All of the information and forms on this page have been updated for 2025-2026.

Co-curricular activities, registered student organizations, and individual students must use the forms below to request Law School JD Grants funding for local events, virtual events, and travel. The JD Grants Committee is the only funding source within the Law School for student events except for the Student Bar Association and other law student organizations. Do not seek funding from Law School programs, departments, faculty, or administrators. Any amount received from these other Law School sources will be subtracted from a grant approved by the committee.

Note: Students cannot sign financial contracts. If an event involves a contract with any entity, you must inform the Law School and discuss feasibility and process. Contact Carlie Wiseley, the Student Life & Engagement Manager, at carlie.wiseley@wisc.edu. 

  

Business Purpose Information and JD Grants Email Address

All use of university funds must be supported by a Business Purpose.  For information and examples, please read the Business Purpose Information Document (Word document).

Email forms and reports as Word documents to jdgrants@law.wisc.edu.

  

Budgets

• Budget for Co-Curricular Activities (Word document): Co-curricular activities (i.e. law journals, Mock Trial, and Moot Court) are required to submit an annual budget using this form. These budgets are due on or before July 15, 2025.
• Budget for Student Organizations that may request $5,000 or more in 2025-2026 (Word document):  Only Law School student organizations that anticipate requesting $5,000 or more in total funds for 2025-2026 must submit an advisory budget using this form.  These budgets are due on or before August 15, 2025. The JD Grants Committee will use these advisory budgets only for planning purposes.  No events will be approved or denied based on these budgets.

  

Local Events

See Law School Handbook Section 18: Facilities and Event Planning for important information about planning local events. 

Funding for Food at Local Events:  Student groups--both student organizations and co-curricular activities--sponsor a wide variety of local events. Because the JD Grants Committee works within a limited budget, it cannot pay for food at all local events. The committee usually provides funding for food only for events (1) that last most of the day and (2) include outside participants. The committee is not likely to fund food for an event in which a speaker or panel gives a presentation over the noon hour for UW Law students. The committee may fund food, such as a noon meal or an evening reception, for participants at an all-day conference or symposium that includes people from outside the Law School.

• Local Event Funding Request (Word document): If your group is working with the External Affairs Office, please consult with them before submitting a Local Event Funding Request.
• Hosted Meal Sign-in Sheet (PDF): If food will be served at a local event, take this form to the event to collect the names and affiliations of attendees. A sign-in sheet is required whenever food is served.
• Local Event Actual Expenses Report (Word document): The Local Event Expense Report is due two (2) weeks after the event.
• Law School Business Office-Meal Payment Form (PDF):  This form is required for every event in which food and/or beverages were served.

  

Travel Awards

The JD Grants Committee provides competition funding for Law Students only when: (1) they will earn credit for participating in the competition, and (2) their participation will be supervised by a faculty member who provides guidance for their competiton preparation in addition to granting credit in the course. 

First-Year Students' Participation in Competitions:  By default, the JD Grants Committee does not fund first-year students' participation in competitons, because 1Ls cannot enroll in upper-level courses under Law School Rule 3.02(c), and enrollment in a course associated with the competition is required as indicated above. 

The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs may authorize a 1L to be considered for JD Grants funding to participate in a competiton and/or enroll in an upper-level course for a competition in extraordinary and unusual circumstances. For example, part-time students who are still considered 1Ls may be permitted to participate in a competition when they are in their second year of the first-year program.  

Any first-year student who wishes to be considered for JD Grants funding and/or enroll in an upper-level course for a competition must contact Lauren Devine, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, at lauren.devine@wisc.edu and describe their extraordinary and unusual circumstances. They may apply for JD Grants funding for a competition only after approval from Dean Devine, which is rare. 

Travel Awards' Impact on Financial Aid:  Federal regulations require that travel awards be included in students' financial aid packages. When you receive a travel award, the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) will recalculate your financial aid package for the academic year. Your federal loan eligibility for this year will be reduced by the amount of the travel award.

If you currently receive financial aid (including scholarships, federal loans, grants, etc.) at or near your Cost of Attendance (COA), the travel award may cause your total financial aid to exceed your COA. If that happens, you may see a balance owed on your tuition account equivalent to the amount that you have been over-awarded. You will be responsible for paying any balance. You can see any changes to your financial aid package and your tuition account in your Student Center. 

If you have questions about how a travel award will interact with your financial aid, please contact Heidi Johnson, Assistant Director of Scholarships and Financial Aid, at heidi.johnson@wisc.edu. 

• Funding Request for Student Travel Awards (Word document)
• Attendance Report for Student Travel Awards (Word document): The Attendance Report is due one (1) week after the event.
• Request for Supplemental Travel Awards (Word document): Submit this form only if the total cost of your trip exceeds your original travel award by $25 or more.

  

Virtual Events

• Funding Request to Attend a Virtual Event (Word document)
• Funding Request to Sponsor a Virtual Event (Word document)
• Virtual Event Actual Expenses Report (Word document): The Virtual Event Expense Report is due one (1) week after the event.