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Society of Women Engineers (SWE)Program Development Grants (PDG)Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Table of ContentsSWE PDG General Information......................................................................................................2SWE PDG Common Funding Questions.......................................................................................10SWE PDG K-12 Outreach Grant Questions..................................................................................11SWE PDG Professional Development Grant Questions...............................................................15
Important Notes: This document is the principal resource that should be used when submitting a proposal to the
SWE PDG Committee for funding consideration. Grant authors / project managers are encouraged to review the other reference documents (Regional Training Presentations, Budget Templates, Submission Templates, etc.) for additional guidance.
This document was not designed to contain all the precedence of past committee decisions but rather the common questions and themes.
New precedent is made throughout each fiscal year; so this document is also living in nature. Paper and local copies of this document are not controlled. Please refer to the electronic version
on the SWE PDG Website (swe.org/pdg) for the most up to date version of this document.
SWE PDG FAQ, Rev C Page 1 of 18NOVEMBER 2014
SWE PDG General Information
1. Who can apply for a PDG?
All SWE members can apply for a grant. This includes: Professional and Collegiate Sections Society Committees Members-At-Large (MAL) Regions International Members and International Affiliates
2. Are there eligibility requirements to receive PDG funding?
Yes. To be eligible to receive funding, your SWE Section, MAL, Region, or Committee must meet all of the following criteria.
1. The event must be SWE led. For the vast majority of our grant authors / project managers, this means that your local SWE Section must be leading this event. PDG funding cannot be used for events ran by an unsanctioned individual. A SWE Region, Section, International Affiliate, or MAL must sanction the event.
a. For this document, this sanctioning group is referred to as the sponsoring group.
b. A MAL may be sanctioned by the MAL Board.2. You / your section / your region must be in good standing with SWE Headquarters
(HQ). For the vast majority of our grant authors / project managers, this means that your SWE Section must have turned in their year-end fiscal report to SWE HQ for the most recent past fiscal year and your Leadership Roster for the current fiscal year. (This is validated by SWE HQ). For MALs, International Members, and Affiliates without section financial records you must have an active SWE membership in good standing.
3. You / your section / your region must be in good standing with SWE PDG (These are validated by the PDG Committee with support from SWE HQ).
a. You / your section / your region cannot have any outstanding / late reports on open grants.
b. You / your section / your region cannot have any outstanding / late checks to SWE HQ on money to be returned to SWE HQ.
c. You / your section / your region cannot have more than three grants open at the same time.
d. You / your section / your region cannot have more than $7,500.00 in approved funding of open events at the same time. This could be all in one grant or divided amongst more than one grant.
If you / your section / your region are unsure if you meet these criteria, please email the PDG Committee Chair at [email protected] and request a check of eligibility. Submitting a
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proposal when you / your section / your region are not eligible will delay funding notification.
3. What types of events can be funded by PDG? / What is the funding criterion for PDG?
PDG funding is currently limited to specific events (known date, location, audience, etc.) that fall into two categories: 1. K-12 Outreach 2. Professional Development
K-12 Outreach is defined as an event focused on exposing girls from kindergarten to 12th grade to STEM related topics via hands-on experimental learning. SWE’s partnership with FIRST Lego League is included. More details can be found in the K-12 Outreach Grants section of this document.
Professional Development is defined as an event focused on learning a skill. Professional development events are targeted to collegiate or professional members. More details can be found in the Professional Development Grants section of this document.
A specific event is defined as having a known date, location, and audience. If your event location cannot be finalized until funding has been secured, please include the assumed event location and any additional locations being considered (i.e.: high cost location and low cost location or two geographical areas). If the event is a long-term (several months) program where the event location will change, please provide these details and include the event locations under review or historical locations. A defined location includes the venue name and address that would facilitate an online review for additional information.
At this time, these are the only type of events funded by PDG.
