Dependent Care Travel Fund
This is a pilot program to cover costs of dependent child care for students enrolled in Princeton graduate programs, postdoctoral research associates, and postdoctoral research fellows who are attending learned society meetings, academic conferences, workshops, and other professional development events. (Non-degree graduate students and visiting postdoctoral researchers are not eligible for this program.)
This program was created with the assistance of the Elsevier Foundation in order to allow graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with children to attend professional meetings more easily. We will evaluate the program after a year to see what changes, if any, should be made.
Awards from the Dependent Care Travel Fund may be used by recipients for dependent care at a conference, or at an alternative location (including at home), and may include those expenses incurred in transporting a caregiver.
Eligible graduate students and postdoctoral researchers may submit more than one request (and receive more than one grant) within a given academic year, up to a net (post-tax) maximum of $500 in funding per academic year.
Requests should be submitted to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty (Room 301 Nassau Hall) at least 30 days prior to an event requiring dependent child care, and must include the following:
- The name and home department of the graduate student or postdoctoral researcher
- Name, age, and home address of the dependent receiving child care
- A description of the dependent’s relationship to the applicant
- A description of the conference or other event associated with this request, including date(s) and location, and of the graduate student or postdoctoral researcher’s role in the event (e.g. panel organizer, paper presenter)
- A detailed budget noting anticipated expenses associated with the request. This should include information about travel and accommodations for the dependent (and possibly the caregiver) if relevant to the budget, as well as a description of the planned care (the provider’s name, the provider’s relationship to the applicant, the location of the care, hourly cost, etc.)
Funding will be provided in the form of dependent care grants. Payments will be made as additional compensation through the regular payroll. Since this type of funding is considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service, grants will be grossed up by 50% to cover the additional tax liability. Questions may be addressed to Associate Dean Sandra Johnson, extension 8-5230 or Jennifer Widdis, extension 8-3023.