Any individual may apply for a travel award to attend LEAD. Priority for travel and registration awards is given to individuals who meet all or some of the following criteria:

• Work for an organization with an annual budget of less than $1,000,000

• Earn less than USD $40,000 annually

• Cannot attend LEAD without travel and registration assistance

• From an underrepresented community such as Black, Indigenous, and people of color, LGBTQIA+, people with dis/abilities, or any other form of underrepresentation.

• Event registration (which includes on-site lodging, three vegan meals per day, and all workshops)

• Round-trip transportation costs from applicants’ usual place of residence/business to the LEAD event city, such as airfare, train, bus, rideshare, taxi, car mileage, or airport parking

• Other costs incurred specifically as a result of traveling to LEAD, such as travel-related childcare, companion animal care, lost wages, etc., so long as a receipt or other documentation outlining costs incurred is provided.

• Travel within the host city during the event

• Passport applications

• Visa applications or travel to apply for a visa

• Additional travel fees incurred (e.g., checked bags, inflight wifi, ticket changes due to canceled or missed flights)

• Food, snacks, or beverages purchased during travel and/or during the event (LEAD will provide three vegan meals per day, as well as some snacks)

• Accommodation outside LEAD-sponsored lodging

• Costs related to COVID-19 or other emergencies, such as quarantine, healthcare coverage, or changes to your travel

Awards are subject to availability. For each event, we determine in advance the total amount of funds available to support attendee costs.

For travel, reimbursements will be capped at $750 per person and will be on a sliding scale depending on the origin city. If the total value of combined travel expenses is less than the cap, you will be reimbursed for the total value of expenses. If the total value of combined travel expenses exceeds the cap, you will be reimbursed at the cap amount, and expenses beyond the cap will not be reimbursed.

For all expenses outside of registration, total reimbursements for travel, and/or costs incurred as a result of travel, can amount to a maximum of $750 per person.

Within this $750 cap, the cap for costs incurred specifically as a result of traveling to LEAD (such as travel-related childcare, companion animal care, lost wages) is USD $500.

Reimbursements for airfare will be made on a sliding scale based on roundtrip economy air transportation between the attendee’s usual place of residence and Los Angeles Airport (or Burbank Airport), California.

If the total value of combined travel expenses is less than the cap, you will be reimbursed for the total value of expenses. If the total value of combined travel expenses exceeds the cap, you will be reimbursed at the cap amount, and expenses beyond the cap will not be reimbursed.

For registration, if your registration is covered by LEAD, you will simply not be asked to pay for registration when confirming your attendance.

If your registration is covered by LEAD, you will simply not be asked to pay for registration when confirming your attendance.

Awards for travel are paid as reimbursements to you or your organization within 30 days after the event concludes. After you have been notified that you have received a travel award, the next steps are to:

• Purchase airfare and pay other travel costs on your own behalf and maintain your receipts

• Attend the event

• After the event, when prompted by a LEAD representative, submit receipts and all required documentation to LEAD for reimbursement. LEAD will contact you with the appropriate forms to request reimbursement, and you must submit verifying documentation within 30 days of the event. Requests for reimbursement submitted more than 30 days after the event will not be considered or reimbursed.

One of LEAD’s goals is to foster connection among advocates in our movement, with networking and team building built into the program. Housing everyone onsite allows us to spend more time connecting (and less time commuting), makes it easier for attendees to return to their rooms to decompress, simplifies logistics, and helps us minimize total travel costs.