funding: Each grant provides up to $500 in funding for a community event or program. Student organizations can also contribute funds from their budget or apply for additional funds from the Community Engagement Grant.
- Students without an affiliation: Only student organizations (not individuals) can apply for a Community Response Grant. If you have a community response event that you would like to hold but are not connected to a club, please meet with the Office of Student Affairs so that we can pair you with a student organization!
- Alcohol
- Conferences (funding will be given separately through OSA)
- Travel expenses
- Honorarium and gifts
- Activities not occurring within the semester in which the award is requested
- Applications for the Community Response Grant will be accepted on a rolling basis. Clubs must submit a complete application including any supporting documentation.
- Funded activities must be completed during the semester in which the award is made. If awards given for a semester are not utilized, funding cannot be transferred to the following semester. All Columbia Business School policies must be upheld in the planning and execution of your project. These funds must be used for the purpose approved by the panel. Grant funding will be awarded in the form of a transfer to the club’s account.
The Case Competition Grant program enhances our robust slate of co-curricular activities by subsidizing participation in case competitions. The goal of the grant is to positively impact students with the added bonus of easing the financial burden Case Competitions can impose on students. Grant recipients must reflect academic integrity and dedication, and community citizenship. Stock pitch competitions can be submitted for consideration, however case competitions will be prioritized.
- Grants will only be awarded to teams comprised of students participating in Case Competitions. Grants will not be awarded to individual students.
- The maximum amount of funding that groups may be awarded per application is $1000.
- Absences from regularly schedule classes and/or exams due to attendance at grand-funded case competitions will not be considered excused.
- Groups must provide a detailed budget of the event.
- Registration fee for Competition.
- Travel and hotel lodging (no Air B&B or home-share).
- Honorarium and gifts.
- Food and alcohol (this includes room service, mini bar, resort fees, upgrades, etc.)
- Airfare that is purchased with miles or points cannot be reimbursed.
- Air B&B and other home-sharing platforms are not eligible for reimbursement when traveling on University business with the use of this grant. Teams should make note in their application if they intend to stay in a home-share.
- Complete project proposals must be submitted no later than two (2) weeks prior to the event.
- Decisions will be announced within one (1) week of the application's date of submission.
- Applications can be submitted starting on September 2, 2025 on a rolling basis throughout the year until April 2, 2026.