Reviewing Funding Requests
Fellows submit funding requests through lowFAT before attending or organising events.
Staff are responsible for reviewing these requests, requesting further information where needed, and approving or rejecting them.
Fellows are asked to submit requests at least one month before the event start date.
Staff should aim to respond within two weeks of submission.
What to Review
When a funding request is submitted, staff should review the following:
- Requester details — confirm the request is linked to the correct Fellow
- Event details — category (attending or organising), focus (cross-cutting or domain-specific), event title, webpage, country, city, start and end dates
- Estimated costs — travel, attendance fees, subsistence (accommodation and meals), and any venue or catering costs
- Purchase Order (PO) requirements — whether a PO is needed for payments to third parties
- Justification — clarity and relevance to the Fellowship and SSI mission
- Expected outputs and outcomes — including new skills, collaborations, or tangible deliverables
- Sponsorship details — names and email addresses of anyone the Fellow is sponsoring from their funds
Purchase Orders and Employment Checks
If a Fellow indicates that a third party will receive payment, staff must ensure a PO is raised before the event. Key considerations:
- Existing suppliers can be processed quickly
- New suppliers may take up to two months to set up
- If a Fellow is paying an individual for services (e.g. delivering a workshop), an Employment Status Check must be completed before work begins
- this can take up to three months
- No payment will be made for work that begins before checks are complete
Funding Request Statuses
| Status | Meaning / Staff Action |
|---|---|
| Unprocessed | New submission awaiting review — action required |
| Processing | Under review — Fellow may be contacted for more information |
| Approved | Request approved — Fellow can proceed and later submit expenses |
| Rejected | Request declined — no further action required |
| Cancelled | Withdrawn by Fellow or reviewer before completion |
Funding Allocation
Staff should understand the financial terms shown in the Fellow Dashboard, as Fellows may ask for clarification.
- Grant — total funding awarded to the Fellow
- Available — funds not yet used or allocated
- Committed — funds allocated to approved requests
- Spent — funds already claimed and paid
During the Fellowship:
Grant = Available + Committed + Spent
Once all expenses for an activity are processed:
- Any difference between Committed and Spent is returned to Available
After the inaugural year:
- Available is set to zero
- Fellows may apply to the Further Development Fund
To review funding requests for an event, fill the form illustrated below. Details and guidance are on the form itself.
