The DAPA Grants application is now re-opened! Please NOTE the deadline to apply for a DAPA Grant this semester is Wednesday 8pm!
Complete the application by Wednesday at 8 pm the week of your party. Grant decisions will be sent by Thursday 12pm and party kits can be picked up from noon until 4:45pm Thursday and 9 am to 5 pm on Friday! Make sure to plan ahead to grab your party kit full of cups, plates, and napkins!
Our mission: DAPA Grants help provide a fun and safe social environment at Harvard. Our committee funds both registered events containing alcohol and alternative alcohol-free events. To that end, the grants fund: (1) Substantial food items at registered parties with alcohol during high risk nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights), and (2) snacks and foods for alcohol-free events on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The grants do NOT fund alcohol, mixers, decorations, very small gatherings, or off-campus events.
THE PROCESS:
Step 1: Complete the application by the Wednesday at 8 pm before your party. The application can be found here: Apply for a DAPA Grant
(Please note: This form is the ONLY way to apply for a DAPA Grant. We do not accept any applications submitted to the [email protected]. We hope that our application makes the process quicker and more enjoyable for you.)
Step 2: Applicants will be notified of awards by Thursday 12pm the week for which they applied. Note: Plan ahead to pick up your party kit: Thursday 12:00pm – 4:45pm; Friday 9:00am-4:45pm.
Step 3: Fill out reimbursement forms and submit receipts to AODS (7 Linden St, 2nd Floor) within one week of your event. Reimbursements can take 4-6 weeks to process, but sometimes arrive sooner.
Criteria:
The DAPA Grants Committee looks at the following criteria when making decisions on applications:
Specifics: Be as detailed and thorough as possible.
Consumption: Think about how much money you plan to spend on alcohol (if you will be serving it) and consider spending a comparable amount (if not more) on food and non-alcoholic drinks. Our program looks to fund parties that offer a source of substantial food (not just chips, cookies, etc.).
Timing: DAPA grants are awarded to registered parties that occur during high-risk drinking times on campus (i.e. Thursday-Saturday nights). We look for parties that are thrown on social evenings. If your party is not on a Thursday-Saturday night but is during a high risk time (for example, before a weekday formal or on a Sunday of a long weekend) please be sure to explain why your party would still benefit from a DAPA grant.
Thoughtfulness: The more effort and thought that you put into your application, the more it will stand out to us. Take time to explain how your event is both a safe social activity and reduces high risk drinking. Be genuine.
Punctuality: Due to the high volume of applications and in fairness to applications submitted on time, we will not read applications submitted after Wednesday at 8PM EST of the week for which you are applying.
** In addition to the criteria mentioned above, the Grants committee also considers the amount of grants awarded to you/your organization during the course of the semester and the amount of applications we receive in a given week.