Faculty Dependent Care Travel Fund

For Travel Care:

Recipients must certify that funds requested for ​travel and/or backup dependent care costs were for participation in conferences or research-related activities, and incurred between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.

In dual caregiver situations, an attestation of the spouse’s/partner’s unavailability must be provided as well.

For COVID-19-Related Backup Care:

Care needs must be incurred while:  

• teaching (virtually or in-person) when usual dependent care arrangements are temporarily not available due to COVID-19, or
• writing a grant proposal or meeting an external publication deadline that is due within 6 months from the date of the fund application and care is not available due to COVID-19.

In dual caregiver situations, an attestation of the spouse’s/partner’s unavailability must be provided as well.

Individuals with the following university titles qualify for this program: 

• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Full Professor
• Clinical Professor (assistant, associate, and professor)
• Research Professor (assistant, associate, and professor)
• Professor of Practice (assistant, associate, and professor)

For travel care needs, a dependent is defined as:

• a minor who resides with the applicant and for whom the applicant provides primary support (up to age 18), or
• a disabled adult who lives local to, or with, the applicant and receives at least half of their basic care needs from the applicant. 

For backup care needs, a dependent is defined as: 

• a minor who resides with the applicant and for whom the applicant provides primary support (up to age 13), or
• a disabled teen or adult who lives local to, or with, the applicant and receives at least half of their basic care needs from the applicant.

For the travel fund, faculty must submit information about the professional activities associated with the travel. Examples: conference program with presentation date. See note above related to airfare cost reimbursement. 

For the backup care fund, faculty must submit information about the existing dependent care breakdown. 

Examples: notice of child care/school classroom closure, notice of unavailability of home health aid due to Covid, and a link to funding agency deadline. ​Back-up care expenses must be above and beyond typical care expenses incurred and caused by a COVID-19-related care interruption. Regular school district breaks are not covered. 

Payment will be made after travel and/or care is arranged, provided, and paid for, and concluded. The Application Form and all receipts/documentation must be submitted by July 15, 2023, to be eligible for funds from the 2022-2023 fiscal year.  Failure to submit by the July 15, 2023 deadline will result in expenses being applied to the 2023-2024 fiscal year and will count towards the recipient’s cap.

These funds are considered taxable income. If approved, Cornell will add an additional 25% of the final expenses when the payment is issued to help defray the tax burden.