Last spring, Brown’s QuestBridge student group — one of hundreds of clubs receiving its annual funding from the Undergraduate Finance Board for 2024-25 — was given $517.73, one-third of its annual funding from the prior year.
The club, facing disrupted programming from the tighter annual budget, gathered 584 signatures in a petition to UFB for more funding. It sent the petition to UFB last spring, but didn’t hear back until two weeks ago.
QuestBridge and several other student clubs faced a similar issue this semester after UFB tightened its funding allocations last semester: Clubs got less money up front and could apply for supplemental money as needed. UFB mentioned the change in an email to clubs, but multiple club organizers said they felt the communication was insufficient.
UFB Chair, Naomi LeDell ’26, inherited these concerns when she took on the role at the end of last semester, after being a UFB representative during the 2023-24 school year. She says a lack of adequate communication from UFB about the process could have caused the issues, and she wants to fix them.
LeDell said she has held internal trainings for UFB representatives and has met with clubs across campus who voiced concerns over the summer to reconsider decisions made about about their funds in the past.
Last year, board members “stopped taking UFB and their responsibility as seriously” LeDell said, attributing the issues to “burnout” among board members.
“I really do want to rectify the situation that everyone’s been left in,” she said. “I hope that UFB can continue to work with everyone in a satisfactory way.”
Still, LeDell stressed that UFB funds are not unlimited, and “some requests … need to be scrutinized.”
UFB splits funding for most clubs into three different buckets: baseline, supplemental and annual. All student groups recognized by Brown can receive baseline funding up to $200. Most can apply for annual funding, meant for large-scale events, like conferences and publishing costs.
The revamped system also offers larger supplemental funds, which intend to compensate for smaller annual funds. Roughly half of the clubs at Brown, including Questbridge, are eligible to receive supplemental funding. UFB hopes these funds help cover socials, dinners and other one-off programs.
Last year, UFB did not clearly explain that clubs could apply for supplemental funding on top of annual funding, said LeDell. “I personally was shocked about how many clubs just weren't told this.”
Still, she said it’s the responsibility of clubs to stay aware of funding processes and other requirements. Because of the large number of clubs — over 400 — she said it isn’t possible for UFB to keep tabs on every group.
“We did not know we were eligible for supplemental funding until very recently, when the new UFB Chair reached out and explained that we can appeal a second time to try to receive supplemental funding,” said Michael Ochoa ’25, QuestBridge Brown’s former president. “Up until then, we were in limbo and had no idea what to expect going into this year.”
Recently, LeDell met with QuestBridge and permitted them to reapply for annual funding, which UFB will then vote on whether to accept.
FirstGens@Brown also received a reduction in their annual funding. In an email to The Herald, Mia Mira ’25, head of the club, wrote that she wasn’t aware that clubs can apply for supplemental funds until The Herald contacted her.
The new system introduces challenges with event planning, Mira said. It’s difficult to plan for an event without knowing if funding will be granted down the line.
Julia Byrne ’25, president of the advocacy group Circle of Women — which is only eligible for baseline funding — told The Herald that the $200 is “quite modest.”
She continued, “Of course, any amount of money is helpful for operations, but for a fundraising club that plans events, funding is vital for us succeeding in our core mission.”
Clarification: This story was updated with additional comment from LeDell and to clarify that "annual" funding was also available during 2023-24.
Leah Koritz is a senior staff writer covering student government beat. Leah is from Dover, Massachusetts and studies Public Health and Judaic Studies. In her free time, Leah enjoys hiking, watching the Red Sox and playing with her dog, Boba.
