The 200th Spark Fund

We’re looking for creative ideas that celebrate the 200th anniversary and engage alumni in new ways. This could include special events, innovative virtual programming, collaborative initiatives across multiple groups, activities that reach previously unengaged alumni, and more. Both large and small-scale ideas are welcome!

Timing requirements: Your initiative must take place between Alumni Day (February 21, 2026) and Orange & Black Day (October 22, 2026). We have timing flexibility for events tied to Orange & Black Day celebrations in late October, beyond the 22nd.

Basic requirements:

• Clear connection to the 200th anniversary (celebratory elements and/or strategic 200th anniversary goals)
• Defined success metrics or KPIs (key performance indicators) so you can measure impact
• Primarily alumni volunteer-led execution

Not sure if your idea fits? If it sparks connection, celebrates creatively, or reimagines alumni engagement—we want to hear about it!

You can request between $150 – $5,000 per initiative. Your ask should be commensurate with the scale and impact of your proposal. The featured Recent Spark Awards on this webpage should provide you a helpful gauge.

Cost-per-participant ranges for EVENT-BASED initiatives:

• $10-20/person = considered as standard range for traditional events
• $20-30/person = considered for special events with novel formats or specific strategic value
• $50+/person = considered only for extraordinarily innovative, multi-day, or highly ambitious initiatives

Yes, when possible! The Spark Fund works best as catalytic funding that unlocks or supplements additional resources. We encourage any of the following:

• Alumni organizations contributing from cash reserves
• Ticket revenue as applicable
• Sponsorships or partnerships to extend reach
• Cost-sharing among collaborating groups
• Other grant programs

That said, we recognize not all groups have the same resources. Special consideration can be given to groups without reserves or those working to revitalize engagement—especially for accessible events focused on newcomer engagement.

What matters most: Show us how Spark Fund dollars specifically enable your initiative (or a specific portion of the initiative) and how you’re maximizing impact with available resources.

Strong proposals demonstrate innovation, strategic value, and thoughtful planning. We’re looking for initiatives that:

Spark Innovation

• Go beyond regular programming with creative formats or approaches
• Have potential to be replicated by other groups or serve as a template for similar efforts

Celebrate the 200th Meaningfully

• Include celebratory elements that mark this milestone moment
• Advance 200th anniversary goals: driving incremental engagement (reaching alumni who haven’t recently participated), facilitating cross-pollination (connecting different groups, demographics, or geographies), or encouraging TigerNet adoption
• Prominently feature official 200th anniversary branding

Show Strategic Thinking

• Include specific, measurable success metrics with clear tracking methods
• Outline concrete outreach strategies to reach your target audience
• Demonstrate reasonable cost per participant or strong return on investment
• Explain how Spark Fund dollars specifically enable your initiative
• Can be led primarily by alumni volunteers with minimal staff support
• Plan for documentation and sharing – If your initiative is innovative or replicable, explain how you’ll capture learnings for other groups (photos, templates, written guides, best practices). Larger awards ($1,000+) should include commitment to create playbooks or documentation.

Review the full application to see exactly what we’re asking for!

Strong proposals include specific, measurable metrics with clear tracking methods. Not sure what metrics to track? Think about: Who will participate? How will you know they participated? What evidence will demonstrate your impact?

Here are just a few examples by category:

Incremental Engagement (reaching alumni who haven’t recently participated)

• Track first-time vs. returning attendees via RSVP system
• Compare attendee list to past 12 months of participants
• Count number of alumni who haven’t engaged in 2+ years

Cross-Pollination (connecting different groups/demographics/geographies)

• Track number of different alumni groups represented
• Count attendees from partner organizations
• Record class year, geographic, or affinity group diversity
• Survey: “How many people did you meet from a different [class/region/group]?”

TigerNet Adoption

• Count profile updates before/after your event (ask attendees to update at event)
• Measure level of discussion forum activity before vs. after your initiative

Event-Based Initiatives

• Attendance count with names and email addresses
• First-time attendee percentage
• Geographic distribution of attendees
• Post-event survey response rate and satisfaction scores

Non-Event Initiatives

• Number of groups that download/use a template you created
• Number of digital assets collected (documents, photos, interviews)
• Distribution reach (e.g., 100 books distributed to alumni + libraries)

Yes! We welcome multiple proposals from the same organization, as long as they represent distinct ideas or reach different audiences.

