Career Development Fund for Staff

The application window for 2025 is now closed. Thanks for your interest.

March 2025 Update: Applications Review is Underway

All applicants, whether selected or not, will hopefully be notified by the end of May 2025. 

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.  

Fiscal year 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.