From 1st July 2026, the CHI Steering Committee (CHI SC) will consist of twelve members. The SIGCHI Executive Committee has appointed Anna Cox as Chair of the committee. We now invite nominations for candidates to fill the remaining eleven positions (self-nominations are allowed). 

General Responsibilities

CHI SC members are expected to attend meetings, receive and respond to emails and messages on Basecamp (or other tools as required), participate in discussions, and vote on motions, including but not limited to motions on the SC membership, future CHI conference locations and chairs, conference budgets, and the strategies and implementation of the CHI Conference series. Members work in collaboration with other members of the SC, members of the SIGCHI EC, leaders of upcoming CHI conferences, and other members of the CHI community.

In this round of recruitment we aim to recruit eleven members who will initially take on primary responsibility for one of the following roles:

• Vice Chair of the SC (1)
• Conference Governance Liaison (1)
• Technical Program Governance Liaison (1)
• Site Selection Leads (2)
• Chair Selection Leads (2)
• Strategic Leads (2)
• Data Directors (2)

Detailed lists of responsibilities for each role appear at the end of this document.

Terms of office

Tenure for membership of the SC is typically three years. After three years in the same role, the SC member who held that role can apply, via open call, for another role or re-apply for the same role. The maximum time for re-appointment is expected to be no more than six years (2 consecutive terms). Former members can be re-appointed following a break from the committee. 

NB In this round of recruitment, some members may be appointed for terms of only one or two years in order to stagger future recruitment.

Qualifications to serve on the CHI Steering Committee

• Senior level or significant involvement (namely General Chairs, Technical Program Chairs, Papers Chairs, Student Volunteer Chairs, and GC/TPC Chairs Assistants) with recent CHI Conference Organizing Committees (last 5 years), or other comparable experience;
• Regular attendance at the CHI conference;
• Support from employers for the time needed to attend CHI SC meetings and engage in the work of the CHI SC.

Disqualifications to serve on the CHI Steering Committee

Future GCs and TPCs (ie those who have been officially appointed in the role but their CHI has not yet happened) cannot become members of the SC until their particular CHI conference is past, at which point they can nominate themselves (or be nominated) to become a SC Member.

Procedure for appointment

The appointment committee will be chaired by the President of SIGCHI, Neha Kumar and will follow the process below. The appointment committee will also follow relevant SIGCHI and ACM policies, e.g., as laid out in the SIGCHI Bylaws, the SIGCHI Conflict of Interest Policy, and the ACM Conflict of Interest Policy.

• The appointment committee will consist of the President of SIGCHI (chair), Executive Vice-President, Vice-President for Conferences, Chair of the CHI SC, and once appointed, the Vice Chair of the CHI SC.
• The Chair will publicize (using the usual SIGCHI channels) the open positions, the membership of the appointment committee, and the process, including timeline.
• For each open position, the appointment committee:                         
  • Will publicly solicit nominations, including self nominations.
  • May identify potential candidates themselves.
  • May approach potential candidates (whether nominated externally or identify by the committee) directly to assess their interest.
  • Conduct preliminary assessments, including interviews, with all candidates.

   

• The appointment committee (i) may write an assessment of each candidate for other members of the appointment committee to consider, and (ii) may recommend one candidate or rank the candidates. The appointment committee then will select the candidate to invite to fill the open position; this process will be done according to the SIGCHI bylaws.

Send questions to Anna Cox at anna.cox@ucl.ac.uk.

Nominations will be accepted until 5th May 2026.

Decisions will be made by 1st June 2026.

Appointments will begin 1st July 2026.