Examples of strong multiple submissions:

• Geographic variety: A large regional association hosting events in different parts of its territory
• Demographic diversity: Different programs targeting distinct groups within your membership
• Format innovation: Testing different engagement approaches

What we’re looking for: Each proposal should stand on its own merit with clear differentiation in format, audience, or purpose. If the same core group of participants would attend multiple initiatives, consider combining them into a single, more comprehensive proposal instead.

Phased approaches welcome: You can also apply for pilot funding first, then reapply for expansion once you’ve proven the concept—though we encourage using pilot success to attract other sponsors or funding sources. Follow-up funding isn’t guaranteed and will depend on available funds and competition.

Keep in mind: As competition increases throughout the funding cycle, we’ll prioritize breadth of engagement across the alumni community. Multiple strong, distinct initiatives from one organization are welcome—but we want to ensure Spark Fund dollars are sparking connections across as many Tigers as possible!

Absolutely! Whether you independently had the same idea or were inspired by another group’s success, we’d love to see your proposal. One of our strategic goals is supporting initiatives that can be replicated across different alumni communities.

Just submit the application for your specific group and context—feel free to adapt the concept or keep it the same. While we can’t guarantee funding as competition increases throughout the year, these kinds of proven, scalable ideas are exactly what the Spark Fund is designed to support. It’s definitely worth applying!

Life happens! If you need to make significant changes to your approved initiative (scope, budget, timing, format), please contact us before proceeding. This ensures we can adjust funding if needed and reallocate any unused funds to other groups. For approval of final reimbursements, we will review your final initiative report against your plan on file.

Minor adjustments (like venue changes or small budget shifts within approved categories) don’t require pre-approval, but should be documented in your final report.

Your final report should include:

Required for all initiatives:

• Description of your initiative’s outcomes & key learnings
• Success metrics/KPIs you tracked (as outlined in your application)
• Participant information: names, email addresses (for alumni), and any relevant demographic data (e.g., first-time attendees, geographic breakdown, class years)
• Visual content: 5-10 high-quality photos from your event or initiative that can be used in Alumni Council and University communications
• Attribution documentation: Show how you included 200th Spark Anniversary branding in your event communications and materials
• All receipts for reimbursement
• Completed Princeton vendor reimbursement form
• Any additional deliverables you committed to in your application (playbooks, templates, documented learnings, etc.)

Optional but encouraged:

• Planning documents, marketing materials, or lessons learned that might help other groups replicate your approach

Submit your final report through the online form (link coming soon). Please make sure all required documentation and receipts are submitted in your final report, otherwise you will risk substantially delaying (or not receiving) your reimbursement.

Final reports are due by December 15, 2026. However, we encourage you to submit as soon as possible after your initiative is complete so you can receive reimbursement in the next quarterly cycle.

For initiatives spanning multiple months: If you can financially support it, please wait until everything is complete before submitting a single comprehensive report. However, if you have financial constraints and your award supports multiple events over several months, you may submit interim reports, with the required documentation for each interim report—just explain your approach and try to batch similarly-timed activities together.

Submit receipts for actual expenses incurred, and we’ll reimburse what you actually spent (up to your approved award). Any unused funds will be returned to the pool.

For events with variable costs: If your attendance was lower than projected, we expect your reimbursement request to reflect actual participation. For example, if you planned for 30 attendees at a bar with one covered beverage but only 15 attended, request reimbursement for 15 beverages—not 30 beverages or 15 attendees × 2 drinks.

If you’re significantly under budget (spending less than 75% of your award), please include an explanation in your final report.

Don’t worry—you won’t be penalized for lower-than-expected turnout if you incurred fixed, unavoidable costs. For example, if an alum host purchased food and beverages for your target number and fewer people showed up, we understand those were committed expenses.

Just explain the shortfall in your report and demonstrate that you made good-faith efforts to reach your targeted outcomes. Sometimes experimental approaches don’t work out as planned, and that’s okay—we’re learning together!

Generally, no. The Spark Fund is designed to enable new initiatives or meaningfully enhance already-planned activities for the 200th anniversary. Expenses should be incurred after your award notification.

If you have extenuating circumstances, please contact us to discuss.

Either the original applicant or your organization’s treasurer can submit the final report. Just make sure the reimbursement check recipient information is clearly indicated on the Princeton vendor reimbursement form.

Note: the reimbursement can only be issued to one entity per award – either the lead organizer, or a bank account associated with the alumni organization (class, regional association, or affinity group).