Professional Development Grants

The Employee Forum’s Professional Development Grant provides permanent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill employees additional funding to help cover professional development opportunities.

The grant covers work-related education and training and can be used for conferences, certificates, non-credit classes, or similar instructional opportunities. In other words, it covers anything related to or contributing to the professional skills of the individual employee and not already covered by other resources at the University. Specifically, the grant is designed for expenses incurred prior to the opportunity (e.g., registration, materials, travel) that an employee’s department or other sources cannot cover. Courses for academic credit are not eligible for this grant but can be accessed through the University’s tuition waiver benefit.  However, books and application expenses related to academic courses are now eligible for grant support.

Full or part-time permanent SHRA or EHRA non-faculty employees are eligible for this grant. We encourage applicants to seek funding from departmental and/or unit sources, if available, prior to submitting this application. Additionally, there are a number of other university sources of support, such as Educational Programs through Benefits, HR’s Training offerings, and the Janet B. Royster Memorial Staff Scholarship Fund. Please exhaust these other options before applying for the Professional Development Grant.

Application Criteria 

• Funding must be for individual benefit, relate to the employee’s position, and meet a professional development purpose (not departmental).
• Applicant may not have received a Professional Development Grant from the Employee Forum nor the Janet B. Royster staff scholarship from the Staff Assembly for the same or a different opportunity in the year prior to application.
• Applicant must include their supervisor’s name and email address. We do not need your supervisor’s approval, and we will not contact your supervisor unless the Professional Development Grant account is audited.
• Individual grants will not exceed $500.
• Timely and complete submission.

The application includes details about the opportunity, a budget of expenses, and answers to the three (3) following questions. (We recommend that you draft and save your answers in a Word document and then cut and paste the answers into the application when you are ready to submit it.)

• 1. 1. Describe how this professional development opportunity will enhance or complement your current position.
     2. Describe how this professional development opportunity is relevant to your career aspirations.
     3. Please describe any university service and/or volunteer activities you have taken part in during the last 12 months that are not included in your primary job duties.

Please note: Professional Development Grants are no longer processed on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to ensure all university employees have an equal chance to apply for this funding opportunity, the Leadership, Education, and Career Development Committee will review and score applications based on applicant answers to the questions in the application.

Submission Guidelines 

• Only complete submissions will be considered.
• Apply online using the following Qualtrics survey: https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zLWtbM2av8h2Au. Paper applications are available upon request. Email employeeforum@unc.edu for further details.
• Applications will only be accepted during the submission period as noted below.

Deadlines:

For the past submission period,

• Applications will be taken within the submission period (November 4 – 17th, 2024).
• Applications will be reviewed by the Leadership, Education, and Career Development Committee during the review period (November 18 – December 3rd, 2024).
• Applicants will be notified several days after the close of the review period (December 6, 2024).
• All awards funded during this submission period must be for activities occurring no earlier than January 1, 2025 and no later than June 30, 2025.
• Applicants who are not selected during this submission period may reapply for funds in the next submission period.

SUBMISSION PERIOD: November 4 – 17th, 2024

REVIEW PERIOD: November 18 – December 4th, 2024

EXPECTED NOTIFICATION: December 6, 2024

AWARDS ONLY GIVEN FOR ACTIVITES OCCURING: January 1 – June 30th, 2025

***If any portion of your professional development opportunity will occur after June 30th, 2025, please do not apply in the current submission period. Instead, please apply for the spring/summer submission period in early June. Additional details and specific deadlines about the next submission period will be shared on the website in the mid-spring.

Requirements for Processing Professional Development Grant Purchases:

• In accordance with University purchasing policies, Professional Development Grant purchases will no longer be processed via campus voucher reimbursement. Details and instructions on payment processing will be shared with awardees shortly after notifications are sent in early December.

For questions concerning the application process, contact the Employee Forum at employeeforum@unc.edu.

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