Fund Application Guidelines
Fund Description
Per Article 15.17 of the Unit 2 Collective Agreement, the Unit 2 Conference Travel Fund provides $100,000 per contract year (Sep 1–Aug 31) to support contract faculty members to attend conferences. The Conference Travel Fund covers applicable expenses on a reimbursement basis only following the conference and does not cover anticipated costs.
Eligible Expenses
The Conference Travel Fund covers expenses associated with the travel and attendance at approved conferences which may include, but is not limited to, transportation to attend the event (air, rail, personal vehicle), accommodations, meal per-diem, conference registration, and transportation at the event (taxi, bus), in accordance with the York University Expense Reimbursement Guidelines.
How to Apply
Unit 2 members can submit applications using the online CUPE 3903 Conference Travel Fund Application (Machform) any time for one of two (2) annual adjudication periods. Application deadlines are October 1 and March 1.
All applications must include the following information:
- A brief explanation (maximum 500 words) of how the conference contributes to their scholarly, professional or artistic endeavors.
- A budget of anticipated or actual expenses (note the eligible expenses listed above and be sure to include all that are applicable),
- A conference agenda and/or invitation (Members whose conference proposals haven’t yet been accepted will be required to submit confirmation of acceptance before receiving any funds),
- An endorsement from the department chair or director (applicants must provide the email address of their chair, who will then receive the endorsement form).
Members should submit a separate application for each conference. If applying for more than one conference in the same round, indicate which application(s)/conference(s) the adjudicating committee should prioritize.
Unit 2 members may submit applications before or after their conferences. Note, however, that submitting in advance doesn’t guarantee approval.
Adjudication and Fund Disbursement
The Conference Travel Fund Adjudication Committee adjudicates applications twice per year, after the application deadlines below. The total yearly fund allocation will be divided between the two adjudication periods.
| Fall | Winter | |
| Application Deadline | October 1 | March 1 |
| Amount Available | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Application Decisions | Normally by the middle of November | Normally by the middle of April |
Approved applicants will receive reimbursement for eligible, budgeted expenses up to a maximum award of $2500. Members may submit more than one application per collective agreement year (September 1 – August 31), but no member will receive more than $2500 per year (i.e., in a fall and subsequent spring round).
All applicants will be advised of the results of the adjudication. Approved applicants can then submit expenses for reimbursement up to the approved amount.
If any money remains in the fund following an adjudication round, it will be added to the total available for the next adjudication round.
If the total amount approved in either annual adjudication round exceeds the funds available, the