Responsibilities for Individual Roles

Chair (Steering Committee Chair)

• The chair should liaise with the EC to ensure a smooth working relationship and flow of information;
• Organize meeting agendas, and chair meetings;
• Follow-up on SC tasks that have been assigned;
• Keep track of the schedule and progress of the SC working groups;
• Take corrective action when a GC or TPC does not or cannot perform their duties (i.e., removing conference leaders);
• Ensure SC roles are filled and conduct succession planning;
• Attend the SIGCHI Council of Steering Committee Chairs meeting or find a replacement member to attend;
• Liaise with the EC, as appropriate;
• The SC chair shall have the power to delegate specific responsibilities to the Vice-Chair and other SC members as appropriate. 
• Manage the budget for the CHI SC
• Manage long-term contracts of vendors contracted to the CHI conference series.
• Manage vendors contracted to the CHI conference series who are not performing adequately;
• The SC chair is an ex-officio member of all working groups of the SC.

Vice Chair (active as Steering Committee Secretary)

• Schedule face-to-face meetings;
• Schedule virtual meetings and facilitate face-to-face meeting logistics;
• Minute meetings, or work with administrative support to do so;
• Set-up video conferencing during meetings and provide logistical support;
• Ensure accessibility needs are addressed for online meetings;
• Ensure that documentation of the activities of the SC is up-to-date.
• Manage the webspace and ensure it is up to date;
• Communicate via social media the function and decisions of the SC;
• Monitor social media for topics/issues that need to be considered by the SC;
• Correct misinformation that is observed being discussed online in public forums;
• Organize annual Town Hall Meeting at the CHI Conference.
• Chair meetings when the SC Chair is unable to attend.

Conference Governance Liaison

• Ensure continuity and sharing of institutional knowledge among previous, current, and future general chairs;
• Hold onboarding and follow up meetings with future chairs. 
• Manage the documentation of CHI organising committee roles and milestones together with TPC Liaison;
• Ensure a full conference organizing committee (ensuring diversity of representation);
• Ensure that GCs are aware of ACM, SIGCHI and SC policies 
• Ensure that GCs follow prescribed best practices for accessibility (digital and physical);
• Give formal reports to the SC on GC progress in organising the conference;
• Create preliminary CHI budgets and approve consolidated CHI budgets each year.
• Check, understand and oversee the CHI budget for the current and future CHI conferences (multi-year budgeting);
• Consider increases and decreases to the registration fees;
• Consider the number of paying attendees (to build the budget) and how much registrants of each category should pay;
• Consider the costs of the convention center and the technology for remote participation in CHI budget each year;
• Keep track of the financial objectives for the current and future conferences.

Technical Programme Governance Liaison

• Act as first point of contact for proposals to change aspects of the technical program of CHI (including subcommittee changes, review process changes, PCS changes);
• Hold onboarding and follow up meetings with future chairs. 
• Ensure a standard for the technical program by working with the current TPCs, PCs, and other venue chairs for presentation of content at CHI;
• Ensure diversity of the technical programme venue chairs and papers committee (subcommittee chairs and associate chairs);
• Maintain the standard for the reviewing process in collaboration with the TPCs, PCs, and SIGCHI VP for publications, including the management of the program committee meeting and evolutions thereof;
• Maintain knowledge and advise TPCs around systems, including PCS 2.0, ACM DL, Cobi, Confer, TAPS, etc  and communicate with the current chairs regarding these systems;
• Manage the documentation describing roles and activities of CHI venue chairs together with the GC Liaison;
• Give formal reports to the SC on issues relevant to TPCs organising the upcoming conferences;
• Liaise with SIGCHI VP for operations and VP for publications.

Chairs Selection Leads

• Convene a committee in collaboration with SIGCHI EC for selection of GCs and TPCs
• Conduct outreach and open call for identifying future GCs, TPCs, Paper chairs, SC members, and other SC volunteers while aiming for diverse representation (e.g., geography, research methods, gender); 
• Maintain a list of potential candidates and confidential comments on those candidates provided by the SC members;
• Facilitate voting processes for incoming SC members, GCs, and TPCs;
• Handle conflicts when soliciting feedback on potential candidates;
• Enable committee alignment to finalize the leads and communicate the outcomes to the SC members;
• Process GC and TPC invitations individually to systematically invite future chairs;
• In the absence of a GC/TPC liaison, serve as a liaison to onboard the leads;
• Maintain volunteer list resulting from the annual open call for volunteers;
• Share prospective candidates from the volunteer list and potential candidate list with the CHI n+½ organization committee for development of these candidates;

