Attending the Congress Will Be Expensive. Here’s Where to Find Money.

After you read through the ideas, get planning! The 2025 congress may seem far away, but now is the time to start raising money and building momentum.

Reach Out to Campus Offices & Groups

Many chapters have received hundreds, even thousands of dollars from these campus groups and offices to attend an SPS congress. Don’t limit yourself to one—ask them all!

• Student government association, or equivalent: Take a break from reading this and email yours now. Ask when they accept financial requests, what kind of proposal you need to submit, and tips for success.
• Physics and astronomy department
• Dean, provost, and president
• Principal investigators (PIs) and campus research offices: Many research grants include money for presenting results at a conference, so every SPS member who does research should check with their advisor! That includes students who’ve done research off-campus as well, including during summer programs and internships.

Before you approach these entities, make a plan. Write a professional, one-page document describing the congress, the ways your chapter would benefit from attending, the approximate cost per student (visit the Cost Calculator ), and other relevant details. If any chapter members are planning to present research or art, add that information. Then bring it with you on your asks.

Some departments and offices are more willing to provide matching funds than an initial investment—they want to know you’re serious about putting in the work and making the trip happen. Keep that in mind and adjust along the way. If an initial request gets declined, ask whether they’d be willing to provide a match once you reach X amount of dollars. And when you do secure funding or raise money, add it to your one-pager.

Reach Out to Off-Campus Supporters

Some chapters have raised significant amounts of money by asking alums, labs, or companies for donations or sponsorship. It’s definitely worth considering. But first, a word of caution—talk with your department chair and alumni office or corporate relations office first. They may already be asking companies and alums for donations, and it’s better to work in collaboration than competition.

Apply for SPS Travel Funding

Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics and astronomy honor society, and the American Institute of Physics, the parent organization of SPS, are raising money from the physical science community to directly support student travel to the congress. SPS will be dispersing the money through dozens of travel awards to individuals and chapters. Keep an eye out for application information coming this spring and apply! In the past, several chapters have successfully gotten their school to match their SPS Travel Award amount.

Host Fundraising Events & Sales

Each SPS chapter is unique. Consider your activities, niches, members, and their connections. Then get creative. How can you play to your strengths? If planetarium movie nights are your thing, start selling snacks. Have friends in groups that raise a ton of money? Ask what efforts pay off. Known for your demo show? Add a tip jar. Connected to a local restaurant? Ask if they sponsor community fundraising programs.

The Physics and Astronomy Planning Committee has compiled several fundraising ideas that real chapters have used to make real money, ranging from a nacho bar to trivia night and pi-a-professor. Check them out and get inspired at https://www.students.aip.org/congress/attend/fundraising. Then get creative and have fun. You’ve got this!