Breaking down the $1.2 million in UC Berkeley student organization funds
We investigated how 400+ RSOs are funded by the ASUC or independently generate revenue.
January 06, 2026
On a campus where some clubs operate on shoestring budgets and others jet off to Hawaii or have yacht parties in Bali, the flow of money through UC Berkeley’s student organizations is anything but equal.
Berkeley boasts more than 1,400 registered student organizations, or RSOs. From student publications to academic associations to cultural affinity organizations, these groups form the backbone of campus life. However, each RSO has a different allocated budget with some earning their own money. Some organizations manage tens of thousands of dollars at any given time.
How campus funding works
The only entirely public source of RSO funding is from the ASUC, UC Berkeley’s student government. Organizations must fill out the Annual Budgeting and Spaces Application, or ABSA, application in the spring to receive funding for the next academic year. As a prerequisite, the organization must be registered with Organization Advising & Student Involvement Services, or OASIS.
ABSA funding comes from the ASUC student fee, which is $33.50 per undergraduate student per semester.
The Office of the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for administering the ABSA process and overseeing the ASUC’s general financial wellbeing. The ASUC Financial Committee hosts an internal deliberation process to determine funding allocations for different organizations, according to Jonathan Ngai, this year’s chief financial officer, or CFO.
These allocations are based on an RSO’s historical spending activity, demonstrated need, sponsorship category and application compliance.
“As an RSO, we’re looking to see if you’re using the money the ASUC is giving you,” Ngai said. “Are you using the money in productive ways?”
Funding levels differ across different sponsorship categories of RSOs, as well as how many years an RSO has been established. Student Activity Groups, or SAGs, are capped at $500 for their first year and $650 their second and third years; Student-Initiated Service Groups, or SISGs, are capped at $650 their first year and $750 their second year; and publications are allowed up to $900 for their first year and $1,100 their second year.
The total ABSA allocation for the 2026 fiscal year is $1,766,000, with $1,193,175 going to the ASUC’s external budget for RSO funding and the remaining $572,825 allocated for the ASUC’s internal budget. Internal funding includes stipends for appointed officials and funding for ASUC operations.
The Daily Californian organized the 413 RSOs receiving ABSA funding for the fiscal year 2026 into 10 categories.
Hover over circles to see details
Rings represent years of continuous ASUC sponsorship.
Smrithi Senthilnathan/The Daily Californian
Organizations with longer sponsorship histories tend to receive more funding. Community Projects, sponsored for 56 years, received $149,900, while the Queer Alliance & Resource Center, sponsored for 57 years, received $87,500. Additionally, these organizations distribute their funds to other organizations. For example, Community Projects Member Organizations include Cal Habitat for Humanity and ANova, which are ASUC-sponsored but do not receive individual ABSA funding.
Many public speaking or debate RSOs receive high levels of funding despite fewer years of sponsorship. For example, Berkeley Model United Nations Conference received $10,670 with only six years of sponsorship. Since funding is determined by historical spending and need, clubs that have a higher need for funding may receive more without a long historical record.
RSOs focused on community and culture received the most total funding at $320,150, while professional fraternities received the least total funding at $18,700.
The 31 hobby-focused RSOs received the least funding, averaging $815 each, while the 10 public speaking or debate RSOs received an average of $10,430 each.
Cal Hiking and Outdoor Society, or CHAOS, is a hobby-focused RSO that connects students with the outdoors through organized hiking trips and events. CHAOS received $5,000 in ABSA allocations, but the organization also sources an additional $15,000 from one-time member fees and savings, according to head treasurer Ben Sims in an interview.Sims has managed CHAOS’ finances for the past three years. He noted a decline in the RSO’s ABSA allocations and attributed this to reimbursement processing delays that dissuade club members from spending money. This results in underspending, and a subsequent lowering of their ABSA allocation.
“It’s hard to convince people to actually spend money because the reimbursement process takes so long that they’re not convinced that they’re going to get their money back,” he said.
The reimbursement process — which entails processing member-submitted reimbursement requests, awaiting reimbursement approval from the ASUC and finally receiving the reimbursement — can take up to a month. When planning camping trips in advance, it can be even lengthier, as the ASUC will not refund expenditures until after an event has occurred. “We can end up having people front hundreds of dollars for these campsites and then not being able to get reimbursed for six months,” Sims said.
ABSA allocations and miscellaneous funds both require the same reimbursement approval process, but Sims noted that miscellaneous funds can be easier to work with as they have fewer restrictions and often a shorter reimbursement turnaround.
How consulting clubs generate their own funds
Most business- or technology-focused RSOs receive very limited funding from the ASUC. Some RSOs receive none at all and are only ASUC-sponsored, meaning they receive no funding but are supported otherwise by the ASUC.
Consulting clubs, which fall under the business and technology category, typically fund themselves through projects with industry clients, including Google, Oracle, Amazon and Adobe, instead. It is possible for industry clients to donate to the ASUC and ASUC-sponsored organizations. However, the CFO’s office stated this information is currently not publicly available.