Strategic Leads

• Chair task forces and working groups made up of members of the SC and CHI Community, related to the long-term strategy of the CHI conference;
• Develop the long-term vision for the CHI Conference: (e.g., Towards CHI 2030);
• Organize discussions around scale of CHI, growth of CHI, feel of CHI;
• Establish ongoing conference objectives, formats, and policies;
• Follow up on evolutions within a conference and assesses its value (usually over a period of 3 years);
• Maintain a definition of the CHI audience year over year;
• Provide alternative models of what CHI could look like, based on working group results and input from the CHI community;
• Develop CHI conference policies;
• Create and manage a schedule for the review of policies;
• Ensure appropriate communication of policies to the CHI organizing committee, CHI attendees, and the larger CHI community;
• Ensure that the conference committee adheres to ACM policies and procedures;

Site Selection

• Conduct and Manage Site Visits together with ACM representatives and the conference planning support vendor (presently Executive Events);
• Conduct site visits for affiliate events as needed prior to GC selection (e.g., offsite conference reception, dinner and lunch venues);
• Maintain strategic timelines for site selection, typically 4-5 years in advance of the conference;
• Suggest regions of interest for future sites to the SC;
• Review and update meeting requirements for the CHI conference and physical program committee meetings (if any) to support long term planning and strategy for future CHI conferences;
• Review and approve contracts related to sites and vendors (eg CC, wifi and AV companies);
• Implement contract approval procedures;
• Maintain and update the Request for Proposals sent to the cities;
• Ensure an adequate facility for CHI conferences;
• Ensure an accessible facility for CHI conferences.

Data Director

• Design and administer CHI conference surveys (in collaboration with SIGCHI EC, CHI SC, CHI General Chairs, and TPCs), and analyze results
• Develop and maintain data pipelines for PCS data, ensuring anonymity and responsible data handling
• Collect and store CHI registration data provided by external vendors
• Conduct other on-demand surveys.
• Communicate the gathered data to the CHI steering committee and to the larger SIGCHI community, by working with both the SIGCHI Executive Committee and the current CHI TPCs, papers chairs, and analytics chair to prepare and release reports summarizing and contextualizing the data.

We are looking to fill the role of VP at Large on the SIGCHI Executive Committee. Please read the SIGCHI bylaws to learn more about the VP at Large role. We would like this individual to support SIGCHI’s regional committees and other global initiatives, with a particular focus on continuing to develop SIGCHI’s engagement with African HCI communities. They will work closely with the President and Executive Vice President to pursue initiatives within their remit. We would like for the selected individual to start as soon as possible and the likely end of term would be June 30, 2027. 

Please fill out the application by May 15. You can nominate yourself or someone else for this position. All applications will be reviewed to assess backgrounds of relevance, vision, and commitment. A few EC members will meet with up to 3-5 interested applicants for each call. A final choice will be submitted to the full EC for a vote of approval. 

The time commitments will vary over time. We ask that an appointed VP be willing to make a minimum time commitment of 3-5 hours per week on average. In addition, there are 1-2 monthly full-EC meetings that last approx. 1.5 hours each, and quarterly in-person EC meetings that last 2.5 days. 

Please email sigchi-president@acm.org with any questions about these roles or about applying.

Before SIGCHI signs on volunteers, it must check their status on the ACM Sanctions Database. If you are filling this form out for yourself, you are confirming that you are okay with this look-up and any other routine checks the EC might conduct. If you are nominating someone else, the EC will confirm with selected individuals before performing this check. Applicants can have their data removed from the system by either withdrawing their application from Submittable or contacting SIGCHI with a request (sigchi-request@acm.org).

