Special Budget Requests

Can a Ward or Branch make a special request to the Stake for additional budget to help fund a local unit activity? For example, we are looking at planning to rent a 15 passenger van to take a trip to either Palmyra or General Conference in Utah. Could we make a special request to the Stake to help partially fund these types of activities that is above and beyond what the local unit budget can help support?

Has any local units made a special budget request to the Stake for a local unit activity and if this is allowed?

There is no general policy. The stake president has pretty much full authority about how budget funds are allocated to the units. So you could certainly ask.

But the only money the stake has is what it retains out of the total budget allocations provided by CHQ to it's wards and branches. Unless the stake retains more than it expects to use the only way it would be able to grant such a request is to eliminate other expenses.

You can always ask, but I'd think you'd need to somehow explain how this is a unique situation, other wards are unlikely to make the same request, and your ward will not be doing it again anytime soon. Otherwise, I'd image the stake president would worry about this quickly spiraling out of control.

Something to consider: Handbook 2: 13.6.24 Travel.

"Long-distance travel for activities is discouraged. If a stake president or bishop feels that such travel may be justified, he prayerfully considers the potential spiritual benefits of the activity, the cost of the travel, and the effect on families before approving it."
...
"When feasible, Church groups should use commercial transportation that is licensed and is protected by liability insurance.
...
"Church organizations may not own or acquire automobiles or buses for group travel."

There's also Handbook 2: 13.6.12 Overnight Activities