The Government of the Student Body is teaming up with other local organizations to fund the Story County Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team.

ASSET was formed in 1985 after the realization that Story County was in need of someone or some group to help distribute funds to different nonprofit organizations.

“A group of about 16 gets together and decides on recommendation of funding,” said Anthony Maly, GSB finance director and senior in political science. “This exists; otherwise people are throwing money at things without knowing what everyone else is throwing money at.”

“For instance, in the past before this existed, we would give money to ACCESS [Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support], but we wouldn’t know what other people are giving to ACCESS,” Maly said. “And with this you can see what each agency is getting from the process.”

GSB, the city of Ames, Story County government, the United Way of Story County and the Iowa Department of Human Services are all funding ASSET.

GSB has set forth priorities that it sends to ASSET in order for the funding to go toward things members want their funding to focus on for the year.

“These just come through with what students need the most,” Maly said.

ASSET doesn’t necessarily receive funding on the same schedule as other student organizations. It receives its funding on a monthly basis.

“We do it on a reimbursement for ASSET,” Maly said. “So they split it up by client ID and it says who funds each. So by reimbursement we get these once a month and give them what they need.”

GSB reimburses ASSET for its services after it receives a report of what is being done with its money and how it has impacted the community.

Last year GSB helped fund about $144,781 and this year plans to give about the same amount.

“It’s about $145,000 that we have given them,” Maly said. “It goes toward ASSET, but ASSET doesn’t really take any money … it goes to the Volunteer Center of Story County for help putting on their program for university child care to offset costs that students have to pay for childcare, or goes to Child Care Resources and Referral of Central Iowa, which helps find child care and provides services to child care providers.”