The ways we produce, evaluate, and exchange knowledge in HCI are evolving in response to many pressing social, economic, and geopolitical issues. The 2024 SIGCHI Futures Summit challenged us to rethink the why, what, who, and how of HCI knowledge production. This year, we will continue to build on those conversations at—and leading up to—the 2026 SIGCHI Futures Summit on November 16-18. We welcome perspectives from volunteers of our conferences, committees, chapters, and community initiatives. 

In reimagining conference futures, we are looking for volunteers to serve in the following roles. 

Co-organizers of the Futures Summit: They will solicit proposals for conversations to host at the Summit, manage a call for participants, curate the program, and lead the event. They will have the support of the SIGCHI Conferences Team in planning the event.

Co-organizers of the SIGCHI Online Conference: In December 2026, we aim to organize a 100% online event, inviting presentations from authors who were unable to present their work published at SIGCHI conferences in the preceding year. There will not be a dedicated call for submissions for this conference. Instead, it will provide a venue for those who were, for any number of reasons, not able to present their published research at a conference in person. 

Envisioning a Federated SIGCHI Experience: We invite volunteers to help develop a vision for and co-organize a new Federated SIGCHI Conference, modeled after the ACM Federated Computing Research Conference or SIGPLAN’s Splash conference. This event is aimed at curating a technical program sourced from a subset of our specialized conferences, seeking to create opportunities for networking across conference communities. The Federated SIGCHI Conference aims to strengthen connections across HCI while respecting and amplifying the expertise of existing communities. We welcome volunteers who have, in particular, been active in more than one SIGCHI specialized conference community.  

Before SIGCHI signs on volunteers, it must check their status on the ACM Sanctions Database. If you are filling this form out for yourself, you are confirming that you are okay with this look-up and any other routine checks the EC might conduct. If you are nominating someone else, the EC will confirm with selected individuals before performing this check. Applicants can have their data removed from the system by either withdrawing their application from Submittable or contacting SIGCHI with a request (sigchi-request@acm.org).

The SIGCHI Development Fund (SDF) provides resources for the SIGCHI community to spur communication, innovation, and expansion of HCI at the global and local levels. The SDF offers grants for: 1) specialized conferences, 2) chapters, 3) sustainability activities, and 4) other types of community events/initiatives.

The SDF aims to support proposals in any of the above categories that experiment with new opportunities, reach out to new groups, innovate hybrid/virtual engagement, and promote equity, sustainability, accessibility, and mentorship in new ways. Overall, any initiative that fulfills the SDF aim and aligns with SIGCHI's commitment to addressing racial and other systemic injustices is welcome. All SIGCHI members are eligible to apply.

Update July 2023: The SDF also aims to support events and initiatives that center equity in as many aspects of their overall organization as possible. We have added an application question asking proposals to share if and how the overall organization of the event aligns with the SIGCHI Executive Committee’s guidelines on organizing accessible, safe, sustainable, global, equitable, and hybrid events. Please see more details under “How is a proposal reviewed?” 

If you have any further questions, please look at the FAQ on the SIGCHI website or direct them to sigchi-dev-fund@acm.org.

What kinds of initiatives does the SDF support?

Examples of initiatives we are looking to fund include, but are certainly not limited to, the following:

• Events to promote/support diversity and inclusion at a SIGCHI conference.
• Mechanisms to support underrepresented groups (disciplinarily or demographically) to present at a SIGCHI conference or one of its workshops.
• Events for connecting different communities, which could be in the sense of geography, discipline, or academia/industry, etc.
• Tutoring or paper-writing workshops for new authors to submit to SIGCHI conferences.
• Summer schools or mentoring activities.
• Initiatives organized by SIGCHI chapters.
• Events to promote/support diversity and inclusion at a SIGCHI specialized conference.
• Mechanisms to improve accessibility of events, e.g., sign language interpreters.
• Ideas which increase attendance at SIGCHI conferences (e.g., around hybrid participation) and help develop the interest in the specific topic covered by the conference.
• Ways to promote socio-ecological sustainability in HCI, which can focus on raising awareness or on hands-on activities about recycling, reusing or more responsible resourcing.

Recently funded initiatives, which can be used for inspiration, are published on the SIGCHI website.

