Thanks to feedback from past applicants and input from our review committee volunteers, we've made significant updates to the application, review, and award processes. By adopting these changes, we aim to make the application experience more efficient and less time-consuming for everyone involved.
Key Updates for 2025
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The Career Development Fund for Staff Application will be available in February 2025.
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Streamlined Application Process - The new method will involve a simpler, shorter application, saving time for all applicants
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New Impartial Grant Selection Process - All applications meeting basic criteria will be eligible for a random selection to support an equitable and transparent process. This approach comes with several key benefits:
- Reduces Bias: Removing subjective elements from the decision-making process eliminates potential biases that may arise during traditional review methods.
- Streamlines the Process: Chance-based selection simplifies and accelerates the grant awarding procedure.
- Increases Inclusivity: This method ensures that every application has an equal chance of being selected, fostering a more inclusive environment for all applicants.
- Encourages Diverse Participation: By promoting transparency and fairness, we encourage a broader spectrum of individuals and organizations to apply, enriching the diversity of ideas and projects we support.
- Only individual development grants will be awarded in 2025:
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This simplifies the award disbursement process and allows for more individual grants to be awarded
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Applications Available February 3-28, 2025
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Career development activities must take place between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026
No-Cost Options for All Employees - Always Available!
As a U-M employee, you have many additional learning opportunities. For example, you have access to resources for free professional development including:
Plus, you can also look into the Tuition Support Program. Michigan Medicine employees: If you have an idea for a patient experience project, submit it to the Office of Patient Experience. Thank you for all you do to make U-M a great workplace and to further our missions of learning, discovery, and care.
About the Fund
The Career Development Fund for Staff provides financial grants of up to $1,500 for individuals at every academic campus and Michigan Medicine to fund a wide range of learning opportunities. The goal is to help facilitate your learning, growth, and collaboration.
The fund was announced on November 17, 2022, to provide up to $200,000 in grants per year for five years. More than 700 staff applied for grants in the first year, highlighting a clear need for more financial support for career development. In response, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer doubled funding for the remaining four years of the program.
FY 2025 is the third year of the fund. Check out this summary of FY 2023, the fund's first year, and this summary of FY 2024, the fund’s second year. This fund is administered by University Human Resources.
A DEI 2.0 Action Item
The fund has been identified as a Campuswide Action Item in the university-wide DEI 2.0 plan. Learn more about DEI 2.0.