{"id":368,"date":"2019-07-25T10:58:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T10:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegreenprogram.com\/?p=368"},"modified":"2022-11-02T12:45:03","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T12:45:03","slug":"welcome-to-our-funding-crash-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegreenprogram.com\/blog\/welcome-to-our-funding-crash-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to our funding crash course\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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My name is Zo\u00e9. I\u2019m a 2018 TGP alumna that never had the money or the time for a semester of study abroad. I know universities say you can always find a way to make study abroad work, you can find the money, take a light semester, and so on, but that just wasn\u2019t in the cards for me. 4 years of university was the max money wise. I heard about TGP, and sure, it sounded like me, but there was no way I could scrape up a few grand to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then? Magic happened.  I\u2019m not a big believer in miracles, but a professor I am close to heard about the program and wanted me to go. I wrote a statement of the program\u2019s expected benefit to my career and academics, and we found the funding through my department and an additional university fund that allowed me to only need to pay for insurance and a flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never even knew money for things like this was out there. This got me thinking, how many other students are there like me? Those who love to travel and have new experiences and learn, but couldn\u2019t find the money?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Iceland, I met fantastic people who I\u2019m still in touch with. We learned together about energy, sustainability, and experienced the wonder of the Icelandic outdoors. We even bought one of Iceland\u2019s trademark wool sweaters that we send around to each other as a way to stay in contact and up to date on each other\u2019s lives. TGP was what I needed to stay passionate about sustainability in today\u2019s world and it changed my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which brings us to this guide. With the help of TGP, I\u2019ve put together information on types of funding, how to find it, and how to ask for it. It might take some work, but this is worth it; we swear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Types of Funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Funding can come in all sorts of flavors, but there are two main categories we will focus on today. University funding is considered to be any aid that comes through your university in some form, whether that be departmental aid, study abroad aid, student group funding, or university specific financial aid. Federal aid is just that \u2013 financial aid through the U.S. federal government that you are applying toward study abroad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

University<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While we focus on 3 types of aid here, it is also important to note that you may be able to leverage university-based financial aid for study abroad. Please reach out to your financial aid office and study abroad department for more help with this, as it varies between universities.
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Departmental<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reaching out to your department is a crucial first step, particularly if you have a small department or already know they have some sort of study abroad money available. My funding came as a result of talking to my professor, who also happened to be my department head. You can start by asking the administrative aide in the department\u2019s office, or reaching out to a professor in the department. Be ready to explain why you are looking for funding and what TGP could do to bolster your academics and future career. Additionally, be prepared to explain what you can offer for other students when you return. For example \u2013 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m currently interested in attending The Green Program\u2019s summer 2020 Peru trip. Given my academic focus on sustainable water systems, Peru could help me to form a better knowledge base and gain experience in a developing nation. I believe that funding from the Civil Engineering department could help make my trip possible and would allow me to be an asset for students with similar interests when I return and would be willing to present my experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Study Abroad Office<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While your study abroad office may not initially know what TGP is, they might still be willing to allocate funding for you (or help you find it in other places) once you explain what it is and its benefits. Again, it is critical to ask. If you can, look at their website beforehand and see what scholarships or other funding they might offer and see if any might apply to you. If the program must be university-recognized, find out what that process looks like and if you can initiate it. Going in with a plan will go a long way, as they will want to see that you have thought about credit transfer, a budget for your trip, how the experience will play out in your academics, etc. For example \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on locating funding for The Green Program\u2019s winter 2021 Nepal trip. I have a great interest in working on microgrids once I am done with school, so their program could give me some insight I\u2019m currently unable to get on campus. My department is willing to cover a portion of the fee, however, I am hopeful that study abroad may be able to help me find additional funds to cover the rest of the costs. I noticed that funded programs must be university-recognized and am hoping we can initiate this process today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Student Organizations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most students are involved with some kind of student organization and many organizations have an allowance in their budget for student opportunities. I am involved with my university chapter of Society of Women Engineers and we have an allowance for conferences and research symposiums that students can request to utilize. In many cases, this means reaching out to your president or treasurer and asking what is available. From there, you can look at what needs to be done to gain access to these funds. Even a few hundred dollars can help on the funding journey. For example \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHi [contact name], I am hoping to pursue a study abroad opportunity in the near future with The Green Program. As a result, I am seeking out funding opportunities. Does our organization have any allowance for student development opportunities? If so, what is the process for accessing this funding? Once I return, I am willing to present at a general meeting and\/or send out a message to the chapter about my experience.
Thanks, Zo\u00e9\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal Aid<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1992, the Higher Education Act stated that students can receive financial aid for study abroad costs so long as the student is enrolled in a program approved by the home institution. Many types of aid can be applied both to regular semester credits and study abroad, such as federal loans and certain grants. There are also scholarships and programs explicitly for study abroad, although these have some more stringent requirements and may require that you be studying for a summer or full semester. You can reach out to your financial aid office to see if using your federal aid is an option for you. Keep in mind that applying federal aid to a study abroad program may impact how much aid you have available for the next semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other Types of Aid<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Additional forms of funding and aid do exist, such as reaching out to groups you may be involved with outside of school, maybe an employer or rotary club.\u00a0Additionally, TGP has a collection of scholarships available for students, such as The GREEN Scholarship and The Built Environment Scholarship. You can learn more at\u00a0thegreenprogram.com\/scholarship<\/a>\u00a0or by emailing TGP at\u00a0info@thegreenprogram.com<\/a>.
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Crowdfunding<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can also look to your friends and family for help and put together a funding campaign on crowdfunding sites. This is a common route for many TGP alumni and hopefuls. GoFundMe is a prime example of a crowdfunding site, but other options include Indiegogo and even Facebook. The idea here is that you set up a campaign and then your network can contribute small sums to get to your total goal (a program fee, in our case). Crowdfunding could be the great success you need – if you do it right. Here are a few articles about crowding: <\/p>\n\n\n\n