Available Funds
All funds operate under the following timeline:
| Cycle | Applications Deadline | Cycle Start | Cycle End | Reimbursement Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | June 15 | July 1 | September 30 | October 15 |
| Fall | September 15 | October 1 | December 31 | January 15 |
| Winter | December 15 | January 1 | March 31 | April 15 |
| Spring | March 15 | April 1 | June 30 | July 15 |
Contents
Initiatives Fund
About
The Initiatives Fund shall be allocated to students who seek funding for general events that do not fit under any other funding source or the SGFC funding. All items under the Initiatives Fund must be either events that benefit the graduate student community or be capital expenses. Applications to the Initiatives Fund may be submitted as an individual, an unrecognized group, or an ASA-recognized group. Typical submissions to the initiatives fund are for $2000 or less.
Requirements
Questions? Contact gsc-treasurer@mit.edu.
Family Programming Fund
About
This funding opportunity is for events that are targeted towards families and children. GSC can support the cost of bringing in outside people or activities for Family Programming events, an exception to the normal Funding Board Guidelines.
Requirements
Questions? Contact gsc-treasurer@mit.edu.
Professional Development Exploration Grant
About
The Professional Development Exploration (PDE) Grant is designed to support MIT graduate students from all schools and departments in their pursuit of local professional development opportunities outside their direct area of study or research. Specifically, this fund is allocated to cover registration fees that are not currently funded by the student’s advisor or other funding sources. Registration would be covered, up to the $200 cap, for professional development activities including but not limited to seminars, workshops, conferences, and meetings.
NOTE: Travel, food, and lodging are not reimbursable from the PDE grant. You may apply to attend an event outside the Boston area, but the GSC will only reimburse for registration expenses. Also note that the conference grant is for conferences at which you will present your own research, so it is much less of an opportunity to explore new opportunities than the PDE grant.
Requirements
- Grants cover registration for a professional development event, whether for training, education, or networking, outside the student’s direct area of research or study.
- A short writeup (<300 words) will be required for students after the event to demonstrate to the GSC how the event was important to the recipient’s professional development.
- Up to one grant will be awarded per graduate student per academic year, with a cap of $200.
- Recipients must agree to serve as graders for future rounds of applications for which they do not apply.
If you are a recipient of a Professional Development Grant, you will be directed to contact the GSC Financial Administrator for reimbursement of your expenses. You will be required to submit original receipts and a copy of the conference proceedings.
We review proposals on the basis of the following criteria:
- The extent to which this pursuit is outside the student’s area of research or study
- The degree to which the activity will enhance the professional development of the MIT graduate student and/or expand his/her network (i.e. industry, academia, entrepreneurship, teaching, writing, etc).
- The academic and professional merit of the candidate.
- The extent to which the program is currently unfunded or unsupported by the applicant’s advisor, department, the larger Institute, or other sources of funding (e.g. http://stayinma.com/about-the-program/).
Reimbursement Process
Please file an RFP on Atlas (https://atlas.mit.edu) to request reimbursement for your registration fee. Once the reimbursement is approved, you will receive funds in direct deposit (if information is on file at HR/payroll).
Filing a Reimbursement Request (no travel, please!)
- Go to ATLAS (https://atlas.mit.edu/).
- Under the left hand menu bar, select “My Reimbursements”, and click “Request a Reimbursement for Me.”
- Please name this RFP “Professional Development Grant”, followed by the semester, year, & your first and last name. (ex. Professional Development Grant Summer 2016 Jane Doe)
- Use the starting date of the conference as the “date of service.”
- Enter 420344 Seminar/Workshop/Conference for the G/L account.
- Enter 1735210 (GSC ARC Committee) for the Cost Object.
- Enter amount approved from application in the Amount field. If you spent less than your approved amount, enter the amount actually spent.
- Under explanation, enter the name of the event, date and location.
- Please attach the receipt and/or appropriate support documents.
- Send request to Lauren McLean (laurenm@mit.edu).
- Submit!
Follow-up
You’ve submitted your reimbursement online. Now what?
Submit a hardcopy of your event report & the original, detailed receipt to Lauren McLean (laurenm@mit.edu), at 50-220.
