Alumni Federation

Grant Program

The Cornell Alumni Federation awards grants to its constituent member organizations for innovative projects that build organization membership, develop leadership, promote the standing of Cornell in the community, attract prospective students, and benefit the interests of both alumni and the university.

Awards are made twice each year in mid-January and mid-July, with applications due on December 1 and June 1, respectively.

• Grant Application — Regular Form for requests $500 - $5000
• Grant Application — Short Form for requests $500 or less

Guidelines for Grant Requests

The following guidelines have been developed to help you complete the process of grant application. While the application may seem long, the intention is to help your organization think through the project thoroughly and understand the elements necessary for a successful initiative.

1. Grant requests must be made on the form provided and must be complete. Please do not leave any portion of the form blank. We cannot consider a grant submission without a detailed budget.
2. Proposals received after the deadline will be considered in the next cycle. Grants will be awarded of up to $5,000 each. Be as specific as possible in describing your project and the reasons for the request. For instance, instead of saying "It will build membership numbers," you might say "It will attract new members, especially young alumni who need to maximize their gain for the time and effort they contribute." Or, "This project is important because there is no forum for continuing education in our area, and this is a pressing need among alumni." This kind of information will better inform the committee that will consider your application.
3. Terms of the grant: 85% of the funds awarded will be paid approximately one month after notification. 15% of the awarded funds will be paid upon receipt of the final report. The final report should include the following: what you have learned; the successes and challenges of implementing your project, including future directions; and a completed financial report for the project. Excerpts from the final report, as well as this application, may be shared with other alumni groups or used in the Cornell Alumni Magazine and other publications to generate support and enthusiasm for the project.
4. In general, a grant award will not be made to support a program that has already taken place. Nor will grants be made to help an organization raise money or pay fees for outside services unless there is an excellent return on investment (monetary or otherwise), e.g., a $5,000 grant to raise $25,000 or more, or $500 for outside fees for an event that will benefit 100 or more alumni. In general, funds may not be used for officer expenses, equipment that does not have a permanent home at a university office, or salaries.

Grant authors will be notified by mail of the committee's decision in late January or late July.

What Are Grant Committee Members Looking For?

We look for projects that:

• Engage new alumni, develop leadership, promote Cornell in your community, provide an opportunity for Cornellians to gather and renew old friendships and make new ones, or positively influence as-yet-committed accepted applicants to attend Cornell.
• Springboard pilot programs that, if successful, you can then sustain, and the CAF Grant program can then expand to other areas.
• Have strong leaders behind them, to ensure they're carried out on time and on budget, and with enthusiasm that is Cornell.

Here are a few examples of the types of projects that were recently funded:

• Cornell Engineering Alumni Association: receptions for co-op students and local alumni in 16 cities
• Class of '90: a webinar to encourages classmates to attend Reunion
• Cornell Club of Lancaster: elegant chocolate tasting event at the Hotel Hershey
• Cornell Club of Michigan: charter bus to bring alumni back en masse to Homecoming

Alumni Groups Eligible to Apply for a CAF Grant

• College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Alumni Association
• College of Architecture, Art, & Planning Advisory Council
• College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council
• College of Human Ecology Alumni Association
• College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Association
• Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network
• Cornell Asian Alumni Association
• Cornell Association of Class Officers (including each undergraduate alumni class)
• Cornell Black Alumni Association
• Cornell Clubs/Alumni Associations
• Cornell Fund
• Cornell University Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association
• Cornell Latino Alumni Association
• Cornell Law Association
• Cornell Medical College Alumni Association
• School of Industrial & Labor Relations Alumni Association
• Cornell School of Nursing Alumni Association
• College of Engineering Alumni Association
• Cornell Hotel Society
• Johnson Graduate School of Management Alumni Association
• President's Council of Cornell Women
• Board of Trustees' Alumni Affairs Steering Committee
• University Council

If you have questions about the grant process, please contact Donna Carl (donna.carl@cornell.edu) in the Office of Alumni Affairs at 607-255-3517. Good luck!