UC-AFT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
CALL FOR UNIT 18 FACULTY PROPOSALS, 2025-2026
Due December 15, 2025
The UC-AFT Council on Professional Development is thrilled to introduce a spring call for Professional Development Fund (PDF) proposals. We are now welcoming proposals for activities that will/have take(n) place between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. Our goal is for Unit 18 faculty to be able to make professional development plans with advanced knowledge that their funding is secure.
UC-AFT Professional Development Funds are available to Unit 18 faculty as a result of the hard work of union faculty in the University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT Local 1474). We first won professional development funds in our 2003 union contract and have successfully increased the funding pool in each subsequent round of negotiations. The PDF pool offers grants to support scholarly and pedagogical endeavors, including creative and research activities, that contribute to our effectiveness as teachers and mentors.
For the 2025-2026 fiscal and academic years, $138,966.14 in PDF awards will be available to Unit 18 faculty at UCLA.
The UC-AFT Council on Professional Development, a committee of volunteer Unit 18 faculty members from diverse academic fields, reviews applications for these funds and recommends awards to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Personnel for final approval. This year’s committee includes:
Esha Niyogi De, Senior Continuing Lecturer, Writing Programs
Leryn Gorlitsky – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Diana Rigueur – Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
Tyson Roberts – Political Science
Jason Tsou – World Arts and Culture/Dance
ELIGIBILITY FOR SPRING FUNDING CYCLE
All faculty represented by UC-AFT are eligible to request funding, regardless of the type or length of your appointment. This includes pre-continuing lecturers, continuing lecturers, demonstration teachers, K-12 instructors, field work coordinators, and supervisors of teacher education.
You may apply now to support activities that take place between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
You may apply for this funding cycle if you have or anticipate being on active service (i.e., teaching at UCLA) at any point during Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026, or Spring 2025. To receive an award you receive during this funding cycle, you must have an active appointment at some point between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
AWARD CRITERIA
The committee will assess proposals using the following criteria:
1. professional relevance (i.e., how closely is the proposal connected to your work as a Unit 18 faculty member?)
2. scholarly/creative/pedagogical value (i.e., how will the proposed activities enhance and improve your academic career?)
3. feasibility (i.e., how likely is the project to be completed successfully?)
Your proposal should clearly address these three areas.
Although the UC-AFT Council on Professional Development welcomes applications from past recipients of PDF grants, we may give preference to applicants who have not received a PDF grant within the past two years.
Successful candidates who receive funding are required at the end of the academic year to submit a brief (500-word) follow-up letter summarizing what the funding enabled them to accomplish. For 2025-2026 funding, follow-up letters should be sent by email to ucla.u18.pdf@gmail.com by July 2026.
TYPES OF AWARDS
PDF grants are primarily intended to advance your career as a Unit 18 faculty member and support you in becoming more established within our university community. We define "professional development" as activities that enable Unit 18 faculty to do their job better. The PDF pool is not intended to support projects aimed primarily at supporting students. Funds may be used for:
Travel expenses and registration fees
Conferences and conventions
Workshops
Trainings
Other professional events
Research expenses
Visits to libraries, museums, or archives
Specialized or technical equipment*
Books
Editing or other consulting services
Graduate Student Researcher support
Course release/paid leave (for Continuing Appointees only)
Creative endeavors
Exhibitions
Performances
Studio time and assistance
Audio/visual equipment*
Services necessary for practicing artists, dancers, designers, musicians, and others in the fine and performing arts
Materials for course and curriculum development
Books
Software
Hardware*
Instructional technology*
Support for creating or revising courses to be more current, to incorporate research-based best practices for teaching and learning, or to be more enriching for students
Other expenses related to a unique project
Event planning
Fieldwork or other travel to specific locations
Supplies, materials, or services to support the special project
Interdisciplinary or cross-campus collaborations
The list above is not exhaustive. The UC-AFT Council on Professional Development welcomes all proposals that have demonstrable value to your scholarly, creative, and pedagogical work, even if they don’t exactly fit into the categories above.
Expenses not eligible to be funded
Paying yourself
Release of coursework
Expenses unrelated to the proposal (i.e., rent, childcare, etc)
Persons employed by you, though you may hire a contractor approved by the university
The UC-AFT Council on Professional Development will seek to fund as many professionally relevant, valuable, and feasible proposals as possible. Because the funding pool is limited, more small grants than large grants may be awarded. Proposals may be fully or partially funded. If your project requires more than $3,000, we encourage you to seek additional funding from other sources if possible. Please indicate those efforts in your proposal when applicable. Persons employed by you, though you may hire a contractor approved by the university
The UC-AFT Council on Professional Development will seek to fund as many professionally relevant, valuable, and feasible proposals as possible. Because the funding pool is limited, more small grants than large grants may be awarded. Proposals may be fully or partially funded. If your project requires more than $3,000, we encourage you to seek additional funding from other sources if possible. Please indicate those efforts in your proposal when applicable.
In previous years, the Council has been able to fund a majority of the proposals received, so we highly recommend that you apply. There is a good chance that your project will be at least partially funded.
All uses of UC-AFT professional development grants must be consistent with UCLA’s purchasing and reimbursement policies. Some PDF uses may require purchase orders and/or requisitions, so be sure to allow enough time for those processes if necessary. All vendors must be approved within the UCLA vendor reimbursement system–contact your departmental finance manager to begin the process.
*Items purchased with professional development funds will remain the property of UCLA.
If you are proposing a project that involves payments to third-party vendors, we recommend securing a PDF grant in advance so that the vendor can be paid via UCLA’s PaymentWorks platform and there is no out-of-pocket cost to you personally.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should submit their proposals to the following link: LINK.
APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR 2025-2026: December 15, 2025
You will be prompted to submit the following:
- Personal details: Name, position, department, contact information, and department finance manager information.
- Proposal: Submit a brief summary of the project, followed by a detailed description of the proposed activities (2 pages maximum). Explain how and why such activities contribute to your professional development. Please discuss the professional relevance (i.e., how closely is the proposal connected to your work as a Unit 18 faculty member?), scholarly/creative/pedagogical value (i.e., how will the proposed activities enhance and improve your academic career?), and feasibility (i.e., how likely is the project to be completed successfully?) of your request.
- Detailed budget and timeline: Please provide a specific breakdown of the costs for your proposal and the calendar for completing it. Be as specific as you are able. Include a list of other sources of support (if any) that will be combined to comprise the funding required.
- CV: Maximum of 5 pages. We recommend highlighting activities related to the proposal.
TIMETABLE
2025-2026 Awards
1. Call for Applications: November 2025
2. Deadline to submit applications: December 15, 2025
3. Awards should be announced by Late January- Early February 2026
QUESTIONS
If you have questions, please contact the chair of the UC-AFT Council on Professional Development by emailing the committee at ucla.u18.pdf@gmail.com.
Webpage updated: 11/25/2025