4. How do I apply for a PDG?
1. Review your event and determine if it meets the PDG criteria for a sponsored event.2. Review if you / your section / your region is eligible to receive PDG funding.3. Plan early.
a. A best practice is to submit your grant 3-4 months prior to the event (for international groups, this extends to 5-6 months due to the complexities in sending funds). Grants cannot be submitted during an event or after an event has occurred.
b. The committee meets monthly; grants must be submitted by midnight (PST) on the 1st day of the month prior to the event to be considered for funding in that month’s funding cycle. (i.e. if the event takes place in February the latest the proposal could be submitted for consideration is January 1)
c. The funding cycle can take up to 45 days; meaning that you will not receive notification on the funding status of your grant until the middle of the month
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after that which it is reviewed. See the graphic below for more details.
4. Determine if your proposal can be submitted via a short form or if the traditional proposal is required.
a. To be eligible to submit via a K-12 Outreach Short Form (OSF), your event must meet all of the following criteria:
i. Project funding request is less than $1200.00,
ii. Total number of students is less than 100,
iii. Cost per student is less than $12.00 for consumables, food, and take-home,
iv. Single day event with the duration of event being less than 8 hours, and
v. Funding is requested for female students only.
vi. If amount requested is less than the total project budget, please submit an attached budget.
b. To be eligible to submit via a Professional Development Short Form (PSF), your event must meet all of the following criteria:
i. Project funding request is less than $1,000.00, excluding SWE sponsored Continuing Education Unit (CEU) fees,
ii. Total number of participants is less than 50,
iii. Funding requested per participant (professional or collegiate) is less than $20.00, excluding SWE sponsored CEU fees,
iv. Funding is requested for female (or male SWE members) participants only,
v. The event has an admission fee for professionals that at a minimum, covers the cost of food (collegiate SWE members are not required to pay admission fees),
vi. The admission fee is graduated by membership, meaning non SWE members are paying a higher fee to attend,
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vii. No alcohol is being funded by SWE,
viii. The event is for professional development and not purely social, networking, or for fundraising,
ix. The event is led by SWE for the primary benefit of SWE members, and
x. Duration of event is less than 8 hours and occurs on a single day.xi. A complete project budget is available and submitted with the PSF.
c. If your event does not meet the requirements above to submit via a short form, your proposal must be submitted via a Traditional Form. This assumes your event meets our requirements to be sponsored that were listed earlier in this document.
5. Download and complete the SWE PDG templates for your submission method.a. K-12 Outreach Short Form:
i. K-12 Outreach Short Form Template ii. Budget Form (if applicable)
b. Professional Development Short Form:i. Professional Development Short Form Template
ii. Budget Form c. Traditional Form:
i. Grant Cover Page ii. Grant Proposal
iii. Grant Budget 6. Gather all information required for your submission.7. Submit all required files along with any additional information to Lester McNair
([email protected]) and the SWE PDG Committee Leadership Team ([email protected]) by the deadline.
Additional information on the grants can be found on the Program Development Grants Webpage, swe.org/pdg. Items found on this page include additional guidelines on grants, express templates, and examples of past grants.
5. Are there examples of the PDG forms available to help me?
Yes, they can be found on the Program Development Grants Webpage, swe.org/pdg.
6. How much detail does the PDG Committee look for in the proposal?
The PDG committee will review the event and will be looking for a clear description of the event, participants, organizers, duration and agenda, and budget, including the funding total, amount requested from the PDG, and the rest of the sources of funding, including:
Who is this event for? What is the target # of participants?
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How will the publicity for the event occur? What is the agenda for the event? Is there a primary speaker?
A well-written, concise proposal is preferred. For example, you do not need to go into the details on the data associated with women in the profession, as the PDG committee is comprised of SWE members who are engineering students or professionals.
While the exact length of a Traditional Form proposal will vary depending on the event complexity, the committee values quality over quantity. There is no need for paragraphs if the information can be presented in bullet point format.
Part of the PDG funding process is allowing grant authors / project managers to practice written communication skills in regards to requesting funding.
