AAUW has launched a call for applications for the Career Development Grants 2020.

Career Development Grants provide funding to women who hold a bachelor’s degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or re-enter the workforce in education, health and medical sciences, or social sciences. Primary consideration is given to women of color and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields.

Funding Information

Grant is sized upto $2,000–12,000.

Career Development Grant funds are available for:

• Educational expenses.
• Living expenses.
• Dependent child care.
• Travel to professional meetings, conferences, or seminars, as long as it does not exceed 10% of the grant.

Except where expressly stated otherwise, Career Development Grants are NOT available for:

• Purchase of equipment.
• Indirect costs.
• Research assistants.
• Previous expenditures, deficits or repayment of loans.
• Publication costs.
• Institutional (overhead) costs.
• Tuition for dependent’s education

Eligibility Criteria

• Career Development Grants are open to individuals who identify as women and:
  • are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
  • hold an earned (not honorary) bachelor’s degree.
  • received their bachelor’s degree on or before June 30, 2013.
  • do not hold an earned (not honorary) graduate or professional degree.
  • plan to enroll or are enrolled in courses/activities that are required for professional employment or advancement, and
  • plan to enroll or are enrolled in one of the following program types:
    • Bachelor’s or associate degree program that is different from the field of study of the previously earned bachelor’s degree.
    • Master’s degree program.
    • Certification program.
    • Technical school.
  • Plan to enroll or are enrolled in one of the following fields of study:
    • Education.
    • Health and Medical Sciences.
    • Social Sciences.
• All courses of study must occur at a regionally accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States or at a technical school that is fully licensed and/or accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants must reside within the United States during the grant period.
• Distance or online learning programs will be funded only if they are conducted through an accredited institution appearing on the U.S. Department of Education’s list of approved online/distance learning programs. Final decisions about what constitutes distance learning under these grants will be made by AAUW.
• Applicants are required to indicate their matriculation status within the application. While applicants are not required to already be enrolled or accepted into their preferred institution of study in order to apply, preference is given to those who are able to demonstrate strong commitment or intent in following the proposed plan of study. Awardees must be able to show proof of admission when submitting their acceptance materials.
• Career Development Grant funding is not available for:
  • Prerequisite coursework.
  • Professional degree in law, business or medicine.
  • Doctoral coursework or dissertations.
• Career Development Grants are not open to previous recipients of any AAUW national fellowship or grant (not including branch or local awards or Community Action Grants). Members of the AAUW Board of Directors, committees, panels, task forces and staff, including current interns, are not eligible to apply for AAUW’s fellowships and grants. A person holding a current award is eligible for election or appointment to boards, committees, panels and task forces.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria apply to the selection of Career Development Grants:

• Demonstrated commitment to education and equity for women and girls.
• Reason for seeking higher education or technical training.
• Degree to which study plan is consistent with career objectives.
• Potential for success in chosen field.
• Documentation of opportunities in chosen field.
• Feasibility of study plans and proposed time schedule.
• Validity of proposed budget and budget narrative, including sufficient outside support.
• Quality of written proposal.
• Applicant is from an underrepresented racial/ethnic background.
• Applicant is from an underrepresented area of the country and/or type of university other than a top-level research institution.
• Applicant is seeking credentials in a nontraditional field.
• Financial need.

For more information, visit AAUW.