Grants

Expedition Grants Application Instructions


A Note About Expedition Grants:

The purpose of an Expedition Grant is to help you travel to an unfamiliar region to do work on a project of potential continuing interest. These grants are intended for service projects that are exploratory in nature—service work that sets the groundwork for future projects that have the prospect of sustainable benefit for the community. The PSC may cover up to $1,000 in travel and materials for your project work.  Projects may include disaster relief, individual or group projects, and service learning class fieldwork.  Applying students must commit at least three weeks to the project on-site, be registered at MIT the semester following the project work, and demonstrate financial need.


Submission Instructions

  1. Email your application as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment to psc-grants@mit.edu with “Expedition Grant Application” in the subject line.
  2. ALSO submit your application in print (1 copy) to the PSC office (4-104).
    This double submission is to ensure that glitches don’t prevent us from receiving your application in time.

Timeline

Grant proposals are accepted at any time, but take up to five weeks to process. Please plan to apply with enough time before your project starts to account for this processing time.

Application Guidelines

Write a concise but detailed (usually 1-4 page, single-spaced) proposal that covers the requested information. The point is to be clear rather than to write lots of impressive prose. You are welcome to include additional information that you think might add clarity or otherwise help the selection panel, but please be selective.

Cover Letter (1 page)

  • name
  • MIT ID
  • Year (e.g. 2012 or Masters 2012)
  • Phone where we can reach you
  • Email
  • Term Address
  • Permanent Address
  • If you are working in a group, list the other members
  • Total amount requested
  • One-paragraph abstract
  • Dates and times you are available for a potential meeting with PSC staff during the two weeks after the submission of your proposal

Proposal Body (1-2 pages)
Think: What? Who? Why? How?
TIP: Be as concrete as possible!! Tell us specific statistics, numbers, and plans for exactly how you're going to implement your project.

What and How:
A description of your project, including:

  • What you are trying to do? (specifically with the community you're helping, not vague and grandiose ideas for changing the world)
  • How you will implement your ideas? (Please be concrete! Numbers and figures are good, even if they are estimates)
  • Preparation that you have done or that you are planning to do
  • Follow-up plans to continue the work
  • A timeline of events

Who and Why:

  • Who in the community are you trying to help?
  • What needs do they have that you are addressing? Include an estimate of the number of people you will be helping
  • What connections do you have in the community (people or organizations that you are contact with)?
  • Who else will be involved in your project? Are you working with other members of the MIT community? How many?
  • What will you gain by doing this work? How will this work contribute to your career, education, and personal goals?
  • What’s your motivation? Why are you personally investing so much time and effort into the project?

Other details:

  • Who is your employer, supervisor, or advisor? Please include name, position, phone, and email - If applicable.
  • Do you want help from the PSC other than funding (e.g. planning help, budget advice)?

Budget

  • Itemized list of expenses. Remember, Expedition Grants offer up to $1,000, so keep this figure in mind as you are budgeting. There is a sample budget available at http://web.mit.edu/odge/community/writegrant.html
  • List any other funding sources, including both actual and prospective (e.g. other sources to which you are applying), and the amount they could contribute.
  • Preferred payment mode if grant is awarded:
    • Reimbursement for submitted receipts
    • Direct purchase
    • Transfer to an MIT account (a department or student group account, not an individual student account)
    • Cash advance for international travel

Financial Need Description
The Public Service Center recognizes that people's personal financial situations are relevant to their grant needs, especially to offset travel and housing costs. You must include a description of your own personal financial situation along with the grant application. Important information to include:

  • Term-time financial commitments
  • Other living costs you will be facing during the relevant time period
  • Other anticipated costs you are trying to save money for
  • Any other information or background you think will help us understand why you need financial support from PSC funds

Optional Supplements to Your Application

Faculty Support Letter
If you are working with MIT faculty or staff members on your project (could be through a course), or if a faculty member has been mentoring/advising you through the development of your project, a letter of support or recommendation could help the PSC understand the strength of your plans.

Award Requirements

By accepting a PSC Expedition Grant, you will be committing to several benign but important things:

  • To participate in our evaluation process
  • To submit a short report explaining what the funding helped you to accomplish
  • To acknowledge the MIT Public Service Center as a sponsor as appropriate
  • To permit us to publicize your work through our website, print materials, and other publicity
  • To share photographs of the events and projects with us
  • To complete all required paperwork prior to beginning you project work