FAQs

Teams receive funds through a combination of sources. 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 fundraising activity, whether it be internally or outside sponsorships and gifts. Read below for information on gifts and sponsorships. Questions regarding fundraising may be directed to Peggy Eysenbach, Edgerton Center Development Officer. 

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 are not tax deductible as they are eligible to receive deliverables/benefits. Sponsorship benefit levels should be consistent among all sponsors and transparent on the team’s website. The Office of General Counsel (OGC) gives further guidelines regarding sponsorship arrangements.

The sponsorship agreement template here should be completed by the team and sent to the sponsor for signature.  Send the signed agreement to Sandi Lipnoski (slipnosk@mit.edu) for processing.  This includes review by OGC and a signature by the Vice President for Finance (VPF).  Note: the terms of the sponsorship should not begin until the sponsorship form is signed by the Vice President of Finance. 

Approved sponsorship agreements will be returned with an invoice to forward to the sponsor. This usually takes 1-2 weeks depending on the clarity and transparency of benefits during review.  Wire transfer is the preferred way to accept the funds create a wire transfer noting the team name and cost object as transfer details.  This directs the funds to your team account.  If a check is preferred, they should be made payable MIT and sent to the Edgerton Center with team account allocation. 

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

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.

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.

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, when purchasing a motor controller it might choose equipment (421827) instead of electrical components (420160).  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 an procard should 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. Please send all RFP approvals to marvelin@mit.edu.

If team t-shirts are within your budget, and you would like to purchase merchandise with your logo, submit your design to student-merch@mit.edu for approval before choosing any of the 4 vendors allowed 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.

1. A team member can apply for a travel credit card via this form.  Send the completed travel application to slipnosk@mit.edu.  Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.
2. The Edgerton Center may book flights, pay registration fees and book hotels with an Edgerton Center department travel card.
3. 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.

• Book passenger vehicles through Direct Bill with Chris Mayer mayerc@mit.edu, which avoids vehicle pick up issues at the counter. 
• Truck rentals will go to an outside rental company, like Herc or U-haul. These options may be discussed with Chris.
• 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).  Additional insurance will NOT be reimbursed through MIT.
• Payment of parking and moving violations of any kind are not allowed on the Travel Card. These violations should be paid by the person responsible for the violation.
• Only members of the MIT community are allowed to drive MIT rented vehicles, 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.