The Operational and Capital Fund (OCF)

The Operational and Capital Fund

A funding pool that assists student organizations with basic operating or upfront expenses critical to the viability of their group at Duke.

Review full guidelines here.

Capital Expenditure Fund:

  • Funds used to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets
  • Examples include, but are not limited to, tables, chairs, white boards, teaching materials, etc.

Operational Expenditure Fund:

  • Funds used for developing or providing non-consumables
  • Examples include, but are not limited to, retreats, competition enrollment costs, costumes etc.

Student organizations are in charge of the upkeep and maintenance of the items funded through the Operational and Capital Fund. Students must keep these items for at least 4 years before requesting  a replacement or upgrade. Organizations may apply once per semester. Although there is no set overall request cap, all allocations are determined at SOFC’s discretion.

Open Membership and Competition Membership organizations, MGC and NPHC organizations, and DSG Affiliates are eligible to apply for OCF funding. Closed Membership organizations are not eligible.

Each request must include the required budget template and proof of cost for every requested line item, such as an invoice, receipt, quote, correspondence stating required fees, or screenshot of an online cart. Applications missing the required documentation will be automatically denied.

  • How to Apply

    Before applying for the Operational and Capital Fund, groups are encouraged to verify their account balance.

    How to find account balance on Dukegroups:

    ○ Navigate to your group’s page on DukeGroups

    ○ On the left-hand bar, select the “Money” function

    Any SOFC funds that are not used for their approved purpose must be returned to SOFC. Organizations should not retain unused SOFC funds in their accounts.

    To apply, there are two main steps:

    💡 DukeGroups Application: This virtual application will allow you to explain in AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE the line you are requesting fund for and provide other important information.

    📢 Hearing: After you submit your application, SOFC will reach out to you to schedule a hearing with our committee to further discuss your application. Be prepared to answer questions about your application and specific line items!

  • OCF Policies

    If your group is within its first year of operation, you are limited to $1000 of OCF funding.

    Student Travel

    • We fund student travel which may be required to attend conferences, competitions, etc. All allocations are made on a case-by-case basis.
    • SOFC cannot fund more than 1 competition/conference a year and up to 12 people per event.
    • Registration fees may be subsidized for student organizations to attend conferences.

    General Body Meetings

    • SOFC may subsidize one closed general body meeting per organization per semester, in accordance with applicable line-item policies, up to $125 per meeting.
    • For all events and GBMs open to all, please refer to the Programming Fund

    Reusable Items

    • We will fund the purchase of reusable items if they are proven to be needed in the long-term (as opposed to rented for more short-term use)
    • Examples: Cookware and bakeware, tents/outdoor furniture, games and sports equipment (e.g. netball), etc.
    • SOFC will fund new costumes only when the organization’s current costumes are more than four years old.

    Digital Costs

    • SOFC no longer funds website costs, we encourage groups to utilize DukeGroups or sites.duke.edu (a free site building service)
    • SOFC does not fund marketing costs (i.e. Facebook and Instagram ads).

    National Organization Dues

    • SOFC does not fund national organization dues.

    Conference Registration Fees

    • Registration fees may be subsidized for student organizations to attend conferences. See Student Travel and Lodging above for details about applying travel and lodging costs.
    • SOFC understands conference attendance allows student organization to build community, interact with other organizations, and advance its curiosity, interests, and educational aims. As such, SOFC will subsidize conference registration, travel, and lodging costs UP TO 12 students within an organization. Additionally, there is a 20 USD Cap per full day per student (Up to 2 Full days) Note: Reimbursements take 10 weeks to process

    Retreats

    • Student group and leadership retreats may be subsidized once per semester at up to $15 per Duke undergraduate, for a maximum of 12 participants.
    • SOFC welcomes student groups and leadership retreats which can help build community within the organization and advance the curiosity, interests, and educational aims of student organizations. Given our limited funding and commitment to funding retreat costs for all student organizations, we've developed a limit on a per-undergraduate basis. This ensures equitable fund distribution independent from the size of a student organization. As a result, each retreat is funded at the same rate across all student organizations and based on the number of people attending the retreat. The $15 limit is based on analysis of previous student group funding requests to SOFC.

  • Not Funded

    • Items on the Student Affairs prohibited-purchases list
    • Event-specific decorations
    • Giveaways, prizes, custom apparel, or similar merchandise
    • Full-time coaches or instructors
    • ZimZooms and other photo-booth expenses
    • National-organization dues
    • Website or marketing expenses