Who can apply?

All SIGCHI members can submit a proposal. If the proposal is from the organizing committee of a SIGCHI conference, a letter of endorsement from the steering committee chair should be submitted also.

How much funding can a proposal request?

Grants are typically between USD 5,000 and 10,000 (or less), according to the submitted budget and whether the expenses are in alignment with the SDF goals stated above. 

If you need more than USD 10,000 in support for an initiative that is fully aligned with SDF goals, please, let us know in the submission form. Small grants are encouraged. The awarded amount will depend on funds available and applications received.

What can the fund cover?

Events/initiatives taking place outside of SIGCHI conferences (supported) can ask for covering any items aligned with the SDF and the proposal goals. In this case, funds are disbursed to the primary sponsoring organization indicated in the proposal (a university, a company, a non-profit, etc.) as a lump sum check.

Instead, if the event/initiative is (part of) a SIGCHI conference (sponsored), expenses will be mainly reimbursed. Conference registrations will be handled via the generation of complimentary codes, as we cannot reimburse registrations. We will not pay for the labor cost of ACM and/or SIGCHI members, gift cards (or similar), and services already provided by the conference itself or by SIGCHI (e.g., travel grant programs). Similarly, we discourage the purchase of equipment. All financial claims are guided by ACM policies on what can be claimed and how (for travel and non-travel expenses). Any funding award is tied to the specific activity and must not appear in the conference budget.

How is a proposal reviewed?

For the purpose of reviewing, proposals will fall under one of the following categories, which we will ask you to indicate in your application. Proposals can be 1) from SIGCHI specialized conferences, 2) from SIGCHI chapters, 3) for a sustainability activity, or 4) for a different type of community event. Each category has a dedicated budget, and reviews will be led by the VP Conferences, VP Chapters, AC Sustainability, and/or AC Community Support, respectively (see members of the Development Fund committee). Applying to one category does not prevent applying to another category at another time. 

Regardless of category, all proposals should address the following items and provide any other information about the event/initiative that seems relevant. The submission form has specific questions for each of these items:

• Organizing Committee: We will look for relevant experience to signal success and organizing teams with complementary skills.
• Primary Sponsor: The proposal must include the conference name if the initiative is happening at a SIGCHI conference. Otherwise, the proposal must indicate the organization that is mainly organizing and managing the event, such as a university, a company, a non-profit, etc. This organization will need to send an invoice to us with the total granted amount and fill out a tax form before the funding can be disbursed directly. Please note that, in this case, the initiative will be supported (not sponsored) by SIGCHI, and SIGCHI will not be financially or legally liable for the event. The FAQ page provides further details about this process.
• Explanation of Value: The proposal must elucidate how the initiative would provide new value to SIGCHI members, to the SIGCHI conference it is a part of, or to the chapters. It must also report the motivation behind the proposal, and how much the initiative is aligned with the SDF goals.
• Feasibility of Plan: The proposal must convey a well-defined agenda with clear outcomes. The funding will be for a single activity, although the activity might take place over an extended period. There must also be a plan for sharing takeaways and lessons learned with the SIGCHI community.
• Suitability of Format: Since events that offer multiple formats for participation can be more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable, we will prioritize hybrid initiatives that ask for funding towards this goal.
• Soundness of Budget: The proposal must include a clear and suitable budget, aligned with the rest of the proposal and with justifications. The budget must follow a given template.
• Alignment with EC priorities: We ask that organizers describe how the overall organization of their event/initiative aligns with EC priorities around accessibility, safety, sustainability, global participation, equity, and hybrid formats. We have put together guidelines for how events/initiatives might implement these priorities. These guidelines are intended to be generative, not prescriptive—we welcome feedback on their applicability, and ideas for implementation that would be best tailored to your event. Overall, it is not required for proposals to fulfill these guidelines in order for them to be funded. We also recognize that organizers of events that are part of larger ones, such as a workshop at a conference, may not be involved in all of these aspects of planning. We will review with the context and resources available for the event in mind, and preference will be given to those that demonstrate the greatest alignment.

