Questions? Concerns? Please contact:
Hillary Hawranko
Director, Business Development, USI Affinity
Hillary.Hawranko@usi.com 614-340-6140
5455 Rings Rd., Suite 250 Dublin, OH 43017
We look forward to hearing from you!
Grant for Alumni Relations
The NEAT is interested in funding projects that benefit the alumni relations profession. We encourage alumni professionals to conduct research and try new ways to engage alumni. Grant-funded projects may be specific to alumni of the member institutions if experiences and findings can be applied to other alumni organizations.
The purpose of the Grant is to encourage alumni professionals to be creative and innovative.
The Grant Committee will award grants of up to $5,000 per project with a maximum of $20,000 per year.
Awards will be announced by June 30 of each year.
A grant application may be submitted at any time but grants will not be awarded until June.
Congratulations to the past NEAT Grant Recipients
2023-24 NEAT Grant Project Reports
K-State Alumni Association – Taking the Lead on the DEIB Initiative
NIU Alumni Association – Improving Attendance at NIU Football Tailgating at Mission’s Grove
University of Colorado Colorado Springs – Identification and Launch of Affinity Group Programs
2022-23 NEAT Grant Project Reports
University of Colorado Colorado Springs Alumni Association – Growing the Volunteer Network
Mizzou Alumni Association – Gold Medal Society
Texas Tech Alumni Association – Legacy University
2021-22 NEAT Grant Project Reports
Northern Illinois University Alumni Association - Campus Partner Training
University of Detroit Mercy Alumni Association - Becoming a Better U
Roosevelt University Alumni Association- Young Professionals Association Laker Leadership Conference
UCCS Alumni Association- Student to Alumni Transition and Pandemic Changes
University of Maine Alumni Association- DEI Initiative
2020-21 NEAT Grant Project Reports
Ashland University Alumni Association - Student-Alumni Mentoring Program
University of Detroit Mercy Alumni Association - Student Alumni Leadership Council
Texas Tech Alumni Association- Techsan Connection: Planning and Implementing an Alumni Networking Platform
2019-2020 NEAT Grant Project Reports
K-State Alumni Association - K-State Alumni Association Alumni and Friends Survey
Malone University - Increasing Alumni Engagement through Affinity Driven Philanthropy
2018-19 NEAT Grant Project Reports
Buffalo State Alumni Association – Educational Opportunity Program Alumni Leadership Workshop
K-State Alumni Association - Developing a Digital Marketing Strategy Based on Data Analytics
Northern Illinois University Alumni Association – NIU Young Alumni Engagement Event Series
Findlay Alumni Association – Engaging Young Alumni Beyond Traditional Events
2017-18 NEAT Grant Project Reports
Albright College Alumni Association – Social Media and Alumni Engagement
CCSU Alumni Association – Career Connections
K-State Alumni Association – Strategies for Engaging Multicultural and International Alumni
Virginia Tech Alumni Association – Development of Office Volunteers
Wayne State Alumni Association – Student-Alumni Council Leadership
“The K‑State Alumni Association utilized a NEAT grant for hiring a K‑State student to help with a readership survey regarding our member magazine. By utilizing the student, we were able to expedite the process for conducting the research and developing recommendations to further improve this top-rated member benefit. Through the research, the Alumni Association gained valuable feedback for enhancing the magazine and the student gained valuable experience to add to her resume. The NEAT grant made it a win-win for everyone.”
Linda J. Cook, Chief of Staff and Director of Community Relations K‑State Alumni Association
“The NEAT grant we received for the Ithaca College Traditions App was a game changer for us! The funding allowed us to make the app a reality, and to implement strategies for student engagement that have not been used before. Since the launch of the initial app, we have seen participation grow and have been able to gather useful information to continue to develop its usefulness as a tool to measure engagement.”
Lynne Pierce, Associate Director Volunteer Programs Ithaca College Alumni Association
“The NEAT Grant that Drexel University received to support the development of professional affinity groups allowed us to pilot programs and volunteer networks that would facilitate networking and career development among alumni on the basis of a shared professional specialty. With the support from NEAT, we successfully launched five groups in one year. Once we were able to share the success of these pilot groups with the larger alumni community, we were able to identify and engage other volunteers who had an interest in this type of programming, and we are on track to double the number of established professional groups by the end of this calendar year. We know that these offerings are meaningful to our alumni, and the funding from NEAT provided the resources needed to get this initiative off the ground.”
Lauren R. Villanueva,Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations Drexel University Alumni Association Association
USI Affinity | 3805 West Chester Pike | Suite 200 | Newtown Square, PA 19073 Privacy Policy USI Affinity is licensed to transact business in all of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia