Available Funds

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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.

Timeline

Cycle	Applications Deadline	Cycle Start	Cycle End	Reimbursement Deadline
Summer	June 1	July 1	September 30	October 15
Fall	September 1	October 1	December 31	January 15
Winter	December 1	January 1	March 31	April 15
Spring	March 1	April 1	June 30	July 15

Requirements

• Funding Guidelines
• Event Publicity Guidelines

Questions? Contact gsc-treasurer@mit.edu.

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Diversity Fund

About

Whereas ARCADE (Assisting Recurring Cultural and Diversity Events) funds recurring events, this fund, the Diversity Fund, will be used to fund non-recurring events with a cultural or ethnic focus.

Timeline

Cycle	Applications Deadline	Cycle Start	Cycle End	Reimbursement Deadline
Summer	June 1	July 1	September 30	October 15
Fall	September 1	October 1	December 31	January 15
Winter	December 1	January 1	March 31	April 15
Spring	March 1	April 1	June 30	July 15

Requirements

• Event must have positive and sustainable impact on its constituents and the MIT graduate population as a whole.
• The primary purpose of the event must be to bring diverse groups and perspectives together.
• Event must be open to all MIT graduate students.
• Funding Guidelines
• Event Publicity Guidelines

Questions? Contact gsc-treasurer@mit.edu.

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Athletic and Performance Grant

About

The Athletic & Performance-Activities Grant supports graduate students who pursue a non-research/non-academic activity, such as competitions, concerts, other events, at competitive levels. The grant covers fees and expenses such as registration, accommodation, travel (air, car rental, gas, tolls, parking, public transportation), equipment shipment if needed, etc.

Timeline

Cycle	Applications Deadline	Cycle Start	Cycle End	Reimbursement Deadline
Summer	June 1	July 1	September 30	October 15
Fall	September 1	October 1	December 31	January 15
Winter	December 1	January 1	March 31	April 15
Spring	March 1	April 1	June 30	July 15

Requirements

• The extent to which the competition/concert/event travel is currently unfunded or unsupported by the applicant’s group, club, department, the larger Institute or the event organizers.
• The degree to which the activity will enhance the experience of the MIT graduate student and/or expand his/her skills and exposure in the activity pursued.

Questions? Contact gsc-apag@mit.edu.

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Conference Grant

About

The GSC Conference Grant is designed to support conference-related expenses of MIT graduate students in all Schools throughout the Institute. Specifically, this fund is allocated to conference expenses (including registration, travel and lodging) that are not currently funded by the student’s advisor or other MIT-related funding. To be eligible for the GSC Conference Grant, the student must present original research or serve as a panelist at a conference. For other purposes, students may apply for the GSC Professional Development Exploration Grant.

Timeline

Grant Period	Application Deadline	Notification	Conference Period Covered
Summer	May 15	June 1	July 1 – September 30
Fall	August 15	September 1	October 1 – December 31
Winter	November 15	December 1	January 1 – March 31
Spring	February 15	March 1	April 1 – June 30

The deadline for the recommendation letter is the same as the application deadline.

The deadline for signing the acceptance contract is 7 days (5 business days) after being notified of your award, unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Conference Grant Committee.

The deadline for submitting a reimbursement request is 7 days (5 business days) after the end of your conference or June 15th, whichever comes first, unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Conference Grant Committee. The only noted exception: a life crisis or dire emergency, in which case it needs to be verified by the OGE Grad Support.

We do not accept out-of-cycle applications, thus if the application deadline for the conference you intended to attend has passed, you can no longer receive a Conference Grant for that conference.

Requirements

The Conference Grant is provided for virtual, domestic or international conference-related expenses for the following purposes:

• Attend an academic or industry-related conference where the grantee will present a poster or paper.
• Attend an academic or industry-related conference where the grantee will participate or is invited as a panelist or discussant.
• Up to one grant will be awarded per graduate student per fiscal year (eg. July 1st – June 30th) with a ceiling of $1000 for in-person or $300 for virtual conferences.
• Attending summer school or competitions is not supported by the GSC Conference Grant.

A recommendation letter is mandatory for the application. It should be submitted by a staff member (and ideally a faculty) from MIT or other universities/institutes. By submitting the Conference Grant application, you are waiving your right to view the recommendation letter.

If you are a recipient of a Conference Grant, you will receive an email asking you to sign the conference grant contract, together with reimbursement instructions. Conference Grants can only be used to reimburse conference registration, travel, and lodging. We do not reimburse meal expenses. Advances will not be granted. Original receipts and a copy of the conference proceeding must be submitted. If you are unsure if certain expenses can be reimbursed, please contact the conference grant team at gsc-conference@mit.edu in advance.

• The extent to which the research or conference attendance is currently unfunded or unsupported by the applicant’s advisor, department, or the larger Institute.
• The degree to which the activity will enhance the academic experience of the MIT graduate student and/or expand his/her networks of linkages with other leading scholars or institutions.
• The academic and professional merit of the candidate.

FAQs

Questions? Contact gsc-conference@mit.edu.

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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 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.

Before applying to the PDE Fund, check your eligibility and apply for other programs, such as: http://stayinma.com/about-the-program/

Timeline

Grant Period	Application Deadline	Notification	Event Period Covered
Fall	October 1	October 15	November 1 – January 15
Winter	December 1	December 15	January 1 – April 15
Spring	March 1	March 15	April 1 – June 30
Summer	June 1	June 15	July 1 – October 15

Requirements

• Grants cover registration for a professional development event, whether for training, education, or networking, outside the student’s 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!)

1. Go to ATLAS (https://atlas.mit.edu/).
2. Under the left hand menu bar, select “My Reimbursements”, and click “Request a Reimbursement for Me.”
3. 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)
4. Use the starting date of the conference as the “date of service.”
5. Enter 420344 Seminar/Workshop/Conference for the G/L account.
6. Enter 1735210 (GSC ARC Committee) for the Cost Object.
7. Enter amount approved from application in the Amount field.  If you spent less than your approved amount, enter the amount actually spent.
8. Under explanation, enter the name of the event, date and location.
9. Please attach the receipt and/or appropriate support documents.
10. Send request to Lauren McLean (laurenm@mit.edu).
11. 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

1. Go to ATLAS homepage (https://atlas.mit.edu/)
2. Click on upper tab “ABOUT ME”
3. Under “My Profile”, click “Settings & Authorizations”
4. Select your preferences under “Email Notification Settings”

(B) Directly Checking Reimbursement Status

1. Go to ATLAS homepage (https://atlas.mit.edu/)
2. Under Menu, go to “My Reimbursements”, and click “Track My Reimbursements”
3. Under “Details” tab, click “Comments”. Lauren leaves notes here if there are any issues regarding your reimbursement.

Questions? Contact gsc-prof-devel@mit.edu.

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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.

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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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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. 

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