The Conference Award Incentive (CAI) is one of the regular grant programs of PSSC. CAI gives supplemental funds to regular member-organizations to help defray their expenses in holding annual conferences. This grant is given to regular members in good standing. 

Being in good standing (active status) means that regular members have complied with the following membership requirements stipulated in the PSSC By-laws:

• payment of its annual dues;
• attendance to the Annual General Membership Meeting;
• release of at least one official publication/journal during the year;
• submission of an annual report of the association’s activities/projects;
• holding of annual conference/congress or general membership meeting;
• attendance at regular BOT meetings (3 out 4 meetings required) and, 
• continued compliance with government regulations, such as those required by SEC and BIR.

Any remiss in any of the above-mentioned compliance for two consecutive years will place the member-organizations in an INACTIVE STATUS.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, limited the capacities of the regular member-organizations of PSSC to hold their annual conferences, making it difficult to comply with the PSSC membership requirements to remain in good standing. Additionally, the pandemic also negatively impacted PSSC’s funds, prompting the suspension of CAI in 2020.

In 2021, the PSSC Board of Trustees (BOT) reduced the CAI grant amount. The BOT also approved alternative options for compliance with PSSC membership requirements to remain in good standing that can be basis for the CAI grants:

• Online/virtual national conferences can be an option for regular member-organizations aside from the usual face-to-face gathering; and
• The electronic version of the journals can be an option for the release of journal publication, but with the provision that it should also be released timely—on the same expected date as the printed copy

For 2024, the CAI grant amount was increased from its pandemic rate and will be provided to the regular member-organization that abide by the following guidelines:

• Regular member-organizations must release the journal issue before the year of the CAI grant request to enjoy the FULL amount of the CAI grant. For example, if the grant request is for 2024, the latest journal issue must be 2023.
• If the regular member-organization is one issue late in their journal publication, the CAI grant given is 50% of the full amount.
• If regular member-organizations are two issues late in their journal publication, they cannot request for the CAI grant.
• Regular members must attach a copy of their latest journal issue when requesting for a CAI grant.

To request for a CAI grant, send the following documents to programs@pssc.org.ph:

1. Letter of Request for the grant in your organization’s letterhead, detailing the date and theme of the conference
2. Call for Papers of your conference