Event & Meeting Grants
Membership
Family Care Grants
Optica members can be a scientist, engineer, researcher, educator, entrepreneur, student and more. But they can have other titles as well, including parent or caregiver. To support members who play those roles, members can receive grants to help cover extra expenses incurred when participating in an Optica meeting.
Grants of up to US $500 per family, per calendar year are available to assist members who need to bring family members to selected Optica managed meetings or conferences, who incur extra expenses if leaving them at home (e.g., extra day care or babysitting services, dependent care, etc), or need assistance at a meeting due to a disability. Grants of up to $250 are available for attendance of virtual Congress or Topical meeting. Grants may only be used for a single Optica managed meeting or conference. The opportunity does not stack with heavily subsidized programs offered by the Optica Foundation including the Career Accelerator, Level Up Leadership, and the Siegman International School on Lasers.
Grant recipients are solely responsible for their choice of care provider. Optica does not endorse any care providers.
Applying for a Grant
- Complete an application for a Grant. Note you must log into this system.
- Applicants are requested to submit applications at least thirty (30) days prior to the start date of the first conference for which funds are to be used. Applications received closer to the conference date may not receive consideration. Grant recipients will be notified prior to the conference.
Allowable Expenses
- Care providers: onsite at the conference location or extra expenses for additional family care at home.
- Travel: Airfare/hotel for the family member to accompany the caregiver to the conference location.
Not Eligible
- Meals, toys, onsite transportation and tickets to museums or other attractions.
- Regular family care expenses (nanny, babysitter, after-school care, nurse, etc.) not related to attendance at the meeting or conference.
Receiving the Funding
- After recieving approval through they Apply system you will be required to complete financial paperwork and upload documents supporting caregiving expenses to recieve your grant.
- If there are multiple receipts, please consolidate them into one document. For receipts in currencies other than USD, please include a screenshot of a currency conversion from the day of the transaction.
- Deadline: Financial forms should be submitted as soon as possible after the close of each conference for which funds are requested. Due to fiscal reporting requirements, Optica is unable to honor reimbursement requests received after 30 November.
Funding is limited and will be distributed equitably across Optica managed events and on a first-come, first-served basis.