7. How often are grant applications reviewed and how long will it take for me to hear back?
The PDG Committee meets once a month to review all applications, so applications received by the first of the month will be reviewed in that month. Thus, the applicant will typically be notified of grant status within 45 days after the first of the month. The response can be either a firm response (approved or rejected) or questions for clarification. If clarifications are needed a firm response (approved or rejected) may not be received for another 45 days due to the committee meeting schedule. See the graphic below for additional details.
A best practice is to submit your grant three to four months prior to your event. This extends to at least five months ahead if you are an international member due to the complexities of providing the funds.
8. What is the judging criterion for PDGs?
Overall, we are looking for well-organized, fiscally responsible events that meet our criteria for funding.
PDG proposals should address at least one of the Program Development Grant Committee Goals:
Education and Outreach - inspire girls and women from diverse backgrounds and life stages to aspire to engineering for meaningful and rewarding careers.
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Inclusive Organization - embrace and promote the value and power of diversity and inclusion in specialties, age, race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, and interests.
Professional Leadership - provide opportunities for women to attain, enhance, and demonstrate leadership as well as professional and technical excellence that results in career aspiration, advancement, achievement, and satisfaction.
Knowledge Source - share SWE’s acquired knowledge and promote programs that bridge the gaps in recruitment, professional development, and retention of women in engineering.
Value and Benefit – provide value and benefit to SWE as a whole and SWE membership.
9. Once my grant is approved, what are the next steps?
The next steps are to execute to your plan. As of FY12, the PDG Committee no longer requires quarterly updates. The grant author / project manager is only required to communicate with SWE HQ and the PDG Committee Leadership Team if one of the following events occur:
The grant author / project manager changes for your event, The Treasurer changes for your sponsoring group, The event is cancelled, or The event is rescheduled.
You are required to submit your final report, including your final budget with actual amounts and receipts/invoices, no later than 30 days after your event. A final report should also include proof of event; proof of event may include, but is not limited to such items as: surveys, photos, sign-in sheets, and receipts. SWE PDG may request specific proof of event items as a condition of funding approval and failure to provide proof of event as requested, may result in incomplete or unsatisfactory final reports that may affect future PDG eligibility.
10. Once my grant is approved, how do I get the money?
90% of the grant amount is paid upon grant approval and section notification. SWE Headquarters (SWE HQ) mails the check directly to the organization (Section, MAL, Region) Treasurer. The remaining 10% of the grant funds are released upon receipt of the final report and deliverables. No funds will be released in excess of the amount used for the event and any unused funds must be returned to SWE HQ. Not returning excess funding to SWE HQ in a timely manner will result in your sponsoring group being ineligible for additional PDG funding.
The PDG reviews final reports and works to close out proposals on a monthly basis. It may take up to 45 days for a final report to be fully processed and for the 10% of remaining funds to be released. (See #7 for timeline)
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11. How far in advance should I apply for a grant? Can I apply for a grant after my section/committee/region event has taken place?
It is best to apply for a grant at least three to four months in advance of an event. This extends to at least five months ahead if you are an international member due to the complexities of providing the funds.
This allows the grant author / project manager to have time to reply to committee questions and comments and make updates to the grant proposal before the event occurs.
Grant authors / project managers must apply for the grant before the event has taken place. Proposals should be submitted to PDG by the 1st of the month, one month prior to the event date. Grants submitted pertaining to an event that has already occurred would be rejected from the funding process. Submissions made while the event is in progress may also be rejected from the funding process.
If a grant is not submitted at least three to four months ahead of the event and the grant author / project manager decides to purchase items for the event and / or hold the event prior to receiving funding notification from SWE; they are doing so at their own risk. There is no implied approval of funding from SWE PDG.
12. I have heard that must have a “balanced budget” when submitting a PDG Proposal. Can you help me understand what this means?
Yes, a balanced budget needs to sum to $0.00; meaning that you have a balance between your expenses and income. You cannot request more PDG funding than your event needs.
