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. Contact the External Affairs Office at events@law.wisc.edu regarding any contracts related to your event.

Submitting Request Forms and Post-Event Reports

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

Budgets

All budgets are due to the committee on or before July 15, 2023.

• Budget for Co-Curricular Activities (Word document): Co-curricular activities (i.e. law journals, Mock Trial, and Moot Court) are required to submit a projected an annual budget using this form.
• Budget for Student Organizations that may request $5,000 or more in 2023-2024 (Word document):  Only Law School student organizations that anticipate requesting $5,000 or more in total funds for 2023-2024 must submit a projected budget using this form.

Local Events

See Law School Handbook Section 18: Facilities and Event Planning for important information about planning 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 (Excel document): 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): This report is due to the committee within two (2) weeks after the end of the local event.
• Law School Business Office-Events-Meal Payment Form (PDF):  This form is required for every event in which food and/or beverages were served.

Travel Awards

First-year students may participate in competitions funded by the JD Grants Committee if they first consult with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to discuss their participation. The Assistant Dean's duties include meeting with 1L students concerning academic load considerations. In addition, the Assistant Dean is responsible for deciding when 1L students may register for courses outside of the regular first-year curriculum. If a credit-bearing course is created for students participating in the competition, the Assistant Dean has the authority to authorize 1L team members to enroll.

If you are a first-year student who is considering participating in a competition, please contact Lauren Devine, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, at lauren.devine@wisc.edu.

To comply with federal student aid regulations, travel awards must be included in a student's financial aid. The recipient student's federal loan eligibility will be reduced by an amount equal to the travel award for the term in which the travel award is received. If a student is borrowing federal loans and their total financial aid (including loans, scholarships, work study, etc.) is already at or near their total Cost of Attendance, this may mean that a portion of the student's federal loan disbursement for the term must be returned and/or that the student may see a balance on their tuition account. 

Students should contact Lori Hickman, the Director for Scholarship Administration and Recruitment, at lori.hickman@wisc.edu to discuss the implications of a travel award on their financial aid.

• Funding Request for Student Travel Awards (Word document)
• Attendance Report for Student Travel Awards (Word document): Attendance Report is due to the committee within one (1) week after the end of the event.
• Request for Supplemental Travel Awards (Word document): Submit this form only if the total cost of your trip exceed 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): Virtual Event Expense report is due to the committee within one (1) week after the event.