Budget Guidelines for Student Grants

Allowable Budget Items

Grants are primarily used for essential project expenses, such as:

• Project-related travel 
• Living expenses (such as food and housing; unless receiving units already for research or thesis writing)
• Art materials
• Books and photocopies
• Human subjects payments

Prohibited Budget Items

Grants do not support:

• Electronic equipment (e.g., computers, printers, cameras, etc.) that is available through Stanford (e.g. Lathrop Library, Stanford Arts Equipment Lending Library, Terman Engineering Library, etc.)
• Software that is available through Stanford (e.g. Lathrop Library, Terman Engineering Library, etc.)
• Lab supplies
• Compensation for mentors or colleagues 
• Course tuition or workshop fees
• Hiring assistants, performers, or other services (e.g., interpreter/translator, film director, etc., with the exception of interview transcription)
• Conference travel in cases where you are not presenting your own work

*Exceptions will be made for students with OAE/Diversity & Access accommodation letters

Major Grant and Chappell Lougee

Major Grants and Chappell Lougee Scholarships go toward supporting students' full-time immersive projects over 10 weeks in the Summer. The grant is intended primarily to cover a student's stipend for living expenses and any travel expenses associated with the project. If your project includes compensation to human subjects (such as for interviews, surveys, etc), include this as a separate line item in the budget. 

Major Grant and Chappell Lougee stipends are calculated for each individual student as the sum of two components: a core stipend of $7500 + a need-based supplement up to $1500 for eligible students.

• Your line item budget should solely be based on the $7500 core stipend. 
• The need-based supplement will be determined by the Undergraduate Research office, based on information from the Financial Aid Office (FAO). 
  • In the grant application, students who wish to be considered for the need-based supplement must give VPUE permission to ask FAO for an assessment of their financial need. No actual financial information is revealed to VPUE, and students do not need to contact FAO directly.

Major Grant and Chappell Lougee Grant Example 1

In your grant proposal, you must spell out the detailed week-by-week steps associated with your 10-week project. Given this information, your budget request could be as simple as:

• Stipend for 10 weeks for this project = $7,500

Major Grant and Chappell Lougee Grant Example 2

If your 10-week project requires funds for human subjects payments and other project expenses, your line-item budget could look like this:

• Human Subjects payments = $X
• Project expenses (e.g., books, art supplies, etc.) = $Y
• Stipend for 10 weeks for this project = $(7,500 - X & Y)

Small Grant

Small Grants can support stipends up to $1500 for part-time projects throughout the academic year and the summer. If your project includes compensation to human subjects (such as for interviews, surveys, etc), include this as a separate line item in the budget. 

Small Grant Example 1

• Human Subjects payments = $X
• Stipend = $Y
• Total = $(X + Y)

Small Grant Example 2

• Stipend = $X
• Total = $X

Conference Grant

Conference Grants can support stipends up to $1500 for professional/scholarly conferences where students have been accepted to present their own project findings. Your budget should present the transportation expenses and registration associated with attendance. Requests for food and lodging (for travel more than 50 miles each way from Stanford) support may also be considered.

Conference Grant Example

• Travel to conference = $X
• Food and lodging = $Y
• Registration fee = $Z
• Total = $(X+Y+Z)