Social Enterprise Initiative

Social Enterprise Field Study/ISR Reimbursement Grant Program

Application process

Students submit one Social Enterprise Field Study/ISR Reimbursement Grant Application form per team, which includes a detailed program budget that will be used to determine the grant award (see "Funding Process" for details). For students conducting a Field Study, please select a Team Lead who will be the primary contact person for SEI, and who will be responsible for submitting all required team paperwork. Grants are awarded on a case–by–case funds–available basis. Students should take the limited funding availability and decision timeline into consideration before making financial commitments. Once submitted, budget amounts cannot be increased.

Students will receive an "Application Status" email within a week of the grant application deadline.

If the application is approved, students must finalize the grant process by submitting an Expense Form, along with original itemized receipts and a copy of the original budget, to the SEI Office (Loeb House, 3rd floor) by the submission deadlines.

**If your project necessitates travel during the period preceding the ISR/Field Study term, please contact Maria Torres at mtorres@hbs.edu to discuss funding options in advance and prior to committing to any expenses you wish to seek reimbursement for.

Note on Travel Outside of the United States: Students who are working or traveling to countries on the U.S. Department of State Travel Warning list should contact the Social Enterprise Initiative in advance of the application deadline. Your application will be reviewed and determined on a case–by–case basis, based on University and HBS guidance.
Note on HBS Business Plan Contest participation: The SE Field Study/ISR Reimbursement Grant program is intended to support expenses related to the research and analysis component of FS/ISR projects. The program does not support business start–up expenses such as: beta program development, organization licensing or registration fees, attorney services, office equipment, computer software programs, etc. Students may be eligible for funding through the SE Field Study/ISR Reimbursement Grant program or the Rock Center Business Plan Contest Reimbursement Funding program, depending on their project and/or expenses. While students can apply to both programs, they can only accept funding from one.

Funding Process

The Social Enterprise Field Study/ISR Reimbursement Grant payments will be processed as checks, made payable and mailed to eligible team members. The reimbursement grant amount given to team members is based on actual expenses incurred and therefore may be less than the amount of the original grant, and will never exceed the original grant. Students will receive payment at the end of the semester, approximately 3–4 weeks after they submit their Expense Form and related documents. The team lead is reponsible for ensuring that the individual expense reports do not exceed the total grant awarded to the team. Failure to meet all program guidelines and to provide SE with the necessary expense receipt documentation and/or to get approval for expenses in advance may result in the forfeiture of your project grant award.

NOTE ON GRANT: For non–US Citizens, the grant may be subject to tax withholdings and reported to the IRS by Harvard. Contact the Harvard International Office for more information. For US Citizens, Harvard does not generally report the payment to the IRS, but all students should consult with a tax advisor to determine how to report it on their taxes.

All approved budget line–items eligible for grant funding will be noted in the "Application Status" email, along with the total team grant amount. To request changes to budget line–items (i.e. travel destination) students must send an email to se@hbs.edu detailing the changes and the reason(s) for the request prior to incurring the expense. You will be notified by email about the status of your request within a week of submission.

Budget Expenses

  • To be eligible for grant funding project expenses must be incurred during the academic term in which the field study/ISR takes place.
  • All expenses listed on the budget must be accompanied by original itemized receipts or invoices that at a minimum include: student name, date of purchase, item purchased, amount paid, and if appropriate, method of payment.
  • Expenses paid by credit card may be incurred by eligible team members only. We cannot fund expenses incurred on a credit card of a family member, or friend.
  • All receipts should map to approved budget line–items identified in the "Application Status" email.
  • Honorarium, gifts, or financial incentive payments are not eligible for grant funding (including gift certificates, chocolates, etc.).

Please note: If the student receiving the award payment is a Non-U.S. citizen or permanent resident, an FNIF form signed by the student (along with relevant document photocopies) must be submitted along with the Expense Form at the end of the semester.

Requirements for Travel–Related Expenses

Travel should be directly related to the project – travel to–or–from non–project sites is not eligible for grant funding. Please note: Packaged deals for hotel/airfare/car rental are not fundable unless each component of the expense can be identified. For foreign travel, exchange rates must be included, and the amounts must be calculated into U.S. dollars

Airline and Train Expenses
  • Airline tickets must be purchased for coach/economy class only.
  • Air travel receipts must include: traveler's name, origin and destination, dates of travel, travel class, cost of the air ticket, method of payment, and a zero balance.
  • Upgrades, ticket exchange fees, and frequent flyer miles applied towards a ticket purchase are not eligible for funding.
  • Train receipts must include: traveler's name, origin and destination, dates of travel, travel class, cost of the air ticket, method of payment, and a zero balance.
Lodging Expenses
  • Hotels should be moderately priced. 
  • The original hotel bill folio/invoice/receipt must show the rate per night, the address and telephone of the hotel, the name of the guest, the total amount due, itemized miscellaneous expenses, and a zero balance or method of payment. Miscellaneous expenses (movies, food, dry–cleaning) are not eligible for funding.
Rental or Personal Car Expenses
  • Insurance purchased for a rental car is not eligible for funding. Exception: International car rentals.
  • If you use your personal vehicle for field study/ISR travel, the funding award rate is $.55 cents/mile (updated January 2009). This rate includes the cost of gas. NOTE: this rate is subject to change.