Funding Opportunities

Student Council offers three forms of funding for student clubs, groups and individual students. Club, Community Initiatives, and Professional Development funding may be requested using the funding request form*. Student Emergency Funding has a separate application, as the review committee includes staff members. Please use this form to request Student Emergency Funding.

*The form is only open during the academic year. 

Professional Development Funding

The Student Council endeavors to support the needs of the student body by providing the opportunity to apply for financial support when attending or presenting at professional events both domestically and abroad. Funds will be awarded to qualifying students upon submission of a satisfactory application to the Professional Development Funding (PDF) Committee. Once the professional development event has occurred, students who have been approved for funding will be instructed to submit a payment request and any required deliverable(s) for reimbursement up to the awarded amount.

Learn more and apply for Professional Development Funding

Club Funding

Student clubs are eligible to receive funding from the Student Council on an ad hoc basis. Student clubs must complete the Funding Request form in order to request club funding from the Student Council. Only approved clubs will be considered for Student Council funding. 

Learn more and apply for Club Funding

Community Initiatives Funding

The Student Council encourages the academic, professional, and cultural interests of the Institute’s student body by supporting those students who wish to host a large-scale event such as a conference, speaker event, community gathering or panel. If faculty or staff are working with students to plan an event that directly benefits all students, they may also submit a request to this fund.

Community Initiatives Funding seeks to:

• Support the academic and cultural interests of students by providing thought-provoking and insightful perspectives on international topics.
• Bring together leading experts and professionals to share knowledge and experiences and provide opportunities to network.
• Share the expertise of professional/accredited persons to speak or perform during an activity sponsored by an Institute department, Student Club or Academic Department (all activities must be student-led to qualify) 

Learn more and apply for Community Initiatives Funding

Student Emergency Fund

Jointly administered by the Middlebury Institute Vice President’s Office and the Student Council, the Student Emergency Fund (SEF) is intended to help support MIIS students whose education is jeopardized by emergency or life-threatening circumstances. The Emergency Fund was initially created in response to the needs of Institute students during a year when wildfire and COVID posed a threat to many students. Since then, the Student Council has modified its eligibility policies to respond to community needs and the unique nature of emergency situations.

The fund offsets unforeseeable costs that negatively impact students’ ability to complete their studies due to factors out of the individual’s control or other proof of inability to complete their studies. The fund is not intended to improve a student’s standard of living or to help pay for foreseeable costs, such as rent, utility bills, groceries, or other costs that are universally applicable to the student body. It operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and the fund may run out by the end of the academic year. The application process requires documentation, such as receipts or invoices. Applicants who are granted a SEF award will receive emailed instructions for reimbursements. 

SEF is available to currently enrolled Institute students who are in good academic and financial standing. Students may apply as many times as they wish but may only receive payment for one SEF award per academic year, defined for the 2022-23 Academic Year as September 6th, 2022, to May 19th, 2023. Applications are reviewed on a weekly basis. For the ‘22-23 Student Council, applications are only reviewed by a select group of Student Council members and MIIS staff.

Eligible Requests

1. Medical or insurance expenses: Insurance co-pays and deductibles, mental health support services, urgent or emergency care, prescriptions, and over-the-counter drugs related to unforeseen and/or emergency medical situations.
    
2. Emergency relocation and travel expenses due to a natural disaster: Temporary housing; gas, mileage reimbursement, tolls; airline, bus, ferry, subway, and train tickets; for unplanned trips to leave the area due to a natural disaster. SEF can only be applied to the individual student’s expenses.
    
3. Loss of employment or wages due to a personal, family, or environmental emergency: Only for off-campus jobs.
    
4. Accidental loss of technology necessary to complete studies: Student Financial Services can offer a one-time loan to cover technology expenses and/or computer replacement. If you are found ineligible for this loan by Student Financial Services, then students can apply for SEF.
   1. SEF can only be used to offset the cost of replacing a student’s computer, laptop, charger, wi-fi router, or other piece of technology due to an emergency situation. Purchasing new technology, instead of replacing a previously-owned, damaged item, is not eligible. 
   2. Note that headsets and webcams are sometimes offered free of charge to students, pending availability. Contact the Office of the VP for more information: vpmiis@middlebury.edu.  
       
5. Other (must be approved by the Student Emergency Fund Committee)

Tuition or other foreseeable expenses, such as rent, food and/or utilities, unless there are extenuating circumstances as determined by the SEF Committee, are ineligible for SEF. 

Apply for Student Emergency Funding here.