Is there a specific timeline for the grant?

The SDF has an ongoing open call! You can expect notifications around one month after the submission. After the completion of the event, we will ask for a brief report.

As a volunteer-driven organization, we are deeply reliant on numerous volunteers who give their time to organizing conferences, reviewing papers, overseeing initiatives, and much more. The SIGCHI Executive Committee (EC) oversees the SIG, with its ~5,600 members, 28 conferences, and 82 chapters, and in doing so, is supported by ~20 committees. 

Our committees are listed on our website and below. The committees covered by this call are listed below. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for one or more volunteer roles, please use the same form.

You can state your interest in volunteering for a particular committee, if you are already familiar with its remit, but you can also more generally express your interest in serving under any of these three listed areas below: Conferences & Publishing, Community & Care, and Global & Local, sharing in detail how you would most like to contribute. 

Please email sigchi-4all@acm.org with any questions.

CONFERENCES & PUBLISHING

• Operations Committee: Supports SIGCHI's technical infrastructure, including platforms, services, and software used by the EC and by the SIGCHI community.
• Publications Committee: Supports the community and conferences on understanding, implementing, and navigating publications processes.
• Research Ethics Committee (ad hoc*): Offers advice on research ethics for issues that arise during the research process.

COMMUNITY & CARE

• Accessibility Committee: Supports SIGCHI conferences and community in fostering more inclusive knowledge sharing, conferencing, and networking practices.
• Advisory Council: Supports the SIGCHI president in addressing challenges pertaining to overarching concerns, as and when they arise. 
• Communications Committee: Supports SIGCHI communications, including the website, social media platforms, newsletter, and internal and external messaging.
• Development Fund Committee: Manages/promotes the Development Fund, including reviewing applications, disbursing funds, and pursuing novel directions for support.
• Gary Marsden Travel Awards Committee: Manages SIGCHI's travel awards, including reviewing applications, disbursing funds, communicating with applicants, and ensuring program guidelines serve all members.
• CARES (ad hoc): Offers support to members who experience discrimination and/or harassment by offering space for a confidential conversation and helping navigate SIGCHI and ACM reporting processes.
• Equity Committee (ad hoc): Works towards SIGCHI's equity initiatives that support meaningful inclusion and participation in the community, such as trainings and resources.
• Futuring SIGCHI Committee (ad hoc): Supports early career members and mentors in piloting creative projects that support SIGCHI’s future(s).
• Sustainability Committee (ad hoc): Introduces initiatives supporting awareness, best practices, and new ideas around sustainability within SIGCHI.

GLOBAL & LOCAL

• Chapters Committee: Supports local and regional HCI communities in forming and sustaining SIGCHI chapters, and enables sharing of best practices across chapters.
• Asia Committee (ad hoc): Promotes SIGCHI activities across Asia, supports connections across HCI communities within Asia, and identifies initiatives for developing HCI research and practice in the region.
• Latin America Committee (ad hoc): Promotes SIGCHI activities across Latin America, supports connections across HCI communities within Latin America, and identifies initiatives for developing HCI research and practice in the region.
• Mediterranean Committee (ad hoc): Promotes SIGCHI activities across the Mediterranean region, supports connections across HCI communities within the Mediterranean, and identifies initiatives for developing HCI research and practice in the region.

 * See article 7 of the SIG’s bylaws on ad hoc committees: “(a) The SIGCHI President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall create and appoint members and a chair to ad hoc committees and designate adjunct chairs for specific purposes within SIGCHI. Ad hoc committees shall have a specific charge and shall exist until dissolved by vote of the Executive Committee.”

Before SIGCHI appoints any volunteers, they must be looked up on the ACM Sanctions Database. When you agree to be considered for a volunteer role, you are confirming that you are okay with this look-up. If the database produces a positive result, you will be informed so that you may withdraw your nomination. You may also withdraw it anytime you are no longer interested in volunteering. 