Want to know the status of your reimbursement? Set up email notifications on ATLAS (A) or check directly (B). Instructions for both options are below.
(A) Email Notification Set-up
- Go to ATLAS homepage (https://atlas.mit.edu/)
- Click on upper tab “ABOUT ME”
- Under “My Profile”, click “Settings & Authorizations”
- Select your preferences under “Email Notification Settings”
(B) Directly Checking Reimbursement Status
- Go to ATLAS homepage (https://atlas.mit.edu/)
- Under Menu, go to “My Reimbursements”, and click “Track My Reimbursements”
- Under “Details” tab, click “Comments”. Lauren leaves notes here if there are any issues regarding your reimbursement.
Questions? Contact gsc-prof-devel@mit.edu.
Sustainability Fund
About
The goal of the GSC Sustainability Fund is to educate and to engage graduate students in environmentally sustainable living practices. The sustainability fund was introduced to provide grants to graduate students and groups who are keen to champion an activity or lead an action that directly aids towards making the MIT campus clean, environmentally benign and resource efficient. Both student groups and individuals can apply for events or activities aimed at campus sustainability initiatives. GSC Sustainability helps to manage the fund and details of funded projects can be found on their website.
Funding is typically in the amount of $100-$1000, though exceptions may be made for projects that impact a large portion of the graduate student body. Previously-funded projects include sustainability speaker events, recycling facility tours, composting programs at graduate dorms, community garden spaces, and more.
Timeline
Sustainability Fund applications are accepted all year long on a rolling cycle, though it is generally advisable to apply at least three weeks prior to your proposed event/project start date.
Requirements
- Applicants must be current MIT graduate students, who may apply individually or on behalf of a student group.
- Application and Report
- Please provide detailed descriptions of the project and the budget in the application.
- If funding is awarded, applicants should fill out the project report at the end of the project.
- Education and Accountability
- Projects applying for the GSC Sustainability Fund must include an educational component on environmental sustainability.
- Minimum requirements for education include:
- Signage (including clear labels on compost/recycling/trash)
- Announcements during the event
- Planning a Green event
- Applicants should keep environmental responsibility in mind when organizing their events. For example, incentivize attendees to bring usable utensils and containers. The GSC Sustainability Team will provide you with a Green Event Guide, which outlines the ways in which you can minimize your event’s impact on the environment.
- Funding Guidelines
- Event Publicity Guidelines
Questions? Contact gsc-sustainability-fund@mit.edu.
DEI Community Fund
About
The GSC DEI Community Fund aims to provide a source of funding for underrepresented student groups without a formal organization (e.g., groups without GSC or ASA recognition status) to host events geared towards community and DEI-focused goals and outcomes. The fund supports small and medium-sized events (<= $300 per event), and does not fund large events and/or capital expenses.
Steps to receive funding
- Represent a community or identity-based student organization at MIT. For instance, past awards include funding an Eid celebration for Muslim students in Sloan.
- The group and/or individual applying for the grant must also not have violated MIT, department, or DSL student group policy.
- Apply for funding:
- While applications are considered on a rolling basis, submit your application at least three weeks before the event.
- If requested, answer additional questions about your funding request.
- Publicize the event at least one week in advance through the department(s)’ administration and/or listserv, as well as the GSC Anno and other media outlets.
- Comply with MIT Alcohol Policies, including the additional restrictions which apply to student groups. Failure to comply with MIT policies and/or GSC Funding Board Guidelines could lead to citations and/or warnings from the GSC Funding Board regarding the GSC funding related issues, and/or a failure on the part of the GSC to provide funding and/or reimbursement.
- At most two weeks from the event date, submit your reimbursements to gsc-dei-chair@mit.edu and provide a post-event report (250 words maximum) that includes a summary of the event and the outcomes of the event.
Timeline
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Requirements
- Must be open to all MIT graduate students.
- Must not charge MIT students entrance or participation fees.
- Event information must be publicized at least 7 days before the event and include GSC DEI as a sponsor.
- Advertising must include all relevant information in English.
- The Fund will not fund speaker fees/honoraria, speaker travel expenses, speaker gifts, or prizes.
For additional questions and/or concerns, please reach out to gsc-dei-chair@mit.edu.