Financial Aid FAQ

**Q. When can I apply for financial aid for the 2019 conference and when will I know what my award is?** >**A.** Here are important dates around the financial aid process: - October 16, 2018: Financial aid application opens - February 12, 2019: Financial aid application close on 23:59:59 on Feb 12th AoE - February 24, 2019: Financial aid grants awarded - March 3, 2019: Deadline to respond to accept / decline financial aid - April 16, 2019: Receipts and secure document portal open - May 3-4, 2019: Disbursement sessions at PyCon **Q. Are there limits to how much financial aid I may receive?** >**A.** PyCon strives to provide assistance to as many financial aid applicants as possible by optimizing the funds we have available for financial aid. Recipients receive support for some or all of their expenses including travel, hotel, registration, and childcare. While we wish we could give grants to everyone who applies, our funds are limited. >Please review your travel plans and adjust the amount to be under $2,000 USD. Possible ways to reduce expenses: >>1. Conference Registration Fee should not be included in your requested amount. If you are awarded financial aid a reduced rate conference ticket will be provided. >>2. Utilize the [PyCon room share program](https://us.pycon.org/2019/community/roomsharing/) to reduce housing costs. >>3. Adjust travel dates to obtain a lower airfare. > If you have already submitted an initial request, you may adjust your financial aid request by logging in to the [financial aid dashboard](https://us.pycon.org/2019/financial-assistance/). Please make adjustments by February 12, 2019. Please contact us with any questions. **Q. What receipts are eligible for reimbursement for Financial Aid recipients?** > There are four types of receipts that are eligible for reimbursement: > > 1. Airfare receipts > 2. Lodging receipts (Hostels, hotels, AirBnB) > 3. Transit receipts (taxi, bus, or train to/from airport to hotel/conference center, mileage) > 4. Visa application fees > > Please do not upload food and local transport receipts. They are automatically granted to you, and are applied for the days that you are attending PyCon, and up to one travel day before and after conference attendance. **Q. Can I be reimbursed for food?** >**A.** Yes. The financial aid committee automatically adds a per-diem rate for food for each financial aid recipient. *Please do not submit meal receipts*. For 2019, the US GSA (Governmental Services Administration) set the per-diem rate for Cleveland, OH at $66 per day. Per-diems may only cover the days you are attending PyCon and up to one travel day before and after conference attendance. For conference days, because breakfast and lunches are provided, we only provide 1/2 the per diem ($33 per day). For tutorial and sprint days, because lunches are provided, we provide 3/4 the per diem ($50 per day). **Q. Should I register for the conference before I find out if my financial aid application has been approved?** >**A.** No — Financial Aid applicants do *not* need to register in the fear that the conference will sell out! We set aside tickets for Financial Aid recipients at a reduced rate of $50. (Reminder: the $50 ticket is not reimburseable.) **Q. Where can I find out the status of my grant application?** >**A.** Application status and other options can be found on your [dashboard](https://us.pycon.org/2019/dashboard/"dashboard"). **Q. If I request more funds after my grant has been approved, will that affect my current grant?** >**A.** If you can not attend on your current grant, you may optionally request additional funds through the PyCon website dashboard instead of accepting or declining your grant. We can not guarantee that we will be able to accommodate you, since our budget is tightly stretched. This will put you in a second funding round where we try to redistribute funds from people who have declined their grants. Please note that if you are requesting more funds, and we are unable to allocate more funds, your previous grant will no longer be available; this option is only intended for people who would not be able to attend PyCon on their current grant. **Q. What if I need help with a US visitor visa?** >**A.** We can provide you with an "Invitation Letter" upon request, in support of an application for a United States visitor visa. It confirms that as a registered delegate you are invited to attend by the Python Software Foundation (PSF) and the PyCon 2019 committee. **Q. After my grant is approved, how do I register for the conference and tutorials at the discounted rate?** >**A.** Registration for the conference and tutorials is separate from clicking the link in the Financial Aid Award email you received. To register, log into your PyCon [dashboard](https://us.pycon.org/2019/dashboard/"dashboard") and go to the [Registration](https://us.pycon.org/2019/registration/") Tab. Enter the Promo Code provided to you in the Financial Aid email on the registration page where requested. You will receive the option for the Financial Aid discounted registration, as well as receive the tutorial discount for the first tutorial you register for. >If you registered prior to receiving financial aid, please contact the registration team <pycon-reg@python.org> with the email address you used to register. Your existing registration will be adjusted to reflect the Financial Aid Award. Once the adjustment is complete, log into your dashboard and go to the registration tab where you will have the option to add tutorials with the discounted rate being applied to the first tutorial. >Note: **Tutorials sell out quickly,** so if you are planning to attend, please register early. **Q. How do I upload my receipts for reimbursement?