AST Grant Program

Grant Committee Mission and Benefit to Membership

The aim of the Grant Committee is to help the advancement of the testing profession worldwide by providing financial and non-financial support for volunteers and students involved in small local gatherings.

In order to benefit the community this committee will provide financial assistance by reimbursing volunteers working on projects that align with AST’s mission.

In addition to financial assistance, the committee may provide non-financial assistance to enable the success of funded events. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Advice and mentoring
  • Support in finding speakers
  • Support in finding a facilitator

Members

  • Louise Perold, Committee Chair

Grant Guidelines

  • Grants are only awarded to non-profit events
  • Grants are usually between US$100-US$1,000, however other amounts may be awarded on a case by case basis
  • No individual or group will receive more than two grants in a given calendar year
  • The requesting body, or individual requestor, must contain or be an AST member in good standing

Examples

Assistance can be provided to the event types listed below. Please note this is not an exhaustive list and if you are running a non-profit event that aligns with AST’s Mission, don’t hesitate to send a request through. The aim of the Grant Committee is not to exercise control over events but to provide both financial and non-financial support for the advancement of the testing profession worldwide.

Peer Conference Program

A peer conference is a small gathering where every person attending is expected to contribute. A conference organizer or user group may request funds to assist in organizing a non-profit peer conference. AST has published a Peer Conference guide. 

  • Financial assistance – historically funds are used for travel assistance for a trained facilitator, but the funds may be used in any way the organizer sees fit (including but not limited to funds for rental facilities, food/beverages, various supplies, registration service fees). Financial assistance cannot be used as payment for the applicant or event organizer’s time.

Meetup / Local User’s Group Program

This program is designed to support local user’s groups. AST defines a local user’s group (for purposes of this program) as two or more people talking about software testing in a public place that is announced publicly at least two weeks in advance. User’s Groups do not have to have “Testing” or “Quality” in their title, but the application does need to make clear why supporting this group, and this meeting, is in the best interest of AST and its membership.

  • Financial assistance – AST can provide assistance to any individual who incurs out of pocket expenses in support of a user’s group meeting. Assistance could include, but is not limited to funds for rental facilities, appetizers, meals, soda, pens, papers, books, CDs, DVDs, or other supplies that are expected to last less than six months.

Guest Speaker Program

This program is intended to support user’s groups, colleges, universities, non-profit conferences, and other non-profit organizations that want to defray travel costs for a speaker. Any such group with a testing focus, or that will provide exposure to software testing, is welcome to apply.

Students Program

An individual may request travel assistance (or conference fee assistance) in order to attend a conference. In this case, this applicant’s attendance must be used as an opportunity to learn and share with the community via publication (such as an article or blog), video, or some other deliverable.

Process

  1. Requestor fills in the Grants Request Form
  2. Grant Committee acknowledges receiving the form
  3. One week comment period for the Grant Committee to review and express concerns
  4. If no concerns are presented, Grant Committee replies to requestor at or before the end of the comment period
  5. If approved, requestor sends an invoice to AST after the event
  6. Requestor sends information about the event to AST within 1 week after the event
  7. Funds are sent to the requestor using the previously agreed upon method

Required Post-Event Information

If a grant is awarded, the requester agrees to provide the following information within one week of the event:

  • A 500 word summary of the event
  • Accompanying pictures