Writing Conference Grant Proposals

Please use the following guidelines when preparing your VPUE Conference Grant proposal. (Click here for specific guidelines for  Creative Arts projects.)

• Before applying, be sure to check our eligibility requirements.
• Proposal title: Provide the title of your conference presentation.
• Conference abstract: Provide the abstract of the paper or poster that has been accepted for presentation. Usually, this abstract describes your project’s objectives, significance, methods, and conclusions. If you think additional background or explanation on this project would be helpful, include this information succinctly.
• Your role in the presentation: Conference Grants are for presentations that you are leading. If you have co-authors, include a clear discussion of the extent of your individual role in presenting and responding to questions from the audience.
• The meeting or conference that you are attending: Include the name of the conference, information on the society or association sponsoring it, with dates and location, as well as details of the session at which you are approved to present. Include a screenshot of the abstract acceptance notification you received from the organizers (your name and presentation title should be identified in that official correspondence).
• The process whereby your abstract was accepted: Conference grants give high priority to competitive peer-reviewed selection processes.
• Goals of attending this conference: Describe specific sessions or meetings that you will attend, beyond the one at which you will present. Describe what you would discuss with scholars, what you hope to learn at this conference, which you will not be able to do if you did not participate in this conference. How will these sessions and conversations fit with the other work you have done in and outside of the classroom at Stanford?
• Your budget should present the transportation expenses and registration associated with attendance. Requests for food and lodging (for travel more than 50 miles each way from Stanford) support may also be considered. More on "Constructing a Budget" here.
• An International Travel Safety Plan is required for conferences taking place internationally. Refer to the "International Travel Requirements" section for further details and instructions.

Guidelines for Conference Grant Letters of Recommendation

• A letter is required from a qualifying faculty mentor who supervised your project and who is guiding you on your conference presentation.
• The letter of recommendation from your faculty mentor should explicitly endorse the research that you are presenting.
• The letter should also provide an assessment of the conference and comment on the relevance of the conference for your work.