FLC Budget Guidelines

An FLC will request its budget based on the needs of the topic and group. FLCs may request up to $7,500 for relevant expenses, as outlined below. Requested amounts should be appropriate for the needs of the group and should accurately represent expected expenses.

Download the FLC budget guidelines (pdf)

FLC Budget Proposal Process

After the FLC topic has been selected and the learning community formed via a call for participants, the FLC collectively will agree on their activities and expenses. All FLC members should have input on the budget, and the final budget proposal should be the consensus of the group.

The facilitator(s) will submit a budget proposal to the CTE within the first 6 weeks of the semester in which the FLC begins. Budget proposals must contain a detailed budget outlining the need/use, amount, and rationale for each expense. The CTE may not approve all requested expenses.

Budget proposals can be submitted earlier if funds are needed immediately, e.g. for a kick-off event to begin the FLC. In this case, the facilitator(s) should notify the CTE about the need for an early budget submission, ideally when the call for participants is being finalized.        

Budget Request Guidelines

FLC budgets can cover food, off-campus visits, retreats, speakers, and other relevant expenses. Expenses should benefit all participants equally. Some guidelines for commonly requested expenses are below.

• Member professional development funds—up to $500 for each non-facilitator member; NOTE: Facilitator funds are not part of the group budget (see “Facilitator Funds” for more info)
• Food for group meetings—we encourage FLCs to request food for in-person meetings to foster community; requests cannot include 1) alcohol or 2) food for members participating remotely
• Off-campus retreats— all members of the group should plan to participate in a retreat; this should be advertised as an intended part of the FLC
• Travel/site visits—travel expenses for site visits or conferences will be considered; all members are not required to participate, but requests must include anticipated number of participants and an explanation of how all members will benefit
• Books—funds can be used for books that will be read and discussed as a group; books for personal use should be purchased by members with their professional development funds

Facilitator Funds

Facilitators may choose to receive professional development funds or a stipend; these funds are not part of the group budget. Co-facilitators can decide individually how to receive their funding. 

• Professional Development Funds: Co-facilitators will receive $1,500 each in funding; a sole facilitator will receive $2,000. Professional development funds are not stipends but can be used for expenses such as travel, books, technology, equipment, student assistance, etc.
• Stipend*: Co-facilitators will receive $1,250 each, while a sole facilitator will receive $1,700. Stipend amounts differ from professional development funding amounts to account for the cost of salary-dependent benefits.

*Stipends are considered taxable income and are less than professional development funds to account for the cost of salary-dependent benefits.