GSA Funding

Please note, this is not a comprehensive list and if you have any suggestions for other items that should be included, please send them to [email protected]. The Treasurer can meet with you or come to your group by appointment only. The Treasurer does not have a phone thus, conversations may be held via Hangouts or WebEx if scheduled in a minimum of 24 hours advance. 

Best Practices for Funding Planning 

Plan as far in advance as possible for your activity. Always have contingency plans. If it is a late notification (e.g., late conference acceptance notification), plan as though you are going as soon as you submit your proposal. It’s easier to cancel funding than to scramble to find it last minute (but make sure you cancel funding you do receive so that other students can receive that money faster). 

Do NOT ever rely on a single source of funding to ensure your attendance at a conference/activity. 

Potential Funding Sources 

Have you checked to determine if the conference you want to attend provides travel grants to students? Some will actually defray the cost of attendance if you volunteer or assist with the conference in some way. Others, provide scholarships, grants, or other opportunities for which you may need to inquire directly with them to learn about. 

Don’t forget to check with any honor societies or professional groups that you belong to. Often, they too will provide financial assistance with professional development opportunities. 

Tax-Deductible Expenses

Graduate school-related expenses are tax deductible! Anything that you don’t receive funding for (e.g., such as travel funding from GSA) can potentially be explored as a tax deduction. There are essential costs as well as non-essential costs. Keep track of your expenditures and talk to a tax professional about them to determine if itemization or the standard deduction is right for you. 

Other sources of funding and contacts to consider for your endeavors: 

1. Library Publication Grants: http://libresearch.uncg.edu/grants.html 
2. InfoEd SPIN: A funding database subscribed to by UNC Greensboro. You must request an account the first time you logon. https://spin.infoedglobal.com/Home/SOLRSearch 
3. The Graduate School’s Financial Information:  https://grs.uncg.edu/financial/ 
4. The Office of Research & Engagement:  https://research.uncg.edu/funding/ 
5. UNC Greensboro’s Office of Financial Aid Graduate and Doctoral Student Resources:  https://fia.uncg.edu/graduate-and-doctoral/ 
6. UNC Greensboro’s Office of Financial Aid: https://fia.uncg.edu/ 
7. National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (GSA is a member):  http://nagps.org/ 
8. For general support attending school see:  https://www1.cfnc.org/Home/_default.aspx 
9. Try to avoid loans when you can, but if you can’t, here’s a good place to look: https://ncassist.cfnc.org/ncassistInfo/? 
10. Sometimes borrowing from yourself can give you that little boost. Just use it wisely and make sure you account for it come paycheck time. Check out one way some of your UNCG colleagues do this: https://www.earnin.com/ 

More sources to come! If you know of any sources you would like to share, please feel free to share them with the GSA Treasurer.