Professional Opportunities Development Funding

All applicants are responsible for reading all the information on this website before applying, and will be held to the standards elucidated. Please use the GPSC Club and POD Funding Flow Chart if you are confused about which type of funding to apply for.

• There is a maximum award of $1,000 allowed for any given event or project.
• At least three UA graduate and/or professional students (in good academic standing) must be directly involved in the event for which funding is sought.
• A graduate and/or professional student can only be directly involved in one successfully funded POD project or event per fiscal year. Directly involved is defined as being listed on a previously funded application.
• The event or project being funded must take place within six months of the application deadline.
• Speaker honoraria may be funded up to $500, with additional funding for travel and lodging as deemed reasonable. Honoraria should be based on the speaker, the number of anticipated attendees and the size of the event. Lodging may only be provided for the days the speaker is committed, plus one night. The funded amounts for speaker honoraria and lodging are determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Applicants should compare the current budget and event to past years’ events if applicable, including how and why the event and budget changed, but this does not guarantee that the event will be funded again.
• Events may be advertised on the GPSC calendar upon request since all events should be open to, at a minimum, all graduate and professional students.
• A follow-up report will be required of all recipients of funding. Information that should be included are amount of funds allocated and used, number of attendees, affiliation of attendees, program schedule, etc.
• Activities that could otherwise be funded through our Travel Grants program will not be considered for POD funding.
• The activity or potential activities must be in keeping with the mission of the University of Arizona and the GPSC.
• Acknowledgement of the GPSC’s support is expected on all announcements and public materials. The GPSC logo will be provided for use if funding is awarded.
• Allocated funds may only be used for the purposes for which they were approved by the GPSC.
• It is the responsibility of the organization to ensure that allocated funds are spent in accordance with University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) policy.
• If the final cost of an approved item exceeds the budgeted amount, the GPSC will not pay the difference.
• As per the ABOR policy, UA Printing and Publishing has the first right of refusal for all large print jobs done by any club or organization at UA, excluding jobs done at Fast Copy. The GPSC will not be able to pay for items printed off-campus without prior approval from UA Printing and Publishing.
• The GPSC may fund politically oriented or religious organizations solely for the administration, execution, or maintenance of non-partisan/non-political/non-religious programs, services or special events deemed beneficial to the student body by the GPSC Appropriations Committee. For purposes of organization funding, "political" is defined as "having to do with the organization of individuals who seek to control or influence the action of those who manage the affairs of the state." "Religious" is defined as "having to do with an organization of individuals combining a particular system of faith and worship recognized and practiced by a particular church, sect, or denomination." The Committee funds only secular, non-sectarian activities.
• The GPSC Appropriations Committee reserves the right to transfer a POD Funding application to a Club Funding application.

The GPSC supports the sustainability initiative at the University of Arizona to eliminate paper applications. Application packets must be submitted electronically through our online POD application webform. It must be received by 5:00pm (AZ time) on the deadline date to be considered. In the event that a given deadline does not fall on a business day, applications must be received by noon of the first business day following the posted deadline. All subsequent communication with applicants will be through email. No physical copies or email application of any material will be accepted.

The application packet consists of:

• The completed POD Funding Application, containing contact and financial info, event synopsis, and proposed budget.
• A letter of recommendation from a UA faculty member (scanned copy is acceptable).
• A brief biography of any invited speakers.
• A list of at least three graduate and/or professional students directly involved in the planning of the event.
• Please complete the appropriate club funding application form and all the required information as a single PDF. No upload may exceed 4 MB. 

Applications will be judged by the GPSC Appropriations Committee on whether they are worthy of funding depending on how well they follow the aforementioned guidelines, and based on the following criteria:

• How complete and detailed the proposed budget is on the application. For example specific costs of items, plane ticket, local hotel’s price per night must be itemized (i.e. hotel cost = $278.50, NOT $300).
• How well the item or event educates, enhances, or enriches UA graduate and/or professional students, and the University community.
• The extent to which the event advances the academic or professional development of graduate and/or professional students.
• The quality of the application and faculty letter of recommendation.
• The financial status of the organization and its effort to seek alternative funding. GPSC funding is intended to be supplemental to a group's fundraising efforts, not a guaranteed base. The GPSC Appropriations Committee gives preference to organizations who seek alternative funding and priority may be given to students in programs with fewer resources.
• How the event compares to the previous years' events if applicable. Applicants should address how successful the event was last year and to what extent the program and schedule changed and why.

The potential positive impact of the event on the professional development of the graduate and/or professional students involved, the benefit to the University community, the range of appeal of the event, and the originality of the event are key factors in evaluating all applications for funding. The GPSC Appropriations Committee will pay particular attention to the degree to which graduate and/or professional students are involved in the planning and implementation of the event. Requests that accurately and clearly reflect the resources needed to hold the event or carry out the project for which funding is requested will be viewed positively by the GPSC Appropriations Committee. Applicants are advised to specifically address the aforementioned criteria in the Event Description in the POD Funding application.