Define your goals, target audience, timeline, comprehensive budget, and list of deliverables. Successful projects typically have a lasting impact beyond the initial event and focus on increasing SAS participation among your target student group.
Global Access & Inclusion Grant Program
The Global Access & Inclusion (GAI) Grant Program is a fund designed to empower our partner institutions to increase participation and support for underrepresented students considering semester-long study abroad programs, with a specific focus on Semester at Sea voyages.
Our Commitment to Global Access and Inclusion
Semester at Sea (SAS) is operated by the Institute for Shipboard Education, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to making the life-changing experience of study abroad accessible to students from all backgrounds, identities, and academic paths.
The Global Access & Inclusion (GAI) Grant Program is a fund is intended to support campus-based initiatives that leverage the unique, global experience of Semester at Sea to increase participation among these students. By supporting targeted outreach and programming on your campus, we aim to eliminate barriers and cultivate a more globally inclusive generation of students.
How the GAI Fund Works
The GAI Fund offers financial resources to college and university Study Abroad Offices, Diversity & Inclusion Departments, and Student Support Services to host targeted on-campus initiatives that recruit, advise, and prepare students for the unique challenges and rewards of a Semester at Sea voyage.
What the GAI Fund Does NOT Cover
- Direct student scholarships (Please see the SAS Scholarship page for existing funding options).
- Staff salaries, training, or travel
- Passport drives
- General office operations or promotional materials not tied to a specific GAI Fund initiative
Grant Details
Award Range: $500 – $2,000 per proposal
Availability: The GAI Grant is open to all SAS partner institutions on a rolling basis until funds are depleted,
Purpose: To fund projects, activities, or events that directly promote SAS to underrepresented student populations on your campus.
Focus: Initiatives designed to significantly increase enrollment and support for underrepresented students on Semester at Sea programs.
Eligible Projects and Use of Funds
GAI Fund proposals must outline a specific project or event that has a clear, measurable goal of increasing access and enrollment for underrepresented students on Semester at Sea. While events can be focused on sharing general information/resources about studying abroad to underrepresented students (i.e. highlighting scholarships that apply to all semester-long programs), the main focus should be on increasing participation of these students on Semester at Sea in particular.
All supported projects must ensure that Semester at Sea is a prominent and required feature of the event, activity, or materials. For co-sponsored events, this must include a dedicated SAS representative/booth, a SAS-specific presentation component, or SAS-branded materials distributed to attendees.
Project Ideas
- SAS Global Perspectives Panel: Host a session featuring alumni from historically underrepresented groups who will share their individual experiences navigating ports and life on a multi-country voyage
- Diversity & Global Education Fair: Collaborate with your campus’s DEI office to host a mini-fair specifically highlighting the importance of global learning for diverse communities, focusing on SAS as an option.
- First-Generation Voyager Workshop: Develop a preparatory workshop series on campus that addresses common concerns (financial aid, navigating global cultures, packing for a long voyage) for first-generation students interested in the program.
- Financial Aid & Access Event: Partner with your Financial Aid office to host an informational event focused only on funding a high-impact program like Semester at Sea for low-income students.
- Academic Department Collaboration: Host a presentation or lunch in an Engineering department to highlight the unique engineering offerings available on the ship.
Target Student Populations for GAI Initiatives
We encourage institutions to focus their proposals on initiatives that support students who self-identify with one or more of the following identities, which are traditionally underrepresented in international education:
- Economically Disadvantaged Students (e.g., Pell Grant recipients)
- First-Generation College Students
- Students of Color/Racial and Ethnic Minorities
- STEM and other Underrepresented Majors (e.g., Engineering, Health Sciences)
- Student Athletes
- Non-Traditional Age Students
- LGBTQIA+ Students
- Students with Disabilities
- Male Students (as study abroad demographics are predominately female)
- Other Underrepresented Groups (must be defined and justified in the proposal)
How to Apply
We have streamlined the application process to make funding accessible and timely. Institutions are encouraged to apply early as funds are distributed on a rolling basis.
Contact Us
We’re here to help! If you have any question regarding GAI Grant Program eligibility or the application process, please contact Amy Lepp, Director of Enrollment and University Relations.