It is important to list all sources of income, including sponsorship and in-kind donations. The in-kind donations need to be listed at the fair market value of the donation to best represent the true cost of doing the event.
Note that when submitting the final report budget after an event, the sum of expenses and income may not equal $0.00 in order to reflect a budget overage or shortage in actual expenditures and incomes. In this final report budget all actual incomes and expenses received to-date of the report should be listed, including only the 90% of approved PDG funds received.
13. Can I apply for a grant if my section/committee/region already has an existing grant that we have not closed/concluded?
Yes, if the following criteria are met: Sponsoring group has no more than 3 open grants, and Total for all open grant(s) and submission is less than $7,500.00, and Sponsoring group has no overdue final reports.
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14. Are there any other requirements to I or my section in order to apply for a grant?
Yes, see “Are there eligibility requirements to receive PDG funding?” earlier in this document.
15. What if I do not use all of my approved funding from PDG?
Unspent funds are not allowed to be retained by the grant author / project manager and must be returned to SWE HQ during the grant closure process. Unspent funds cannot roll over to another event or next year.
Instructions on returning unspent funds will be sent to the grant authors / project managers during the closeout process. Please wait until the final report has been submitted and your grant is in the closeout process to send funding as you will receive a detailed email with the instructions. Returning funds outside of this process will delay future funding notifications.
16. Who is on the SWE PDG Committee?
The SWE PDG Committee consists of SWE members representing diverse geographical regions, varying levels of experience, and membership (collegiate, professional, life, etc.). They are a group of individuals who are passionate about helping SWE fund programs to advance our mission.
The Committee has a leadership structure that includes a Chair, Chair-Elect, Board of Directors Representative (Society Treasurer), and a SWE HQ Staff Liaison.
17. How can I learn more about joining the SWE PDG Committee?
Please contact the SWE PDG Committee Leadership Team ([email protected]) for more details on the responsibilities of committee membership and any openings.
18. How do we reference the PDG funding at our event?
It is a requirement to give credit for the PDG funding you receive. In text, this should be as follows:
“This event was made possible by a Program Development Grant with the Society of Women Engineers through a generous donation from the ExxonMobil Foundation.”
Do not use an ExxonMobil logo. If you need to recognize your PDG funding in a graphically format (t-shirts), use the SWE logo with “Grant Funded by ExxonMobil” under the logo. Be sure to follow SWE’s logo and usage guidelines (details and downloads can be found in the “SWE Resources” area once you have logged into the swe.org homepage).
If you have other sponsors for your event, you are expected to provide SWE and ExxonMobil the level of branding that any sponsor would receive for the same dollar amount. For
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example, if you grant is funded at $3,225.00 and your event has a Gold Sponsorship at $3,000.00 – SWE and ExxonMobil should be listed as a Gold Sponsor and provided the same branding.
You must acknowledge ExxonMobil and SWE in all publicity and press releases. If you use any copyrighted material in your program you must have the author’s permission and credit the author, this includes material you may find on a web site. For press releases, please contact Karen Horting at [email protected] in advance of the release to receive approval from SWE and ExxonMobil.
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SWE PDG Common Funding Questions
19. Can PDG funding be used for photography or paying for a photographer at my event?
No, PDG funding cannot be used for photography or photographers; as there is a potential issue with ownership and rights of the photos (especially with releases for minors).
20. Can PDG funding be used to pre-buy supplies for future events?
PDG funding can only be requested for a specific, already planned event and approved funding can only be used for that event.
PDG funding cannot be used to “stock the shelves” for future, unplanned events and extra supplies for future events cannot be purchased.
21. Can you use PDG funds for Giveaways?
It depends …
For a K-12 Outreach Event, if the giveaway is essential or adds to the event and helps promote SWE’s brand – Yes, depending on the cost. An example would be a small bag for their take home activities that is branded with the SWE logo.
