This article presents the results of a documentary research about the budget of the Ministry of Education for the student assistance of federal educational institutions and, more specifically, the Federal Fluminense Institute - IFF. In this way, the volume, coverage and use of resources are analyzed from the public fund category with the purpose of highlighting the composition of the state budget, as well as the distribution of the amounts collected by the public machine between classes. The data show that the public budget is a disputed field both at the federal level and within institutions, a factor that determines the quality, direction and even the effectiveness of the services financed by it.