Dependent Care Travel Grant Guidelines

The Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences (VCMS) is committed to promoting academic excellence by supporting the family needs of Scripps, UC San Diego Researchers and Project Scientists. The VCMS therefore, through the Dependent Care Travel Grant program (DCTG), is providing $25,000 annually to help offset costs for eligible researchers and project scientists who incur dependent care expenses while traveling to perform research or to attend regional, national, or international conferences or professional meetings. DCTG funds may be used to offset dependent care expenses at an alternate location, such as a hotel or conference site, or for dependent care at home while the researcher is traveling. Eligible participants may receive one VCMS-funded dependent care travel grant per fiscal year, not exceeding $2500 total.

 

Apply Now

For additional information contact the program coordinator Xi Wang at xiw107@ucsd.edu.

 

 

 

Eligibility

Participants include Scripps Researchers or Project Scientists who:

Are either single caretakers of a dependent, or Have spouses or partners unavailable for dependent care during their professional travel, due to work obligation or extenuating circumstances

 

Faculty members can access program information here
Postdocs can contact the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Affairs for information regarding the Professional Travel Childcare Expense Program

  • Have requested and received approved academic leaves from chairs or administrators, where applicable, for related travel during the service period

 

Award Amount

Per Fiscal Year

The VCMS is providing $25,000 annually. Eligible applicants may receive one VCMS-funded dependent care travel grant per fiscal year, not exceeding $2500 total.

Eligible Dependents
  • healthy children (≤ 12 years) who reside with the applicant and for whom the applicant is a primary caregiver; or
  • child/adolescent (≤18 years) who is physically or mentally disabled, requires assistance with daily activities, resides with the applicant, and for whom the applicant is a primary caregiver; or
  • a disabled adult/elder (child, spouse, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent) who spends at least eight hours every day in the applicants' home and for whom the applicant has caregiving responsibility
Eligible Expenses

 

  • Travel expenses for the dependent
  • Fees paid to a caregiver (other than a spouse, partner or other immediate family member) for services provided
  • Reasonable dependent care expenses over and above the cost, if any, that the faculty member would normally incur at home, or if the dependent must travel with the faculty member during the trip
  • Travel expenses for a caregiver (either to the researcher's home to provide care or to provide onsite care for the dependent)
  • Accommodations and meals for a caregiver during travel to conference or research meeting, or alternate research location
  • The cost of shipping expressed breastmilk for a child at home while the recipient is traveling
Ineligible Expenses
  • Dependent care expenses at home that would normally be incurred (i.e., aftercare at school, dependent care that is provided on an on-going basis, or meals/groceries for dependents or caregivers that would normally be incurred)
  • Caregiver fees paid to immediate family members
  • Any of the researcher’s expenses, conference or otherwise
  • Entertainment activities
  • First or business class tickets
  • Offsets for any state-funded travel expenses prohibited by California State law AB 1887
  • Other expenses not associated with the additional care or travel of the dependents
Information for Grant Recipients
  • Grant recipients are expected to attend the meeting or conference as designated in the approved application. Absent extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness), funds will not be disbursed if the awardee does not attend the conference/meeting, or engage in the work described in the application.
  • Significant deviation from planned travel (i.e., different trip or difference in projected dependent travel expenses) must be approved prior to travel. In the event of a change of plans, awardee should contact the program coordinator as soon as possible and may be asked to submit a revised application.
  • In the event of cancelled travel, grant recipients must notify the program coordinator as early as possible to release reserved funds.
Post-Travel Certification and Request for Funds
  • Within 30 days of completed travel, awardees must certify dependent care expenses were incurred. Expenses not certified within 45 days of travel will be ineligible for funding.
  • While receipts are not required for certification of expenses, they must be available upon request.After an awardee certifies his/her travel, the DCTG program coordinator will contact the traveler's home department/division to start the payment process.  Payroll payments of funds will be set up by unit or department contacts. PPS processing instructions are here.
  • After post-travel certification of expenses, disbursement of funds can take up to 60 days.