The Gary Marsden Travel Awards invite applications from undergraduate and graduate students, early-career researchers (such as those who are ≤ 5 years post-graduation), and those experiencing financial hardship or lacking institutional support, to attend ACM SIGCHI conferences. See below for more details.

For transparency, recipients are announced periodically on the SIGCHI website.

Who is eligible to apply?

• You must be a SIGCHI member at the time of application to be eligible. Read about membership and how to sign up on the SIGCHI website. Please note, ACM membership and SIGCHI membership are not the same. You can check which one you have via MyACM. 
• We will consider no more than one presenter per submission. Also, we will consider no more than one student per advisor, per GMTA submission cycle.
• If we have a large number of applicants, we will prioritize first-time attendees and presenters. Acceptances can include papers, posters/extended abstracts, works in progress, demos, case studies, etc., though we may consider type of submission if we have many applicants. If you do not have a submission or it has not been accepted yet, however, you can still apply.
• Overall, we will prioritize applications that demonstrate financial need and compelling benefit to the applicant in attending the conference. 

When should I apply?

• There are seven deadlines per year: the 9th of January, February, March, May, July, September, and November at 11:59 PM AoE.
• You must apply to a deadline that occurs more than one month prior to the start of the conference that you plan to attend. If you have a conference acceptance, we recommend applying as soon as possible after receiving it. Please note that you may apply for the travel award before your submission has been accepted, especially if you need to apply for a visa or conference notifications are sent out after the appropriate GMTA deadline.
• Normal turnaround times for decisions will be one month from the deadline (e.g., if you apply to the January 9 deadline, you will receive a notification around February 9). We will try to offer faster turnaround times (two weeks) for applicants who need to apply for visas. Note that ACM policy allows for visa letters to be generated during conference registration.

What can the award cover?

• The awards cover both physical and virtual attendance at SIGCHI conferences. There are no limits on how many times you can receive GMTA support for virtual attendance. For physical travel, you can only receive support once every three years. 
• The maximum amount awarded will depend on funds available and applications received in a given cycle.
• Registration: Through complimentary codes, we can cover any combination of conference registration and up to two workshops/courses. You must list the items you would like covered in your budget.
• Travel: Through reimbursement, we can cover flights, local transportation, lodging, meals, childcare, one travel companion ticket, and mobility aids (e.g., scooters, walkers). Other expenses, including visa fees, cannot be covered as per ACM policy.
• Carbon offsets should be estimated and included in the cost of registration if you are taking a flight. You can use websites such as Cool Effect to calculate costs.
• Childcare funds can be reimbursed for virtual or physical travel, provided a receipt. For physical travel, funds can be used to cover childcare at the conference location or at home.
• One travel companion ticket can be requested for physical travel, provided a justification for why it is needed (e.g., a care provider for an infant, sighted guide, personal care assistant).
• Please update us via Submittable if you receive other funding while waiting for GMTA decisions. 
• After submission, any changes to the budget need to be re-approved.

How are funds disbursed?

• We typically provide registration via a complimentary code and reimburse other travel expenses. For reimbursement of travel expenses (not including registration), you would upload receipts to ACM's travel portal after the conference. Once your receipts are approved, you will receive your payment within 30 days (via wire transfer for recipients outside the US and via direct deposit or check for recipients within the US).
• In cases of acute financial constraint, we are able to offer an advance for travel expenses, which will allow you to cover expenses prior to travel instead of waiting for a reimbursement. If you have been awarded a GMTA, and cannot cover your travel expenses yourself nor have someone cover them for you, email sigchi-4all@acm.org explaining your circumstances, and which expenses precisely you would need an advance for. If possible, mention and copy a mentor or advisor on the email who is aware of your situation and supports your request for an advance. If you are approved for an advance, you will need to fill out a budget and a US tax form. After the conference, you will need to submit receipts and return any unused portion of the advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see the FAQ on the SIGCHI website for questions about the application process, reimbursements, etc. For other questions or fixes/feedback on the application form, email sigchi-4all@acm.org.