Research Travel Fund

Travel Funds for History Graduate Students

Purpose: To provide History graduate students with funding for travel expenses related to research for the major paper. Expenses could include travel to libraries or archives, or travel related to an oral history project. This fund is for research only, not for attending conferences (unless you are doing research in the same location as the conference). The Faculty of Graduate Studies has a program for conference travel expenses.

Allowable travel/expenses: Transportation (air, bus, cost of gas for car, car rental, taxi fares), accommodation, food expenses.

Amount available: Students may make claims of up to $500. Students may apply to the fund once (so if you are planning a couple of trips, apply for funding for the more expensive one).

How to apply:

1. Send a letter to the graduate coordinator outlining the reasons for the trip. Give the date, location and purpose of the trip (e.g. name of the library or archives, oral history interviewing etc.), along with estimated costs.

2. Once the graduate coordinator has reviewed your plans and given permission to use the funds, make your travel plans. When you go, save all receipts. For details on the University’s travel policy, see the Finance Department’s website.

3. When you return from the trip, fill out the Travel Expense Form (available in the History office, or the University website – Finance Department) and attach receipts. Return it to the History Office. Once it is processed, the money will be deposited in your account.

Notes on expenses/receipts:

University’s travel policy. Below are some details covered in the University's travel policy, applicable to the funds available.

Airfare – since most tickets are now electronic, the University requires you to provide boarding passes as proof of travel, along with the copy of the electronic ticket. So, save all boarding passes (they want boarding passes for each leg of the trip).
 

Mileage – 43 cents per kilometre. You don’t need gas receipts. Just keep track of distance travelled. According to University policy, mileage amount claimed cannot be more than the cost of airfare to the same destination.
 

Taxi – you can claim taxi expenses to and from the airport/train station etc. You would be expected to take public transit within the destination city if possible, but the occasional cab fare could be claimed (i.e. if you had to get back from the archives at night).

Food – The University has two ways you can claim food expenses:

1) a per diem rate. Currently, these rates are $11 for breakfast, $19 for lunch and $30 for supper. If you claim the per diem rate, you don’t need to provide receipts. (note: I should say, however, that these rates are pretty generous, and I don’t normally claim the full amount. If I think I spent $30 for food for the entire day, I make a claim just for the supper amount and forget about claiming for breakfast and lunch. M. Wright).
 

2) Receipts – just claim what you spend, and provide all receipts. These claims cannot include alcohol (sorry!).
If you lose a receipt, there is a Lost Receipt form you can use.