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Does your chapter have a great idea for a project but not enough money to carry it out?

ACM May be able to help!

Yes, there are ways to get funds from ACM in order to finance or seed student projects. Two specific ways are -- the Special Interest Group (SIG) Discretionary Fund and Requests from Individual SIGs.

The SIG Discretionary Fund

The SIG Discretionary Fund (SDF) was created by the ACM Special Interest Groups and is administered by the SIG Board to promote technical excellence and foster new programs throughout the Association. The SDF has funded projects ranging from conferences and seminars to special publications and video productions.

The SIG officers collectively peer review all complete proposals. Selection is based on the degree to which the proposal:

  1. Promotes technical excellence in the computing profession.
  2. Represents a discrete, innovative activity (not on-going, repetitive events).
  3. Has the support of a component ACM organization.

The number of awards is based on the amount available in the SDF and the amounts requested by the selected proposals. The fund cannot support indirect costs or profit for agencies submitting proposals.

To submit a proposal, prepare a description of your proposed project that is no more than five pages long and includes the following information:

a. Project title
b. ACM sponsor (if any)
c. Project purpose and outcome
d. Project description and technical relevance
e. Project schedule
f. Individuals involved and brief qualifications
g. Methods for results dissemination
h. Project budget and total funds requested

Proposals are reviewed twice each year. Submit proposals to the Director of SIG services (baglio@acm.org). This is also the address you should use if you have any questions about the submission process.

Requests to Individual SIGS

Some Special Interest Groups have Development Funds that are earmarked for worthwhile projects that relate to the SIG's interests and members. Interested students can put an informal proposal together indicating a description of the project and budget needed and submit it to the Chairperson of the relevant SIG. You can find out the contact numbers of ACM's SIG leaders from: http://www.acm.org/sig_volunteer_info/officers_roster.html. These requests can be made at any time of the year and are handled on a case by case basis.

Funding is available to attend SIGPLAN conferences

Every year, SIGPLAN allots a certain amount of money to be used in supporting professional activities by its members; requests for support are administered by the SIGPLAN's Professional Activities Committee (PAC). The intention is to supplement on an as-needed basis the traditional resources available for such activities, so that a broader range of individuals can participate; historically, many PAC awards have gone in support of students attending SIGPLAN-sponsored professional meetings. Students or other professionals wishing to learn more about the SIGPLAN PAC or to make an application should visit the PAC Web page at http://www.acm.org/sigplan/pac or contact one of the members of the PAC committee: Mary Beth Rosson, Chair (rosson@vt.edu), Jeanne Ferrante (ferrante@cs.ucsd.edu), and Laurie Hendren (hendren@cs.mcgill.ca).

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Copyright 1996