Sponsored Events

Overview & Policy Statement

Smith College makes space available for rental by third parties throughout the academic year and summer. Rental fees support the College’s annual operations. From time to time, Smith provides campus spaces at a reduced cost to external clients through pre-arranged sponsorship agreements. This policy and application is applicable to academic departments and programs.

Sponsorship agreements are granted when senior administrators determine that the proposed event from an academic department or program:

Directly supports the educational mission of the College.
Has a broad, beneficial impact on students, faculty, and staff.

To meet the requirement of serving the educational mission, sponsorships primarily occur during the academic year when undergraduate students and faculty benefit most directly.

Scope & Responsibilities

Applicability

This policy applies only to third-party organizations seeking sponsorship through an academic unit. It does not affect academic departments’ normal operations or cause departmental fee absorption.

Internal Liaison Requirement

The internal sponsoring department must assign a staff or faculty member as the primary liaison and on-site contact. Responsibilities include:

Booking campus space.
Arranging all on-campus logistics (with guidance from the Events Management Office).
Ensuring non-exempt employees working beyond regular schedules are paid overtime funded by the sponsoring department (unless an adjusted schedule is arranged in advance).

Sponsorship Approval Process

Events/Programs Sponsored by Academic Departments/Programs

Must be approved by the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty via the sponsorship application form, followed by final approval from the Events Management Office.

Non-Academic / Community Events

Not available to be sponsored by academic departments.

Conflict of Interest & Eligibility Criteria

Admission & Donations

Organizations that charge admission or solicit donations to support the event are ineligible for sponsorship, as the waived space fee already constitutes a form of revenue.

Faculty/Staff Compensation

Faculty and staff may not receive direct financial payments (salary or stipends) from an approved sponsored event organization. Any internal payment must be a Smith-issued stipend approved by the Provost, Human Resources, or the Budget Office under Smith’s Conflict of Interest policy.

Sponsorship Fee Structure

“Full cost of service” represents direct operational costs (e.g., dining, facilities) with no profit margin. Charges above cost cover facilities depreciation, administrative overhead, and college revenue.

Fee Type	Non-Sponsored Event	Sponsored Event
Space Usage Fee	Full price	Waived & absorbed by Smith (admin fee calculated against full price)
Dining fee	Market rate	Full cost of service
Housing fee	Market rate	Full cost of service
Custodial Service Charges	Full cost of service	Full cost of service
Insurance Requirement	Full insurance required	Full insurance required (cannot be waived/absorbed)
Administrative Fee	20% (charged on bill total)	10% (charged on total bill + 10% of waived space fee)

Financial Impact Example

“Sophia’s Summer Camp”

Expense Item	No Sponsorship	Approved Sponsorship
Space Rental	$10,000	$0
Housing	$5,000	$5,000
Dining	$5,000	$5,000
Custodial Services	$1,000	$1,000
Subtotal	$21,000	$11,000
Administrative Fee	$4,200 (20% of subtotal)	$2,100 (10% of subtotal + 10% of waived space fee)
Total Bill	$25,200	$13,100

Sponsorship Application Form

Please complete electronic request form for event sponsorship. Sponsorship is not approved until form is submitted and approved by the Office of the Provost and the Events Management Office.

Once your form is submitted, the Events Management Office can help calculate your total program costs with or without sponsorship. Reach out to smithevents@smith.edu for more information.

A. Estimated program cost without sponsorship: $_____

B. Estimated program cost with sponsorship: $_____