Mini-GSAs

Office Location:
New Commons
Suite 203

Hours:
M-F: 9-5 We are next to the ASUCR Front Desk which is also open from 9am-5pm

How to Apply for a Conference Travel Grant

[Grant Home] [FAQ] [History] [Forms][Award Amounts]

Step One:

Pick up an application from the GSA office or download it from the forms page.

Step Two:

Fill out the form and return it to the GSA office (or ASUCR front desk if the GSA office is closed) or by mail or fax on or before the first day of the month prior to the conference month.

The deadlines for the next three months and the previous month are as follows: Grant Deadlines

This due date is strictly enforced; late applications will not be accepted. You will be notified by email during the first week of the month preceding the end date of the conference as to how much money you can expect to receive from GSA.

If your application is submitted late, your application is not eligible for appeal and you will be notified that your application has not been accepted via email within a week after submission.

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a letter confirming your application acceptance and stating what supplemental application material still need to be submitted. 

Step Three:

Submit to GSA all supplemental application materials before the start of your conference.  Please do not email any part of the application.

The supplemental application materials are as follows:

For presenters:

• Abstract
• Proof of acceptance in the conference
• If you are not the first author, proof you are the primary presenter
• Completed recommendation form from your adviser:
• Download recommendation form from the forms page

For attendees:

• Completed recommendation form from your adviser:
• Download recommendation form from the forms page

This due date is strictly enforced; applications with late supporting documents will be declined for funding. However, you may appeal the decline. 

Step Four:

Materials due 7 working days (approximately 1 1/2 weeks) after the last day of the conference:

• A signed conference travel grant expense form
• All original receipts and boarding passes (including those to be reimbursed by other sources) must be submitted to the GSA Conference Travel Grant Coordinator. Once we have finished processing your application, the receipts will be available to be distributed to your home department if they are also contributing funding towards your conference. NO RECEIPTS SHOULD BE PROCESSED BY YOUR HOME DEPARTMENT UNTIL WE HAVE FINISHED PROCESSING YOUR RECEIPTS IN iTRAVEL    
• Proof of attendance (such as conference badge or letter from conference confirming your attendance)
• You will receive an e-mail notification once we have finished processing your application in iTravel

If you have not received an expense request form from the GSA office, you can download one from the forms page. Fill out and sign the appropriate expense request form. Within 7 working days of the end of the conference bring in all receipts for the conference. Please turn in enough original receipts to cover the award amount and copies of receipts of all other expenses. The original receipts must have your name on them, and must show that the amount due has been paid (no itinerary or statement will be accepted without proof of payment). Please turn in photocopies of the other receipts.

If you are sharing a hotel room, it is recommended that you request the hotel to split the receipt showing your name as paying for your share of the hotel.  Some hotels will do this for you and some may not. If you forget to split the receipt, reimbursement can only be made to the individuals name that appears on the itemized hotel receipt (no exceptions as this is UCR Policy).  If you do not split the receipt through the hotel then it will be your responsibility to make sure the person who pays for the hotel reimburses you any portion you paid them.  If you are using your own personal vehicle to drive to the conference, an “Agreement Governing the Use of Private Automobiles on University Business” must be submitted as well as a map (GoogleMaps, Map Quest, etc.) indicating the total mileage that will be driven to and from the conference. This form can also be obtained from the GSA office. Proof of auto insurance also needs to be shown to our administrative assistant, Michele (Commons 203A). If you have submitted this waiver for a previous conference, this information does not need to be re-submitted unless there have been changes to your license or auto insurance policy.    

Please make sure to organize your receipts.  Tape all receipts on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and make sure you organize your receipts in date order under the following categories:  Travel (taxi, bus, airfare, train receipts etc.).  Meals, in date order and as many as you can fit on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper (please no staples) and business expenses.  Additionally, presenters need to submit proof of attendance at the conference. You can request a letter from the conference organizers that states that you presented. This due date is strictly enforced; applications without receipts will be declined for funding. However, you may appeal this decision.

Appeals:

Applicants who are denied funding will receive a letter indicating the reason they were denied. You may appeal an award amount or appeal the decision to decline by writing a letter to the committee explaining why you feel you deserve to have your application re-evaluated. This letter must be received by the committee within 30 days of receiving your reimbursement or letter of decline. The conference travel grant committee will re-evaluate your application at the next meeting and issue a new decision. You will be notified of this decision by letter or email. If you are still unhappy, you may appeal a second time. Once again, this appeal must be submitted in writing within 30 days of notification of the committee decision concerning the first appeal. You are limited to two appeals.