Co-Support Funds and Local Funds

Area Teams received co-support funds based on the actual number of students hosted and sent from their Team as reported in Global Link. Another factor used to calculate co-support is the type and length of the program. 

Co-support for hosted students is meant to cover expenses related to student support, orientation and enrichment and certain other purposes, as outlined below. It is also used to pay for costs related to sending students abroad.

Timing of co-support payments is as follows:

SH Programs – May
NH Programs – October

It is important that Teams and Chapters are aware of the following:

• Teams will only receive co-support payments if they are current in submitting their monthly reports.
• Teams may roll-over unused co-support funds from year to year. It is highly encouraged that Teams spend their co-support funds in the program year to which the funding applies.
• At a minimum Teams should spend 80% of the co-support in the year it is received.
• AFS-USA reserves the right to reduce future co-support funding if a team builds up a balance which is not spent for more than 3 years.

Co-Support Funds

Teams are provided funds which are called "co-support" funds to cover expenses used to support AFS participants hosted and sent from the team. These funds can be used to cover the following expenses:

• Hosting Expenses
• Orientations
• Local events for AFS participants (social and/or educational activities for AFS host students)
  
  
• Sending Expenses
• Recruitment and retention activities
• Orientations
• Returnee activities
  
  
• Team Expenses
• Local promotions/marketing of AFS programs
• School presentations
• Training of volunteers
• Volunteer team meetings
• Attendance at regional or national trainings or meetings
• Recognition of volunteers, host families, schools and/or natural parents
• Reimbursement of volunteer expenses for AFS activities including mileage reimbursement in accordance with AFS-USA policies

It is expected that teams spend approximately 60% of their co-support funds to support participant orientations and activities.

Co-Support funds cannot be used for the following:

• Scholarships of AFS students
• Cost of merchandise that will be resold
• Host family expenses
• Legal fees accrued by participants or host families, including fines and insurance deductibles
• Contracted agreements that benefit one specific individual, such as cell phone contracts
• Goods or services for personal use
• Personal expenses of volunteers or participants that are not directly related to AFS programs
• Sponsored program student expenses related to enrichment / cluster activities, student stipends, or host family incidentals, as these are covered separately by the grants

Teams receive co-support funds based on the actual number of participants a team hosts and sends, including Sponsored Program students. The amounts are determined by program type and program length. 

Co-Support Amounts

This table outlines the co-support funding amounts by program and program length.

Local Funds - Team or Chapter

Teams and Chapters may also generate funds locally through fund raising, special events, merchandise sales and fees from persons attending conferences and workshops. These locally generated funds are to be deposited into local (secondary) bank accounts. A balance not to exceed $5,000.00 may be maintained in the secondary account for the Team or Chapter day to day operations. Funds in excess of this maximum must be deposited by the Team or Chapter into the AFS Banking Module in an account identified by Team or Chapter name.

Locally raised AFS funds can be used for the following:

• Anything that co-support funds can be used for
• Scholarships for sending participants
• Cost of merchandise to be resold for a fundraiser
• Other fundraising related expenses
• School lunch fees, graduation expenses, yearbooks, and other non-mandatory school expenses
• Other participant related expenses

Locally raised AFS funds can never be used for the following:

• Host family expenses
• Legal fees accrued by participants or host families, including fines
• Insurance deductibles
• Contracted agreements that benefit one specific individual, such as cell phone contracts
• Goods or services for personal use
• Personal expenses of volunteers or participants that are not directly related to AFS programs

Important Note:  Gift cards are considered the same as cash and therefore cannot be given to host families, volunteers, or students.