For a Professional Development Event, it is rare to pay for a giveaway and we often require that the SWE Professionals admission fee cover these expenses.
22. Can you use PDG funds for Speaker Gifts?
It depends …
If your speaker is a SWE Member, you can use PDG funding to buy a greeting card and print a certificate for your speaker (~$3.00-5.00).
If your speaker was paid (even if not via PDG funding), you can use PDG funding to buy a greeting card and print a certificate for your speaker (~$3.00-5.00). A gift in addition to the speaker fees is not recommended and will not be funded by PDG.
If your speaker would normally be paid to speak on this topic and volunteered their time for this event, you can use PDG funding to buy a small token of appreciation that strengthens SWE’s mission. An example would be the SWE Branded Coffee Mug in the SWE Store (http://www.abdi-ecommerce10.com/swe/p-55-swe-travel-tumbler.aspx). The expense should be no more than $10.00 and should not be cash or cash equivalent (gift card).
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If your event included a panel with several panelists, you can use PDG funding to buy a greeting card and print a certificate for your speaker (~$3.00-5.00).
SWE PDG K-12 Outreach Grant Questions
23. How many girls have to participate in order to be eligible for a grant? How many volunteers?
You can have as few as a handful of girls and one SWE volunteer and qualify for PDG funding. The more girls that participate, the better, but many small grants can be as good as a few big ones. Typically, we like to see girl-to-volunteer ratios of 4:1 or better. All volunteers do not have to be SWE members, but SWE must be leading the grant activity.
24. Can I get funding for events with families and teachers?
Absolutely, adult influencers are a critical piece of SWE’s mission and goals.
25. What is the typical amount of money an outreach event is expected to cost?
It depends on the event or activity venue, the number of participants and volunteers, and the event complexity. Looking at consumable and take-home expenses; $15.00-$25.00 per girl is considered average for a half-day event along with $15.00 per volunteer or adult influencer (volunteer cost includes a t-shirt, the adult influencer cost includes items such as brochures and other hand-outs).
26. Do we need to charge an admission fee for attendees (girls and/or adult influencers) for outreach event?
It depends on the event or activity venue, but in general, it is expected that participants will pay approximately $8.00 per attendee. However, if the event is specifically targeted towards underrepresented (commonly defined as the girls being part of a reduced price lunch program at their school), the event can be free to attendees. Please be sure to specify this cost in your application.
The K-12 Outreach Committee recommends an admission fee not just to offset costs but also as an encouragement to attend the event after registering. Data shows that the percent of event no-shows dramatically decreases when a small admission fee is charged for events that have pre-registration.
27. What type of detailed information should I include with budgeting information for outreach events?
The proposal budget worksheet defines several categories of expenses and income. These need to be filled out in detail:
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Professional services – Detail what professional services are needed and why Food – Detail the meals and/or snacks that will be served and for how many Consumables – Detail what is needed for how many attendees – examples include
materials for experiments, brochures and/or other hand-outs, t-shirts, and giveaways Publications – Detail what needs to be printed and how many copies Facilities – Detail what facility cost apply and why – applicants should try to get
these donated in-kind Insurance if needed – this can be provided through SWE Headquarters and is
typically free to about $0.50 per attendee Income – Detail what income is available if any – examples include attendance fees,
in-kind, and corporate sponsorship
28. Are there any outreach items typically not funded?
The following items are typically not funded by the grants: Professional services such as secretarial, personal care/grooming, or meeting planning Travel expenses such as hotel rooms or local transportation for volunteers or adult
influencers Cash prizes Speaker travel and fees
• PDG can provide funding for speakers associated with professional development events. It is plausible that a K-12 outreach event might have a professional development speaker as part of an adult influencer program or the like – please be sure to specify in your application and refer to the questions on speaker travel and fees in the professional development section of this document
Travel expenses such as hotel rooms or local transportation for SWE members Capital equipment such as computers or photography equipment Professional photography Salaries Section planning meetings Scholarship awards Television ads Fundraising events SWE memberships (including Collegiate to Career memberships, transitions, and K-
12 Educator memberships)If a grant author / project manager believes they require funding of these items the event, they can include them to their budget with a full explanation of why the exception is requested.
