Student Chapter Funding and Reimbursement

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Funding and Reimbursement Instructions:

In order to access ACS funding and receive reimbursement for approved Student Chapter expenses, please follow the instructions below. Please consult the ACS Funding and Reimbursement Policy for additional information on reimbursable ACS expenses.

STEP ONE: You must post your event to ACS using these instructions. Do not worry if specific logistics are not set yet, such as room location. Edits can be made to the ACS National Calendar at a future time by emailing edits to campus@acslaw.org.

STEP TWO: Wait 1-2 business days.

STEP THREE: Then, submit a funding request for event costs and/or speaker travel to ACS National through your Soapbox Dashboard account here. If this is your first time using the Dashboard, you will need to register and create a log-in.

  • Submit your request for funding for your event costs at least TWO weeks prior to the event.
  • Submit your request for funding for your speaker travel costs at least FOUR weeks prior to the event.  Approximate travel costs based on kayak.com or similar travel sites.
  • Late funding requests maybe considered on a case-by-case basis. Please submit a funding request through the link here and a brief description to campus@acslaw.org.

STEP FOUR: An email will be sent after the request has been made detailing whether the travel and/or event costs have been approved. WAIT for this approval email from ACS National BEFORE spending for event costs or having a potential speaker spend any funds. After receiving approval from ACS National, proceed with event preparations.

  • If ACS National approves speaker travel funds, inform the speaker of the funding amount and disclose ACS policies regarding reasonable travel expenses (see ACS Funding and Reimbursement Policy).  The speaker should book the travel directly in their name and submit the travel receipts to your chapter's Treasurer.

STEP FIVE: Once your event funding has been approved, you can either go through the reimbursement process or the prepayment process. For speaker travel funding, you can only go through the reimbursement process.

  • Option 1: Reimbursement: Pay for the event costs (i.e. food). Hold your event. Consult our event checklist to ensure a well-planned event. Then, no later than 30 days after your event, submit your reimbursement through our soapbox engage dashboard. You must complete a separate reimbursement form for each payee. Reimbursement checks are typically mailed out within 3- 6 weeks. Errors in reimbursement forms or receipt copies could delay the process. If you have not received your reimbursement after this period, please email campus@acslaw.org. After receiving your reimbursement check, please e-mail campus@acslaw.org to confirm receipt.
  • Option 2: Pre-Payment: You may request ACS National to pre-pay the event costs for your event. Under this method, ACS National would directly pay the vendor for the approved event expenses.  The following conditions must be met:
  1. The vendor must accept American Express.
  2. You must provide our  Tax Exempt Letter to the vendor. If the vendor is a caterer, you must get and submit to us a completed W-9 Form from the caterer (e-mail campus@acslaw.org to receive a copy of these forms).
  3. You must have already called in your order to the appropriate vendor, and where possible, received an invoice or order number.
  4. Once the above requirements have been met, send an e-mail to campus@acslaw.org or your campus liason within five days of the event with the following information:
  • An invoice from the vendor with the order and total amount due
  • The vendor's completed W-9 (if applicable)
  • The link to the posted event
  • The contact information for the vendor (phone number, employee name, etc.)
  1. Upon receipt of your request, we will call the vendor, pay for the order, and follow up with an e-mail to you the same day that we pay.

STEP SIX: No later than 30 days after your event, submit your reimbursement through the soapbox engage dashboard.  You must complete a separate reimbursement form for each payee.

Reimbursement checks are typically mailed out within 3- 6 weeks. Errors in reimbursement forms or receipt copies could delay the process.

Thank you!