The Psi Upsilon Foundation awards a reimbursement grant to deserving chapters (or groups of chapters) who want to produce educational programs, workshops, and speakers events both in-person and virtually. Recipients may use the funds, up to $1,000, (~$4,000 total annually for the program) to pay for hospitality, event space, facilitator/speaker fees, travel and lodging needs, production of materials, etc. While the Foundation is eager to promote the connectivity of brothers, these funds can be used to bring programs and content from outside to benefit the membership (for example, multiple chapters can apply to fund a joint virtual workshop conducted by an outside facilitator).
Applications are accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis throughout the year. The Foundation awards a reimbursement grant of up to $1,000 for use within the same academic year. For Chapters seeking help in coordinating a speaker event, the Director of Member Engagement can be helpful prior to applying for the grant.
Submitted applications will be confirmed within 1 business day of submittal and typically evaluated within one week of completion and addressing any questions.
REQUIREMENTS
- The chapter must be in good standing and the event must have the endorsement by the Chapter Alumni Corporation President or Chapter Advisor.
- The speaker must be credentialed and/or possess demonstrable experience and accomplishment in the field for which they will be speaking. The speaker does NOT have to be from the chapter or even a brother.
- Invitations must be extended to the entire chapter (undergraduates and graduates) and optimally will include additional partner organizations from within the community to broaden the audience.
- If two or more chapters would like to pool grants to bring in a virtual speaker together, each chapter must apply separately to help ensure all participating chapters are jointly involved.
- The date and location of the event, as well as the speaker(s), must be identified, and within the academic year. The event format must provide the speaker time to delve into their subject matter (presentation, panel, fireside chat, etc) and may include time for discussion or networking.
- The funds are limited to travel and hospitality of the speaker and direct event costs (hospitality, catering, space rental, transportation). As this is a reimbursement grant, all receipts for the eligible and awarded expenses are required to be submitted for payment. The awarded amount by the foundation may be more than the actual reimbursed amount but not greater.
- Only one award per chapter per academic year.
Sample Uses:
Eta Chapter Career Development: In 2021, the Connects Grant helped bring alumni brothers together with undergraduates for a day-long workshop to mentor around career development, resume reviews and interview skills. The funds were used to support the chapter’s hospitality during the day.
Rho Chapter Speaker Event: In 2022, the Rho chapter invited the Honorary Social Impact Fellows, Dr. Barbara Hendri, Kappa ’82 to speak at the University of Wisconsin about sustainability and the UN’s climate change response. The event was open to the public. The Connects stipend helped fund her travel and lodging for the event.
Sample Endorsement Letter
The PsiU Connects undergraduate programming is part of our Speaker Series. To see alumni events in targeted areas check our Events listing here.
Name a Connects Stipend:
Brothers can permanently endow a stipend to support speakers at chapters (or the entire brotherhood) for $25,000 corpus to be managed within the Foundation’s endowment. Working with the Foundation team, the funds will be used annually as closely to the preferences as the donor wishes. The stipend may be named after a brother, chapter, or group of brothers subject to the confirmation of the Foundation Board.