FAQs

Teams receive funds through a combination of sources. (Click HERE for tips on Fundraising) The Edgerton Center is able to provide seed funding, but teams are expected to pursue other funding sources. Many academic departments support students within their course, which is a great place to start. Once a cost object is established for the team, interdepartmental transfers are an easy way to get started. Continued yearly funding will depend on team activity, whether it be internally or outside sponsorships and gifts. Read below for information on gifts and sponsorships. 

A gift is given without expectation of deliverables. Gifts made through the giving website are acknowledged as a tax deduction through Resource Development. Be sure your team account is listed on the MIT Giving website.

Sponsorships of $2,500.00 and higher are eligible to receive deliverables/benefits. Sponsorship benefit levels should be consistent among team sponsors and transparent on the team’s website. The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides further guidelines regarding sponsorship arrangements.

The Sponsorship Agreement template here should be completed by the team for sponsorships of $2,500 and above. Please remove the highlights before sending the agreement to the sponsor for signature, as these are intended to guide you through the important sections of the agreement. No changes, additions, or modifications should be made to this template. Forward the signed Sponsorship Agreement to Sandi Lipnoski (slipnosk@mit.edu) for processing, which includes a review by the OGC (Office of General Counsel) with the VPF (Vice President of Finance) as the signatory.

In-kind sponsorships may be submitted for consideration if the value is greater than $15k and catalog or comparative pricing can verify the amount of the sponsored goods. We are unable to approve sponsorships for services provided through a sponsor, as there is not an accurate way to justify the value of their services.

Credit card payments are not an acceptable payment method for sponsorships.

Edgerton Center supported teams are eligible to receive funding through the Edgerton Center. A detailed budget including your anticipated expenses for the coming year, other income sources, and a short presentation on the team’s intentions and accomplishments is required. On occasion, you may be asked to submit a summary of the year’s activities.

While sponsors are encouraged to support teams for educational purposes, they are not permitted to use the MIT or Edgerton Center name in any marketing, advertising, or promotional activities related to an individual or company.

This means:

• The MIT/Edgerton Center logo or wordmark cannot be used in any way that implies MIT’s endorsement.
• Sponsorships must comply with MIT’s use of name policies.
• Sponsors are not allowed to film on campus without prior approval from the Edgerton Center.
• The Sponsor may not make any press or media announcements regarding this Agreement, nor use MIT’s name, trademarks, logos, insignia, or any variations or representations thereof, nor the names of any MIT trustees, officers, faculty members, students, employees, or agents in any advertising, publicity, promotional materials, or other public communications without the prior written consent of the Edgerton Center.  MIT reserves the right to withhold consent at its sole discretion.

For more information on the use of the MIT name, please refer to the MIT Communications Office website. 

All students have access to MIT’s online purchase order system B2P System to place orders with MIT’s preferred vendors using the online catalog.  Some of these preferred vendors offer discounts, but all honor our tax exemption status.  When completing the order information, please choose the correct G/L to fit the category for each line item.  Here is a brief list of commonly used G/L’s to override the G/L chosen by the system if it does not match the description.  For example, the system might choose equipment (421827) for the purchase of tools instead of shop expense (420346).  Invoices are billed directly through your team cost object, increasing the expediency of payment to the vendor.

Procurement Cards are granted for team spending, with a limit of two per team.  Students willing to take responsibility for a procard should complete the ProCard application, returning it to Sandi Lipnoski.  Please follow the Procurement Card user’s guide when making purchases.  Cardholders should never share the procard with others or split charges to avoid procard limits.  Avoid sales tax on purchases using the procard (click here to download the Tax Exempt Form) and never use this credit card for travel expenses of any kind. 

Detailed receipts for purchases made with your procard must be submitted electronically to Marvelin Higginbottom (marvelin@mit.edu) as soon as you are able.  Receipts submitted later than two weeks following the purchase are subject to sweeping, which will notify auditors and create a string of unnecessary steps.  Receipts are uploaded during approval, which may be reviewed during random audits.  Please submit your receipt with the requested file naming (Last Name Date Vendor Amount, i.e. Lipnoski 2.3.22 Amazon $5.00) as a PDF for easy access, as procard receipts are to be kept for 5 years.

Refer to Buying and Paying policy section for a list of Non-Allowed Purchases.  Repeated misuse will result in the loss of procard privileges. 

Orders over the procard limit of $3k may be requested through B2P.  Send a detailed quote to marvelin@mit.edu  If the vendor is not in the B2P system, we will request set up of a new supplier, providing the company information and person of contact.  Once approved, the purchase order will be issued and sent to the vendor, which is considered the official order placement.  The vendor is paid by submitting an invoice to invoices@mit.coupahost.com, noting the purchase order number in the subject line. Payment will be generated 30 days from the date of invoice.

Yes, with exceptions listed in the guidelines.  Never use the procard to pay for subscriptions to AWS or Cloud Services.  These subscriptions should be arranged through IS&T.   All approved subscriptions must be cancelled or transferred to another cardholder before the procard can be closed.