29. Are there any outreach events that are not funded based on the nature of the event?
There are a few types of outreach events that are typically not funded. They are: University recruitment events
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Outreach events that are for boys only – If an event is open to both girls and boys, the PDG Committee will determine how much to fund at their discretion – if events are open to both genders they should be targeted to girls and this should be explained in the grant submission
Non-SWE lead events – Events where it appears that SWE is not one of the key event planners
Events that do not have a hands-on activity/activities for a high percentage of the contact hours
30. Is there guidance on the percentage of time that should be focused on hands-on activities for a K-12 Outreach Event?
Based on our K-12 Outreach Committee’s recommendations, we require the grant to contain the necessary information to calculate the percentage (%) of hands-on activities during your event (for example, a detailed schedule or agenda for the day). We know that this is the most impactful part of K-12 Outreach Committee Events. We recommend the % of hands-on be as high as possible; but the % will vary based on the age range and event.
A minimum of 30-40% of the event should be spent on hands-on events.
31. Can you use PDG funds for volunteer gifts?
In general, no, but you can use PDG funding to buy a greeting card and print a certificate for your volunteers (~$3.00-5.00) but no other gifts can be funded.
32. Can we buy t-shirts for our event with PDG funding?
Yes, if the event is at least 4 hours in length.
T-shirts can be purchased for volunteers if they are to be worn at the event to help participants find volunteers. In 2014, we updated our t-shirt cost range to be $7.00-11.00 per shirt. This range allows for ordering youth and adult sizes as well as geographical adjustments. If your t-shirt cost is above $11.00 per shirt, you will be asked for justification.
If you need assistance locating a supplier that can meet this target, please reach out to the K-12 Outreach Committee or PDG Committee Leadership Team.
33. Can we buy food and / or beverages with PDG funding?
PDG funding can be used for food for the event based on the length of the event: 4 hours or less: snack only (usual and customary for USA $3.00/person) 4 – 6 hours: meal (usual and customary for USA $8.00/person) 6 – 8 hours: meal + snack Over 8 hours: two meals
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34. Is there a special submission template for First Lego Leagues (FLL) Teams sponsored by SWE?
Not anymore. When PDG started funding FLL Teams, there was a separate template. However, starting in FY14, the PDG Committee opted to reduce and consolidate our templates, including the FLL Team funding requests.
Are there special requirements for FLL Teams? Yes, and they are as follows: PDG funding can be requested for the registration fees for up to 1 tournament. If
the team qualifies (merit based) / places for additional tournaments, the registration fees for those additional tournaments will be considered for funding.o If your team qualifies for additional tournaments, please contact the PDG
Committee Leadership Team ASAP for consideration of additional funding. The team must be at least 75% girls.
o Beginning in FY14, we have allowed for new teams (meaning no previous team in that geographically area and/or school) to start with at least 50% girls with the understanding that the team would have to achieve 75% girls to be funded in the future. In these cases, PDG funding can only be used for the direct expenses (i.e.: robot kit and tournament registration). This has been extended to help new teams in areas without a FIRST base.
To qualify as “SWE-led” at least 1 SWE Member must be with the teams (face to face) for at least 50% of the time the team meets. For example, if the FLL team meets two days a week for an hour each day; there must be at least 1 SWE member present for one of those meetings.
35. Are there other sources of funding for K-12 Outreach Events from SWE?
At times, the SWE K-12 Outreach Committee accepts grants for specific events (for example, WOW! That’s Engineering). These grants fall outside the PDG Committee jurisdiction; please contact the K-12 Outreach Committee for more information.
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SWE PDG Professional Development Grant Questions
36. What is the typical amount of money a professional development event is expected to cost?
It depends on the event or activity venue, the complexity of the event, and the number of participants. Typically $15.00-$30.00 per attendee is considered average.