** >**A.** After your application has been approved, and you have accepted the award, log into your PyCon dashboard and click on the "Upload Receipt" link on your [dashboard](https://us.pycon.org/2019/dashboard/"dashboard"). >>**Receipts must include the following:** >>1. **Your full name** >>2. **The name of service provider** (i.e., hotel name, taxi company, airline name, etc.) >>3. **The date of the transaction.** >>4. **The amount of the transaction.** **Q. Can the reduced registration fee be counted towards my grant?** >**A.** Unfortunately not, as registration is already discounted compared to the regular rate. As mentioned above, it is not part of the eligible set of receipts that we accept, and it should not be part of the total amount you requested. **Q. How do I upload a hotel receipt when I haven’t checked out yet?** >**A.** A hotel reservation receipt from the hotel or a booking service may be submitted as a receipt. The reservation should include the name of the hotel, the dates you are staying, and the amount charged per day. **Q. Can I be reimbursed for auto expenses or mileage if I am driving to PyCon?** >**A.** Yes. Either gas receipts **or** mileage may be submitted. The IRS mileage rate includes cost coverage for maintenance and wear and tear on the vehicle. The [2019 IRS mileage rate](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rates-for-2019) is $.58 per mile. Please provide a PDF or screenshot of the mileage for your trip. **Q. What if I don’t come to PyCon?** >**A.** If you do not register **and** attend PyCon, you will not receive your grant. **Q. Why can’t I upload my receipts?** >**A.** You must accept your grant by the deadline or you will not be able to upload receipts for reimbursement. If you accepted your award within the published timeline, please contact <pycon-aid@python.org> for assistance. **Q. What if my receipt is larger than my grant amount?** >**A.** You can upload a receipt (example - airfare) for an amount larger than your grant, but you will only be reimbursed up to the award amount. **Q. How do disbursements work?** >**A.** Disbursement of funds will be onsite during the conference in **Room 6** at the convention center during one of the following sessions. > > **Friday, May 3rd, 14:00 - 17:00** > **Saturday, May 4th, 14:30 - 17:30** > >Please bring a government-issued ID, such as a driver's license or passport, to the disbursement session so that the financial aid team can confirm your identity. If you plan to cash your reimbursement check at Fifth Third Bank, we must ensure that the name on the check matches your government ID in order to prevent delays in receiving the funds. **Q. What payment options are available?** >**A.** You can choose between receiving: >> - PayPal >> - ACH for US domestic bank accounts >> - Physical check in USD on-site >> - Wire transfer for international payments > The PSF does not issue funds in cash. >No funds will be disbursed prior to the event. Only those that attend the conference, confirm identity in person at the disbursement session, and have submitted receipts will be reimbursed. >You may choose another person to receive the financial aid disbursement on your behalf, but the PSF cannot guarantee that the other person will release the funds to you. >If you select PayPal as your payment preference, PayPal may limit the amount of money that can be received in a single transaction or per year. PayPal does not publish these rules on their site, but does disclose restrictions to PayPal account holders. Account verification or other information is often required by PayPal to release the funds for use. Please contact PayPal before coming to PyCon to find out if any limits apply to your account. >If you select the ACH option, please submit the following information to our [secure document portal](https://us.pycon.org/2019/secure_submission): >> - The name of the beneficiary on the account >> - The beneficiary's address on the account >> - The bank name >> - The bank address >> - The bank routing number >> - The account number >If you select the wire transfer option, please submit the following information to our [secure document portal](https://us.pycon.org/2019/secure_submission): >> - The name of the beneficiary on the account >> - The beneficiary's address on the account >> - The bank name >> - The bank address >> - The bank SWIFT code >> - The account number or IBAN >> - The US intermediary bank SWIFT code **Q. Is there a bank near the convention center where I can cash my financial aid check without a fee?** >**A.** The PSF has a banking relationship with Fifth Third Bank, which will cash PSF checks for travel grants and financial aid without charging a check cashing fee. The 600 E. Superior Ave. location is ready to welcome PyCon attendees. >You will need a government-issued ID to cash checks if you live in the United States and a passport if you live outside of the United States. >Please let the accounting team <accounting@python.org> know if you have any issues with cashing your check. >> Branch location: [600 E. Superior Ave. Cleveland, OH 44114][1] >> Branch telephone: (216) 274-5533 >> Branch hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday, Closed Saturday/Sunday >> [Fifth Third Bank locations website][2] [1]: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-standard-mileage-rates-for-2019 [2]: http://locations.53.com