Students paying expenses out of pocket should download the tax exempt form to avoid paying sales tax, as it is cannot be reimbursed. Please visit RFP reimbursement in Atlas and attach all appropriate receipts, deducting sales tax. Gasoline and other travel related out of pocket purchases should be submitted on a travel report in Concur.  Please send all RFP approvals to marvelin@mit.edu.

If team t-shirts, banners and other printable items with a logo are within your budget, submit your design to student-merch@mit.edu for approval before choosing a vendor from the list of allowed vendors by TLO.  Delays are common in receiving design approvals, but you must have approval before printing begins.

Teams are allowed to purchase food locally using the Procard, when their team budget allows.

Student teams should limit food purchases to:

• Major recruiting events
• Annual elections meetings
• A few events each year aimed at supporting team spirit

Food purchased during travel is based on the travel budget and should NOT be put on the procard.

The purchase of alcohol is prohibited.

MIT will not reimburse for sales taxes in Massachusetts. Visit MIT Sourcing and Procurement to download ST-2 and ST-5 tax-exemption forms to present to vendors so they can waive the sales tax.

If you are planning a trip, send all details and Kerberos IDs for all MIT students/staff traveling to Chris Mayer (mayerc@mit.edu), as soon as they are finalized.  Chris will register the trip in Atlas, prompting an email to invite each traveler to provide their emergency contact and travel info.

A team member can apply for a travel credit card via this form.  Send the completed travel card application to slipnosk@mit.edu.  Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.  Important facts in managing a travel card:

1. Call the bank to report travel before travel begins
2. Do not bypass the passcode or the travel card will be shut off
3. Gasoline is only allowed for rental vehicles.  Personal vehicles must submit mileage reimbursement through Concur.
4. Complete a travel report in Concur within 30 days after the trip ends.  Since only one report is submitted per traveler for a trip, travel card holders may submit any out of pocket expenses within this travel report, which will be reimbursed via Direct Deposit.

Students may be reimbursed for out of pocket costs if a travel card is not available.

Drivers must contact Chris Mayer mayerc@mit.edu to complete a Motor Vehicle Registration check (MVR) through MIT Emergency Management Team. Please send your full name, date of birth and Drivers’ License state of issue to Chris. Allow 2-3 weeks for processing to be completed before being authorized to drive rental vehicles.

• Chris will assist in booking passenger vehicles through Direct Bill once the Travel Registration has been completed. Booking through Direct Bill avoids vehicle pick up issues at the counter. 

• Truck rentals may be rented with the travel card through an outside rental company using a travel card.

• 18+ drivers are approved to drive rental vehicles and are fully covered for Damage & Liability when using Corporate Agreements with Avis (A122600) and Budget (T420202).  The purchase of additional insurance will NOT be reimbursed through MIT.

• Additional drivers must present their Drivers’ License at the rental counter to be added as a driver on any vehicle

• Parking tickets and moving violations are not allowed on the Travel Card. These violations should be paid by the person responsible for the violation.

• MIT rented vehicles should only be driven by members of the MIT community, unless permission is granted from the MIT Insurance office and an MVR background check is performed.

The use of personal vehicles for long trips is discouraged.  MIT claims no responsibility for damages, repairs or liabilities when a personal vehicle is used.  This would all be the burden of the vehicle owner, which is strongly discouraged by MIT’s Insurance Office.  Reach out to Chris Mayer for further clarification.

The purchase of gasoline for personal vehicles is not allowed. Instead, the vehicle owner may report mileage on the travel report for reimbursement when their vehicle is used for a short trip.

Allowable expenses:

• Registration fees
• Hotel accommodations
• Airfare
• Rental car and gasoline
• Ground transportation (e.g., taxi, bus)
• Food, depending on team budget

Unallowable expenses:

• Personal items and expenses
• Insurance of any kind
• Entertainment (movies, health clubs, etc.)  
• Alcohol

No. The travel card is limited to cover travel expenses, while a procurement credit card is used for purchasing materials and supplies, even when traveling.  If a procard is unavailable, submit receipts for personal reimbursement through Atlas. MIT’s tax exemption ST-5 is valid in a number of states and may be used to avoid sales tax on purchases, but not applicable to travel related expenses. Learn more here. 

MIT students are covered by the MIT International SOS (iSOS) program.

Trip reports must be completed within 30 days after the trip ends. Download Concur 2.0 Guide

• Receipts are required for purchases over $75.00, with exception of food receipts.
• Food receipts of any amount must show full detail of food to show exclusion of alcohol.
• If a receipt is missing, fill out a missing affidavit and mark the expense as ‘Non Recoverable’.
• If the cardholder has an out of pocket receipts, they can be added to this report for reimbursement.

Open a travel report in Atlas. ADD Concur 2.0. Upload all travel expense receipts to be reimbursed, following receipt guidelines in the travel card section above.

• The purchases of supplies should be reimbursed through a Request for Payment in Atlas, attaching all receipts for reference. Credit card statements are not proof of payment and food receipts must show the detail of food purchased (and does not include alcohol). 
• Gasoline is only reimbursed when a vehicle is rented.  Personal mileage should be reported as an expense when required for reimbursement.