37. What type of detailed information should I include with budgeting information for professional development events?
See question 24.
38. Is there precedence to be aware of in terms of professional development events?
Yes, while we cannot list everything here; below are some of the common ones: The general guide for a room rental rate should be no more than $100.00/hour for a room
size of 50 adults. Professional speakers that are charging a speaker fee should give a not-for-profit discount
when speaking to any SWE organization; you should list the discount as an in-kind donation from the speaker in your budget.
PDG funding cannot be used for photography or photographers; as there is a potential issue with ownership and rights of the photos.
To qualify as a Professional Development Event, a skill must be learned. Your submission needs to state this skill (i.e.: session learning objectives, speaker abstracts etc.) and the agenda for the event should add value to this skill.
A Professional Development Event that includes other activities must include 60% of time spent of Professional Development where the above skills described are being learned.
Keynote speakers only events must demonstrate a sufficient length to engage, learn, and receive the message of the speaker.
If your event has a Professional Speaker; PDG funding can only be used to either:1. Pay the speaker a fee for their services, or2. Pay the direct travel expenses for the speaker.
You cannot provide both with PDG funding. If your event has a professional speaker that is charging a fee, you must submit a formal
speaker biography with your grant submission. This will be used to make sure the speaker is at the appropriate level (i.e.: would be able to provide CEUs).
Continuing Education Units/Professional Development Hours if needed – this can be provided through SWE Headquarters and is currently $20.00 per attendee – contact Peter Finn at SWE Headquarters via e-mail, [email protected], for details on submitting paperwork for consideration of CEU/PDH
39. Do we need to charge an admission fee for attendees for a professional development event?
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Normally, yes. In general, it is expected that participants will pay approximately $10.00-100.00 per attendee. Professional SWE members are expected to at least pay for their food and giveaways. Please be sure to specify this cost in your application.
40. Can you apply for a PDG that has non-SWE members in the audience?
Yes, but you must structure the event to have a graduated registration cost based on membership.
For example, a non-SWE member must pay more for the event than a SWE member. This helps strengthen our benefits of membership.
41. Are there any professional development items typically not funded?
See Question 25 above.
In addition, for professional development events, the following items are typically not funded:
Food – It is expected that professional SWE members will fund their own food at events through attendance / registration fees
Giveaways – It is expected that professional SWE members will fund their own giveaways (or have an admission fee equal to or greater than the value) at events
Speaker gifts above a greeting card (see question 22 for more details) Speaker travel and/or fees for a SWE Member to speak Alcohol is never funded by SWE SWE memberships (including Collegiate to Career memberships, transitions, and
K-12 Educator memberships)
42. What are the policies about events that offer Continuing Education Units (CEU)?
PDG funding can be used to pay the fees associated with processing CEUs for your event; when SWE HQ is used to process them or the cost is equivalent to SWE HQ’s processing fees.
Events that offer CEUs need to have a graduated pay scale for membership that is significant between members and non-members.
43. How do you define a professional development event?
In order to be funded, a professional development event must teach a skill and the teaching and/or practicing of that skill must be reinforced throughout the event agenda. For example, if you professional development event was to teach the skill of negotiation skills the ideal agenda could include a speaker giving an overview of the skill and the networking time on the agenda would include structured events to practice this skill and increase the impact and learning.
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The agenda will be reviewed by looking at the percent (%) of time spent during the event on the skill.
44. Are there any professional development events that are not funded based on the nature of the event?
There are a few types of professional development events that are typically not funded. They are:
Purely social events Fundraising events University recruitment events Business meetings SWE section development events Non-specific grants (i.e.: grants for stocking the shelves for various future events) Free events – In general, attendees are expected to pay a fee to attend events Non-SWE lead events – Events where it appears that SWE is not one of the key event
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SWE PDG FAQ, Rev C Page 18 of 18NOVEMBER 2014
