A new initiative – the Off-Campus Opportunities Fund – makes it easier for undergraduate students to learn about and apply for financial support for off-campus experiences. The new application deadline for the first round of funding is Thursday, Oct. 1.

Using a single-point-of-contact online approach, the initiative increases access to information and simplifies the application process for students – while sharing administrative processes to allocate funding in a more efficient, inclusive and equitable way.

The fund consolidates the application and awarding process of five previously distinct grants offered through the following central units, all of which now share the same Oct. 1 application deadline:

• Cornell Abroad: Global Encounters Scholarship
• Engaged Learning + Research: Community-Engaged Student Grant Program
• Cornell Center for Intercultural Dialogue: Student Development Diversity Initiative Grant
• Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives: Student Individual Funding Sponsorship
• Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, in conjunction with the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs: Undergraduate Student Travel Grants

Students fill in one common online application on the Cornell Abroad website to identify grants they are eligible to apply for.

The application process will reopen later to offer more limited funding, with a second deadline of Nov. 1. A second cycle of funding will be offered in the spring 2016.

The partnership has plans for future expansion to include additional funding sources across campus.