Call for Diversity & Inclusion Subsidies

NAACL 2021 is providing D&I funds for registration, caregiving, bandwidth and VPN subsidies. We strongly suggest folks from marginalized communities to apply for subsidies. Please apply by 2 weeks before the early registration deadline at this link. Informal enquiries can be made to naacl2021-diversity-inclusion@googlegroups.com.

Registration subsidies: This is for getting a waiver for ACL registration. You can also request for ACL membership if that’s applicable. An example answer from Pranav when he applied for D&I subsidy in ACL 2020: ‘I have an accepted paper in the main conference. I identify as queer and a person of color. I would like to apply for a registration fee waiver because my fees are not funded by my organization.’

Note that if you are applying for a registration fee waiver, it is expected that you DO NOT register for the conference until you hear from us about your D&I subsidy application. That way, you would not have to ask for a reimbursement, since you would not be charged in the first place. We strongly encourage folks to apply for a volunteership program in order to maximize their chances for getting their registration fees waived.

Caregiving and accessibility subsidies: We can reimburse caregiving purchases that you need for the conferences. You need to provide receipts for your purchases. These can be babysitting, transportation costs, or other support required for yourself or your dependents, which would ease your participation. If you need any personal or technical assistance to access and navigate the conference due to a disability, we can reimburse you for the cost of it. This holds for example if you need assistance in using gather.town due to a visual impairment. We acknowledge that accessibility needs are highly individual to each participant, so please feel free to reach out to us with any issues you might face in this regard.

Bandwidth and VPN subsidies: We can reimburse bandwidth or VPN purchases that you need for the conferences. You need to provide receipts for your purchases. Bandwidth subsidies would be for high-speed internet access costs for the duration of the conference only. VPN generally does not cost more than 10 USD per month and could be applied towards participation if you need anonymity to participate completely (for example, for queer folks who might need this for extra security depending on where they live).

Selection Criteria: Applicants for the subsidy program will be evaluated based on the material they submit in their application packages. Preference will be given to applicants who are presenting a paper in the main conference, the Student Research Workshop, or any of the workshops associated with NAACL, and who do not have other means of support.

Instructions: Applicants for the D&I subsidy Program should fill the application form at: Microsoft Office Form Link

Application deadline: 2 weeks before the early registration deadline

Notification of acceptance: 1 week before the early registration deadline

We aim to send all notifications by the deadline above. However, we will start processing the applications as they come and you may be contacted earlier.