The UXPA Grants to Chapters program provides partial or total funding for special events or activities conducted or initiated by UXPA chapters when such activities might otherwise be financially impractical.
Who can apply?
Individual chapters may apply for grants for a wide range of projects. Groups of chapters may seek a grant if they are collaborating on a single activity and need support for that activity. For instance, several chapters within a UXPA region or within close geographic proximity may wish to jointly sponsor a program or seminar, and they may seek a UXPA grant to do so.
For what purposes may they be used?
The UXPA Grants Program to chapters offers two types of funding, each of which has a different purpose:
- Merit grants fund one-time activities. A chapter (or a group of chapters collaborating on a single activity) may request a merit grant to support any type of activity that they consider worthwhile and that advances the stated goals of UXPA.
- Financial recovery/special needs grants help chapters recover from unforeseen or unusual financial difficulties.
Who administers them?
The UXPA Board of Directors administers the grants program. It selects recipients, determines funding criteria and restrictions. Chapters submit applications for grants to the Co-Directors of Chapters. Current Co-Directors are Paul Sherman and Dave Mitropulous-Rundus. The Co-Directors review the grants for completeness, fill in and attach a UXPA Grants for Chapters Review Checklist as a cover sheet for each application, and submit them to the Board for review.
Chapters are invited and encouraged to discuss their ideas with one of the individuals identified above prior to completing an application. UXPA’s approval of grant applications depends on the availability of funds in the Association’s annual grants budget, as established by the Board of Directors, and on whether the purpose for which the funds are requested is deemed acceptable under the guidelines set for each of the two types of awards.
What criteria does UXPA follow?
Merit grants
Approval is based on whether the activity is beneficial to UXPA and whether the plan for the activity is reasonably sound. Financial need is not considered, but the chapter must demonstrate fiscal responsibility. A current Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statement are required as part of any application. Examples of activities that may qualify for a merit grant include the following:
- Educational projects (Attachment C is required if the grant request is for a conference);
- Interorganizational programs;
- Community service that brings recognition to UXPA, creative services (e.g., publications or audiovisual packages) that benefit the chapter(s) or UXPA as a whole; and
- Projects designed to attract members or enhance the image of UXPA.
Financial recovery/special needs grants
Approval is based on whether the chapter has demonstrated that it cannot recover from its current difficulties without encountering financial hardship. A current Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statement are required as part of any application. Examples of activities that may qualify for this type of grant include the following:
- Recovery from financial difficulties caused by unforeseen or unusual circumstances;
- Support of extraordinary expenses incurred from short-term activities that benefit UXPA as a whole (except hosting an UXPA annual conference).
What restrictions apply?
Conflict of interest – UXPA will not approve funding for any project that is connected in any way with those who make or influence UXPA decisions or who use UXPA resources for personal financial gain, for the financial gain of their immediate family members or business associates, or to give an unfair advantage to a third party outside the Association.
Nonrecurrence and separate approval – All grants must be nonrecurring; that is, no grant may be authorized that either commits the Association to or anticipates an annual, periodic, or otherwise repetitive allocation. Every grant proposal must be separately reviewed in its own right – approval (or disapproval) shall not establish precedent for subsequent proposals, whether similar in nature or not.
What obligations must applicants fulfill ?
Grants applicants must:
- Demonstrate initiative, effective leadership, and member support.
- Provide background information sufficient to justify the grant, including complete current financial statements.
- Specify purpose, amount requested, planned disbursements, and completion date of the activity related to the grant.
- Submit to the Director of Chapters or their designee, within four months of receiving the grant, a brief report outlining the use of the funds and the effects and benefits derived from the funded activity.
What is the maximum allocation?
A chapter may request any number of separate grants. However, UXPA allocates a total of $1,000 for each fiscal year for the entire chapter grant program, to be divided among applying chapters as the UXPA Board deems appropriate.
What are the application deadlines and when are they awarded?
Chapter grant awards will be made twice a year, once at the April Board Meeting (usually the first Friday of the month) and once at the September Board Meeting. The UXPA Director of Chapters or their designee (see section entitled “Who administers them?”) must receive all grant application paperwork, completely and accurately filled out, one calendar month prior to the actual meeting of the Board of Directors specified above. Successful applicants will receive their grant from the UXPA no later than thirty days after the grant award.
Chapters that submit incomplete paperwork for consideration may delay action on their application, as the decision regarding their funding request may have to be postponed if insufficient information is available.
On rare occasions – when unexpected emergency needs arise – the Board’s Executive Committee will make interim grant decisions.
How does a chapter apply?
Use the application form attached to this page. An application is complete only if all pages are filled in, if the appropriate signatures are included, and if the form is submitted as follows:
- For single-chapter applications, complete one copy of each page.
- Have the chapter treasurer sign and date the current financial statements, and have the chapter president or coordinating chapter president sign and date the completed application. This sign-off certifies that the information in the application is correct and that the grant will be used for the purposes specified.
- Submit the completed application to the Director of Chapters or their designee, who will review all material and present it for approval to the UXPA Board of Directors.
Application Forms
These forms are provided in both RTF and PDF formats