DiversaTech president Marcus Romundset stated in an email that the organization receives all its funding from “client donations associated with consulting services we offer them,” and thus its funding is “dependent on the willingness to pay from industry, not federal or school funding.”DiversaTech’s clients this semester include Dell, Intuit, Zipcar and Samsung.
Romundset declined to share monetary details. “Disclosing any information pertaining to how much we charge on a contractual basis is not only a breach of confidentiality agreements with the respective clients, but also places us at a major disadvantage when negotiating future contracts,” he added.
Romundset also highlighted that the multiple consulting organizations on campus compete for clients.
Some RSOs have expanded their revenue streams beyond client projects. For example, Optimir Consulting works mostly with small businesses and startups that generate limited revenue, so its primary source of funding is member dues.
Optimir Consulting External Vice President Pranav Ramesh described three types of dues: a one-time new member fee, retreat fees for those who want to participate in the club’s semesterly retreat and a general membership fee, which add up to between $70 and $80 altogether. Ramesh said approximately 90% of the club’s $2,000 budget this semester went toward the organization’s retreat, with the other 10% paying for smaller socials and an end-of-semester banquet.
Blockchain at Berkeley developed the “Blockchain Fundamentals Professional Certificate” offered through EdX and Teachable, two online learning platforms. Created in collaboration with faculty from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences department, the course had more than 150,000 enrollments, according to its website. Though no longer offered, the RSO hasn’t disclosed how much they’ve earned, but similar courses are listed at costs ranging from $200 to more than $2,000.Last spring, Blockchain at Berkeley sent at least 45 members on a retreat trip to Bali.
Many of these well-funded RSOs are often the hardest to get into, with rigorous application processes and acceptance rates allegedly under 10%.
How RSO spending oversight works
The ASUC CFO’s office is responsible for managing ASUC-sponsored RSO accounts, funding and oversight of expenditures. In an email, OASIS stated that the center does not manage or oversee RSO finances. Rather, the ASUC makes all decisions on allocations, funding and usage.
After receiving a budget from either ABSA allocations or other sources, RSOs process reimbursements, expenditures and payments through CalLink, an online platform managed by OASIS. All RSOs that receive funding or sponsorship from the ASUC are only permitted to use funds through CalLink and are prohibited from creating their own bank accounts.
Ngai said CalLink accounts are “jointly managed across a variety of campus organizations,” but his office later clarified in an email that “ASUC Finance is only in charge of the CalLink finance part for ASUC, Graduate Assembly and their sponsored or funded groups.”
To reinforce these rules, ASUC/GA Agents are required to complete the CalLink Finance Training course, which usually takes about 90 to 120 minutes.
While ABSA funds have firm restrictions on what they cannot be used for, such as food or alcoholic beverages and travel outside the Bay Area, the ASUC does not track miscellaneous funding — funds received through donations, fundraisers, membership dues or other third parties. However, ASUC officials reserve the right to look at an RSO’s entire funding portfolio, and Ngai said the CFO is allowed to temporarily freeze RSO finance accounts if there is a mismanagement of funds.
Neither ASUC funds nor miscellaneous funds may be used to purchase alcohol for undergraduate organizations — even if the payee is of legal age. The Daily Californian obtained documents from ABSA-sponsored RSOs that revealed expenditures on alcohol.
The alcohol was mainly listed on retreat documents. For example, DataStory, a tech club, listed $500 worth of alcohol on its spring 2023 retreat expenses spreadsheet, which was marked as reimbursed from club dues and retreat dues.
While miscellaneous funds belong to RSOs, they are subject to the same financial policies, according to campus spokesperson Lindsey Michels in an email.
“If prohibited expenses are identified, consequences are determined through ASUC Finance processes and may include repayment of funds or loss of eligibility for future funding, depending on the circumstances,” Michels said in the email regarding the consequences RSOs could face from OASIS for using their funds on alcohol or other restricted purchases.
Data on the ASUC’s public ABSA allocations provide a surface-level look into the variation among allocations for different types of RSOs. However, information about how RSOs spend these funds and gain external funding is not readily accessible and is different across the board.
“Without (the ASUC), we’d end up losing our money (within) years because of embezzlement, so they do a good service,” Sims said on the ASUC’s role in managing RSO funds.
Clarification 1/6/2026: This story was initially published 12/5/2025 and was taken down for editorial review. A previous version of this article may have implied that some RSOs used ASUC funds on alcohol. While the Daily Cal did obtain records of alcohol purchases, the records did not clarify what funds were used to reimburse the expenses. The story has been republished with additional details related to RSO funding and interviews with students involved in their RSO’s finances.
Retraction 1/13/2026: A previous version of this article mentioned three clubs with references to alcohol expenses. They have been redacted due to factual inaccuracy. The Daily Californian regrets the error.
About this story
This project was developed by the Data Department at The Daily Californian.
Data from this project came from ABSA.
Questions, comments or corrections? Email [email protected]. Code, data and text are open-source on GitHub.
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