Harvard Law School Association

Club and Shared Interest Groups (SIGs)
Annual Allocation

Funding Structure and Process

The HLS Alumni Relations Office processes one funding allocation request per Club/SIG each year. This is in coordination with the annual Certification process that each HLSA Club/SIG participates in. The event(s) captured in the annual Certification survey and Allocation request process must be organized in the current fiscal year, July 1 to June 30. These event(s) must be organized and addressed for alumni; a Club/SIG Officers or Board of Directors meeting will not qualify for the purpose of the funding allocation. 

 

  • Effective February 18, 2020, all HLSA Club/SIGs must have an established bank account and complete the necessary forms provided by the HLS Alumni Relations Office to be eligible to receive any funding. HLSA funding will not be sent to personal bank accounts. All HLSA Clubs/SIGs are responsible for paying vendors for all expenses incurred.

 

  • Some events may be co-sponsored by multiple HLSA Clubs and SIGs. In such a case, each Club and SIG actively involved in the organization and hosting of the event is entitled to count the event for the funding allocation.

 

  • A Club/SIGs eligibility to receive the allocation will be determined by the number of events scheduled and posted on the Club/SIGs online event calendar (AlumniMagnet) at the time of this Certification survey's submission. Past and upcoming events for the current fiscal year, July 1 - June 30, will be counted; however, they must be posted online for the alumni audience.

 

If your organization has not received funding in the past but is now eligible, please contact hlsa@law.harvard.edu to start the online registration process required for financial transactions.

 

 

Funding Allocation - Clubs

If you anticipate requesting a Tier 1 or Tier 2 bonus (in addition to the base funding under the First Level Criteria), do not submit your Allocation request in the annual Certification survey until the required number of events has been hosted/scheduled on your online calendar (AlumniMagnet).

 

First Level Criteria (available to all geographic Clubs)
$2 per alumnus (at least two events organized in the prior year to be eligible to receive the funds).

Second Level Criteria (all geographic Clubs excluding the three largest Clubs)
A Club is eligible for additional funding if the Club:

  1. complies with the annual registration finalized through the Certification survey,
  2. has organized a certain number of events (see chart below),
  3. regularly corresponds with the HLSA Executive Committee and the HLS Alumni Relations Office regarding events and local activities and has these events posted to the HLSA Global Events Calendar (at the time of Certification survey submission),
  4. follows a succession plan for election of new Officers and/or Board per the Club bylaws.
     

 

Events per year

Funding

Tier 1

3 - 6

Extra $1,500

Tier 2

7 - 10+

Extra $2,500

 

Note: If a Club exceeds the Tier 1 event threshold, hosting seven or more events, the funding from both tiers will be combined. For example, if a Club hosts eight events, they will receive $1,500 + $2,500 = $4,000 (event bonus) in addition to the $2 per alumnus.
 

The below funding criteria is available to the three largest Geographic Clubs:

The three largest Clubs are defined by the number of alumni in each Club’s region. For the 2023 – 2024 Allocation process, the three largest Clubs are:    HLSA of New York City, HLSA of Washington, DC, and HLSA of Massachusetts. 

 

 

Events per year

Funding

Tier 1

6 - 9

Extra $1,000

Tier 2

10+

Extra $1,000

 

Note: The events per year are slightly higher for the three largest geographic Clubs due to the funding received under the First Level Criteria and the availability of local sponsorship in the largest markets.

 

 

Funding Allocation - Shared Interest Groups (SIGs)

If you anticipate requesting funding, do not submit your Allocation request in the annual Certification survey until the required number of events has been hosted/scheduled on your online calendar (AlumniMagnet).

 

 

Events per year

Funding

Tier 1

1 - 2

$1,000

Tier 2

3

$2,000

Tier 3

4 - 6+

$6,000


Note: SIGs are only eligible for one of the funding Tiers above.