Student Organization Grants

The Mittal Institute offers grants to undergraduate and graduate student organizations for academic events relating to South Asia. Grants are considered on a month-to-month review process (detailed below); however, organizations are encouraged to apply as early as possible as funds are limited and may be exhausted before the end of the academic year. Student groups are invited to apply to the Mittal Institute for funding once per semester.

Mittal Institute grants support student events with an academic focus, and must have Harvard faculty involvement. This may be direct participation by a Harvard faculty, or faculty advisement on the content of the event. The average grant for academic events is $500. The Mittal Institute does not provide funding for social events.

The Mittal Institute may consider grant requests for amounts over $500 if the following criteria is met:

• The event or project applied for is a collaboration between two or more student groups.
• The subject matter represents multiple countries in South Asia.
• The subject matter represents multiple disciplines related to South Asia.

In addition, grant requests above $500 require an in-person meeting with Mittal Institute staff at least 6 weeks prior to the scheduled date of the event. During this meeting, student organizers and Mittal Institute staff will discuss and clarify the extent of the Mittal Institute’s responsibilities, the necessity for a well-researched budget, and the operations of space reservations and outreach. Please email mittalsai@fas.harvard.edu to schedule an appointment.

Eligibility

Recognized Harvard University undergraduate and graduate student organizations

Application

Please send your application materials to mittalsai@fas.harvard.edu, including:

• Application for student organization grants
  • The application requires organization and project details, as well as a proposed budget with invoices attached where possible.
• Detailed project proposal
  • Provide details for the project purpose, plan, date/time/location, and proposed/confirmed participants.
  • Your proposal must also clearly state how the content relates to South Asia.
• Written confirmation of application approval by your organization’s faculty advisor

Reviews and Deadlines

Applications are reviewed around the first day of each month, and applications must be submitted at least one month before the proposed event date. For example, if you are interested in hosting an event in October, please submit your application by September 1st to ensure it can be considered for funding. We encourage student organizations to plan their events and send their applications as far in advance as possible; there are few, if any, exceptions made for either retroactive funding for past events or for late submissions.

Applications for the fall 2024 semester may now be submitted, and the first review deadline will be September 1st.

Requesting Space in CGIS

Mittal Institute affiliated student groups should email the Mittal Institute to request space to hold events in CGIS. Spaces are primarily reserved for academic seminars and events and are not conducive to social events. Public events require faculty involvement and attendance. Requests for spaces should be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to the event. There are security and custodial charges for events over the weekend, events not during regular building hours, and events with high attendance. Furthermore, AV equipment that is beyond in-house equipment is available at an additional cost and require at least 4 weeks of advance notice. Please include the following details in your email:

• Event title
• Date and time of event
• Attendance count
• A/V requirements
• Faculty sponsor if event is public
• Room preferences