Years 1 & 2

Each PAOC student will be awarded a grant of $2000 once they enroll in the graduate program to help defray educational expenses; the cost of this grant will be met from the Houghton Fund. Students should apply to the Fund for each such expense. The following rules and procedures will apply:

1. Advisers will be required to confirm that claims are for legitimate expenses related to the student’s PAOC education. Examples of such expenses are: · purchase of computer hardware or software; · travel to meetings relevant to the student’s area of specialization; · purchase of textbooks and professional journals (but see item 2). The Houghton Fund Committee will be the sole arbiter of what constitutes a legitimate educational expense.
2. Each year, for each PAOC student, the Houghton Fund will pay for one membership in a professional society and one journal subscription from that society, at the eligible student rate. This is available to all PAOC students, including those in their first two years, and will not count toward the $2000 limit.
3. If the full grant is not spent by the end of the second year, the balance may be carried over into the third year (provided the student continues to be registered as a student in PAOC). Any carryover fund remaining at the end of the third academic year will be returned to the Houghton Fund.
4. Approval must be obtained before the expense is incurred. Funds will be reimbursed for expenses actually incurred.
5. Requests for approval should be made using an application form obtainable below. Completed forms should be submitted to Daisy Caban (room 54-1614, dmcaban@mit.edu). You will be notified of whether your expenses are approved. After approval, make the purchases, and bring/send the receipts to Daisy for reimbursement.
6. Sales tax cannot be reimbursed. Students should obtain a “Sales Tax Exempt Purchaser Certificate” from Daisy Caban before making any purchases.
7. For major equipment purchases, the student must include an explanation of the intended use or the equipment and a statement that they commit to using the equipment primarily for work-related activities. For the purchase of computer equipment, the student will give examples of software they may install. Also, it is expected that funding will be requested for only one computing device per student.
8. Multiple requests in any one year are permitted. No more than $1000 (out of the $2000) can be spent toward the purchase of computer equipment.

To apply for a grant:

1. Fill out an application form
2. Sign the bottom, and ask your advisor to sign too.
3. Bring or mail the application to Daisy Caban, 54-1614.

Daisy will then notify you whether you're approved to spend Houghton Fund grant money.

The application form is available here.

Last updated July 15, 2019.