Faculty & Staff International Funding Opportunities

Faculty & Staff International Travel Awards

The Office of International Programs (OIP) offers funding for faculty & staff traveling abroad on projects that promise meaningful institutional advancement of global engagement at App State. Projects may incorporate individual professional development, but they must explicitly advance App State's global engagement efforts. These awards are given at the discretion of OIP's Assistant Vice Provost and are contingent upon fund availability.

OIP allocates a set amount of money per fiscal year from its operation budget to award for faculty & staff international travel. To reach more individuals in the University community and to make the awarding process more transparent and fair, this process will be conducted in four cycles based on the applicants' "return from travel" date. Each cycle will be allocated a portion of OIP's international travel funding budget, ensuring that all money is not expended before faculty & staff have chances to identify travel opportunities.

Application Cycle Timelines

Applications are accepted and reviewed based on indicated travel-end date/return date timelines.

Travel Cycle:	Application Link:	Application Due:	Award Decision:
Cycle 1: Travel Return Date between June 1 - Aug. 31	CLOSED	March 4	March 18
Cycle 2: Travel Return Date between Sept. 1 - Nov. 30	OPEN	July 1	July 15
Cycle 3: Travel Return Date between Dec. 1 - Feb. 28/29	OPEN	September 2	September 16
Cycle 4: Travel Return Date between March 1 - May 31	OPEN	Jan. 6, 2026	Jan. 20, 2026

Applications close at 11:59 pm EST on the "Application Due" date indicated above.
If the above deadlines land on a non-business/non-working day (weekends, holidays, inclement weather closures, etc.), the deadline defaults to the next business/working day.

Criteria & Guidelines

Below are the criteria and guidelines for applying.

All App State University faculty & staff (excluding visiting scholars) are eligible to apply.
OIP contributions/award amounts are contigent upon funds committed by both the department and college/school/division and based upon the applicant's submitted budget. The maximum contribution OIP will award is $1,500, but the full $1,500 is not guaranteed.
Applicants may only apply once per fiscal year (only the first application submitted will be considered).
Award funds must support App State's global engagement efforts.
Applicants not awarded in the previous fiscal year will be given higher priority.

Important Notes:

Due to App State using Chrome River for travel authorizations and reimbursements, OIP funds can only be applied as a budget revision request after the awardee's expense report has been fully approved
Applications cannot be submitted for travel that has already happened and awards cannot be applied retroactively on travel that has already completed.
OIP does not issue travel advances.
OIP International Travel Awards cannot be used for travel to U.S. Territorites (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, etc.).
If the award recipient leaves the University before the award money is used or the travel is canceled for any reason, the award money will be reallocated for other applicants.
If award funds are not used within the awarded travel cycle, the award will be canceled/rescinded unless there are extenuating circumstances and an alternative timeline has been agreed upon.
If you're applying for funding for an International Fellowship, please review the University's policy.
- If you're traveling on a Fulbright Fellowship, you will use their international travel insurance (ASPE).
Extenuating Circumstances: in special cases, exceptions to timelines may be made. These exceptions will be decided by OIP on a case-by-case basis.
- You must reach out to or notify OIP by emailing OIP@appstate.edu of any extenuating circumstances you may have before submitting any application.
  - Extenuating Circumstances examples are below, but are not limited to these specific examples:
    - Award Decision notification timeline: if your "return from travel date" falls in a particular travel cycle that has an Award Decision date which comes after your date of departure, please submit your application as soon as possible, and then notify OIP by emailing OIP@appstate.edu.
    - Exceptional global engagement opportunity discovered at the last-minute (post application submission deadline). Please reach out to or notify OIP by emailing OIP@appstate.edu.