Fund Description
Per Article 15.03 of the Unit 1 Collective Agreement, the Unit 1 Books/Supplies Fund provides $8000 per contract year (September 1 – August 31) to offset the costs of books, supplies, and other materials required for the performance of an employee’s teaching duties and responsibilities but that have not been provided to the employee by the course director or hiring unit.
The Books/Supplies Fund covers applicable expenses on a reimbursement basis only and does not cover anticipated costs.
Note: for the first year of fund adjudication under these new guidelines (2025–2026), the amount available is $16,000.
Fund Application Guidelines
Eligible Expenses
The Books/Supplies Fund covers only books, supplies, and materials needed by Unit 1 (Teaching Assistant) members for their teaching duties. It does NOT cover such items required for your graduate coursework, dissertation research, or other academic work connected to your role as a graduate student.
Textbooks:
Applications to cover required course textbooks not provided by the course director or hiring unit will be covered at 100 percent. If there is not enough money in the fund to reimburse all book claims, the additional money needed to cover any remaining book claims will be transferred from the Ways and Means Fund to the Books/Supplies Fund.
Other supplies and materials:
Applications to cover other teaching supplies and materials will be covered as funds allow. If demand exceeds the funds available, members may be awarded less than 100 percent of their claim. Examples of supplies and materials covered include but are not limited to:
- graphing calculators
- lab demonstration equipment
- paper supplies
- other books not required by the course syllabus but necessary for a TA to understand/teach the course material
Ineligible Expenses
Items NOT covered: computers, phones, tablets, and the like
How to Apply
Unit 1 members can submit claims for eligible expenses using the Books/Supplies Fund Jotform applicationat any time.
Click here to access the Books/Supplies Fund Jotform application!
All applicants will need to include in their application:
- receipts for all items claimed
- a clear explanation of why the books, supplies, and material are required for the applicant’s teaching duties
If possible and where available, applicants should also include:
- any supporting documentation that supports the explanation provided in (2) above (e.g., course syllabus, correspondence from course director or hiring unit explaining why required materials haven’t been provided, etc.)
Adjudication and Fund Disbursement
Claims will be adjudicated by the Professional Development Funds (PDF) Committee three times per year in periods that correspond with other PDF Committee deadlines. The total yearly fund allocation will be divided into three periods, each corresponding to an academic term.
Preference will be given to applications for expenses incurred during the term prior to the deadline (e.g., the January adjudication will prioritize expenses incurred in the previous fall term). Expenses related to 8-month F/W (Y) courses will be prioritized in either the January or June adjudication rounds, but members are encouraged to submit such expenses in the January round.
| Fall | Winter | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Deadline | January 10* | June 10 | September 10 |
| Amount Available | $3000 | $3000 | $2000 |
| Fund Disbursement | By end of February | By end of August | By end of November |
Important Notes on the 2025–2026 fund allocation
- The deadline for the fall 2025 adjudication round is February 28, 2026.
- Because applications for the Books/Supplies Fund were not available for some time before February 2026, the Fall and Winter 2025–2026 rounds will also prioritize expenses incurred prior to Fall 2025. No application will be approved without valid documentation, including receipts.
- For the 2025–2026 year, both the allocation for the current contract year and the previous contract year are available—that is, a total of $16,000.
Any questions that aren’t answered on this webpage? Contact the PDF Committee by emailing pdf3903@gmail.com.