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Do you have comments, feedback, questions, or ideas regarding IEEE Young Professionals Events and Funding? We are happy to speak with you! Please reach out to us at ypfunding@ieee.org.
Student Transition and Elevation Partnership (STEP) Funding
Student Transition and Elevation Partnership (STEP) funding introduces IEEE Student Members to IEEE Young Professionals (YP) by kickstarting professional networking, reviewing YP Committee supports for young professionals, and offering avenues for Students to get involved with IEEE. STEP eases the Student-to-Young Professional Membership transition. STEP funding is available exclusively to IEEE Student Branches and Student Branch Chapters. A maximum of 500 US$ is available per STEP proposal.
Event organizers must obtain an endorsement letter from one (1) qualifying IEEE Volunteer confirming the proposal will ease the Student-to-Young Professional transition, and submit it as part of their proposal. Qualifying endorsing Volunteers submitting proposals are exempt from the endorsement requirement. IEEE Volunteers who qualify to endorse STEP proposals include:
- IEEE Region Director
- YP Region Coordinator
- Society/Council YP Representative
- Section YP Affinity Group Chair or Vice-Chair
- Section Chair or Vice-Chair
- Subsection Chair or Vice-Chair
IEEE Student Members and/or Graduate Student Members attendance is required at STEP events. Event organizers must collect attendees’ full names, email addresses, and Member numbers as applicable. This information may be requested at any time. Event organizers should structure the program to ensure impact. Potential STEP event examples include lectures, interactive workshops, and networking sessions, and more.
Endorsement
Event endorsement is required. One endorser is required. The following individuals may endorse STEP funding requests: Section YP Affinity Group Chair; Section YP Affinity Group Vice-Chair; Section Chair; Section Vice Chair; Subsection Chair; Subsection Vice-Chair; Society/Council Representatives. One endorser is required. The endorser must ensure that the event is in the interest of young professionals and will positively impact the Student-to-Young Professional transition.
Endorsement letter is REQUIRED if the submitter is not one of the authorized endorsers. Letter template is available on the portal.
Eligibility
STEP events must be organized by one or more local Student Branches. Student Branches are encouraged to apply for this type of event and highly encouraged to collaborate with the YP AG in their section.
Funding amount
Maximum amount: $500
Funding Application Endorsement Requirement
It is expected that event organizers personally verify qualifying endorsers as outlined in the funding application categories above. Events applications endorsed by non-qualifying individuals will not be considered.
Consider the following:
- An individual’s endorsement will only be considered valid if their Member profile accurately reflects their current Officer status. vTools Officer Reporting may be used to confirm Officer status.
- An individual’s endorsement will not be considered valid if their Member profile does not accurately reflect their current Officer status.
- A list of Society/Council Representatives is available here.
Funding Qualification Criteria
Event organizers are expected to review and adhere to the following stipulations. Please email ypfunding@ieee.org with questions.
- Funding is not available for travel expenses, accommodation, visa applications, gifts (including IEEE membership gift), honorarium etc.
- Initial funding approval does not guarantee funds will be provided. Awarded amounts may be higher or lower than initially requested.
- Applications will only receive the maximum available funding available if such is appropriately justified by the event’s final expense report, number of attendees, quality of follow-up materials, and overall impact of the event.
- An event’s overall impact will be determined by the number of attendees, the presence of significant participants/speakers, potential partnership/collaboration with IEEE OUs and/or industry entities, along with reach on social media (posts, amount of views, the number of unique engagements). All information concerning these points must be included in the event’s follow-up event report.
- Funding will only be issued after an event has concluded and the required follow-up materials are received by the Subcommittee.
- Fund transfers typically take 14 days to complete. An individual transfer may require additional time.
- A summary of the event’s final budget and financial report must be submitted for an application to receive approved funding. The final budget/financial report should include both the event’s tentative budget and actual spending in USD. All income, including surplus income, must be documented. Official recipients must be included as spending justification per line item. An expense submitted without a vendor’s official receipt shall not be considered for reimbursement.
- All IEEE OUs submitting an event funding application are required to adhere to IEEE Young Professionals branding requirements
- Applicants that fail to submit an application’s required follow-up materials within 4 weeks after the event (or by the expressed deadline) are ineligible to receive funding. Those who consistently do not submit follow-up materials may be temporarily prohibited from applying for YP event funding.
- Branding compliance checks will be conducted on applicants: online presence will be reviewed to ensure the correct use of the YP logo and terminology. Applicants must adhere to all branding rules as described in the branding document.
- In the event an application is not approved by the YP Events and Funding Subcommittee, its applicant may appeal the decision for reconsideration by emailing ypfunding@ieee.org
Event Reporting Requirements
Approved event funding will only be distributed once follow-up materials have been received and reviewed for quality. Follow-up materials must be submitted within 4 weeks after the event takes place/by the deadline set in the proposal call window. The required follow-up materials include:
- Attendees’ first and last names
- Attendees’ IEEE Member Numbers (as applicable)
- Attendees’ email addresses
- Number of attendees categorized by IEEE membership/non-member status
- Event’s impact on young professionals in as much detail as possible
- Photos and/or videos from the event
- Final budget summary/financial report, in USD, detailing expenses and surplus income (if applicable). Official vendor recipients must be provided for each line item expense. Expenses submitted without a vendor’s official receipt shall not be considered for reimbursement.
- Copies of all advertising/promotional/marketing materials used (flyers, posters, email invitations etc.)
- Link to the vTools event report
- Event’s impact on young professionals in as much detail as possible
A maximum 500-word submission for the YP IMPACT Blog detailing your successful event. This write-up will be collected via the funding porlal
Important Reminders for Online Application Submission
The IEEE YP Funding Portal is accessible here. Please note the following important reminders:
- All required submission form fields must be accurately completed.
- Applicants are required to obtain a qualified endorsement as described herein and provide such in the form of a letter signed by the endorser in .PDF format.
- Applicants must attach their endorsement letter to their application and select “Save and Finalize.” This required action will complete and submit their applicant.
- After saving and finalizing an application, the applicant will receive an on-screen confirmation message. The submitted application will be accessible under the funding portal’s “Complete” tab on its left-hand navigation bar.
Ready to Submit?
Please ensure that you have read all of the above information. By submitting an application, you recognize and agree to act in accordance with the YP event and funding procedures detailed above.