Professional Development Grants

Professional Development Grants (PDGs) fund professional development opportunities for full-time, continuing-track faculty of all ranks.

PDGs are available in these categories:

Professional Travel Grants: These grants may be used to fund domestic travel (up to $1,500) or international travel (up to $2,000) to academic conferences or other travel related to the faculty member’s designated responsibilities. Proposals for Professional Travel Grants will require endorsement by the faculty member’s chair or director. Faculty members are not eligible for more than one Professional Travel Grant (one trip) per academic year. These grants have a rolling deadline and must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the proposed date of travel.
Professional Expenses Grants: These grants may be awarded for amounts up to $500 and may be used for professional expenses such as the purchase of specialized course materials or teaching equipment (e.g., books, software, some hardware other than computers). For more costly items, faculty should consider the Provost’s Rapid Advancement Micro-Grant Program (RAMP). Professional Expenses Grants maybe used to cost share the expense of equipment to which the faculty member’s department or program will also contribute. Faculty members are not eligible for more than one Professional Expenses Grant per academic year. These grants have a rolling deadline; requests may be submitted at any time.

All full-time, continuing-track faculty members in the College of Arts & Science are eligible to apply for professional development grants.
Priority will be given to those who do not have access to their own professional development funds.
Faculty members who do have access to their own professional development funds may apply for a grant when their own funds are exhausted or to cost share an expense that outstrips their available funds.

All materials must be uploaded to REDCap in PDF format.
Applications should include a proposal not to exceed one single-spaced page, a current CV, and a rough budget. The budget should use Vanderbilt’s per diem rate for meals.

The chair or director will be prompted to approve the application via REDCap after the materials are submitted. We strongly recommend that the faculty member have a prior discussion with their chair or director before submitting a grant application.
The award will be processed as a single payment, inclusive of applicable taxes, concurrent with the faculty member's next scheduled payroll disbursement.

Applicants should expect a response to their proposal within a month.

Please direct all questions to Assistant Dean Angela Sutton.