Office of the Dean of the Faculty
Spouse/Partner Travel Grant Program for Postdoctoral Research Associates and Postdoctoral Research Fellows
September 2008
This pilot program, created with the help of a generous grant from the Elsevier Foundation provides travel funds to assist first- and second-year postdoctoral research associates and postdoctoral research fellows whose spouses or domestic partners are full time graduate students or postdoctoral researchers at another university that is at least 150 miles distant from Princeton. (Visiting postdoctoral research associates are not eligible for this program.)
Awards from the Spouse/Domestic Partner Travel Grant Program for Postdoctoral Research Associates and Postdoctoral Research Fellows may be used by recipients for their own travel to visit their spouse/domestic partner or for travel by their spouses/domestic partners to visit them at Princeton.
Eligible 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 $1,500 in funding per academic year, with a maximum grant total of $3,000 over the first two years of postdoctoral training.
Interested postdoctoral research associates/fellows must be approved for eligibility prior to any request for reimbursement. Requests for reimbursement may be submitted anytime after eligibility has been approved up to 30 days after the end of the period of eligibility. Should any of the eligibility circumstances change, the grant recipient must notify the Office of the Dean of the Faculty as soon as possible.
Once eligibility is approved, the postdoctoral research associate/fellow is required to submit travel receipts for reimbursement. Receipts may be submitted as trips are taken during the eligibility period. Reimbursement will be provided in the form of travel 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.
Application forms to establish eligibility for a spouse/partner travel grant and the form to request reimbursement for travel once eligibility has been established may be found at http://www.princeton.edu/dof/policies/forms/misc_forms/.
Questions about the program or about eligibility should be addressed to Gilda Paul (email: gilda@princeton.edu; phone: 609-258-2922). Questions about reimbursements should be addressed to Associate Dean Sandra Johnson (email: sandyj@princeton.edu; phone 609-258-5230) or Jennifer Widdis (email: jwiddis@princeton.edu; phone 609-258-3023).