CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications due Tuesday, April 22, 11:59pm

Is caring for a child/dependent making it harder to travel and advance in your career? 

The Center for Faculty Development (CFD) is pleased to announce the call for Caring For Dependent(s) (CFD) Travel Awards. This $1,000 award* will help make travel to an academic/society meeting directly related to the applicant's academic advancement possible. The award is open to faculty and postdocs who plan to attend a professional meeting between June 2025 and September 2025**. Funding is intended to help defray additional care expenses that go above and beyond care needs, (e.g., extended day care, extended elder care, caregiver travel) while the faculty member is traveling.

*Amount is for incurred expenses up to a maximum of $1,000. A lifetime maximum of two CFD Travel Awards per person will be allowed. We prioritize those who have not received the award in the same year to distribute the funds more equitably.

**We are changing the application frequency for this award from twice to 3x/year. As we make this transition, we will exceptionally allow retroactive applications for conferences between April-May 2025.

 

Please note:

• Grant awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) allow for reimbursement of actual, allowable costs incurred for child care. More information
• Full-time predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees appointed on NRSA institutional research training awards (such as a T32 training grant or a F32 fellowship) will be eligible to receive support for child care costs. More information 
• Mass General Brigham’s tuition assistance program provides reimbursement of eligible education expenses up to the IRS maximum of $5,250 per calendar year. More information

 

Background

Recognizing that one of the obstacles to career advancement is the challenge of traveling while caring for children/dependent(s), the Center for Faculty Development established the Caring For Dependent(s) (CFD) Awards to support travel by contributing to defray additional care expenses that go above and beyond care needs, (e.g., extended day care, extended elder care, caregiver travel) while the applicant is traveling to an academic/society meeting which is directly related to the applicant's academic advancement.
 

Application Guidelines

• The CFD Travel Awards provide funding to help make travel to an academic/society meeting directly related to academic advancement possible.
• The applicant must have plans to attend a professional meeting between June 1, 2025 and September 30, 2025.
• Faculty/postdoc must apply in advance of the trip that requires support and may not receive support for an event that has already occurred.
• Please note: only completed applications will be considered.
• These awards are specifically allocated to the conference and care arrangement stated on your application and therefor cannot be transferred to another academic/society meeting or other care arrangement.
   

Eligibility

• M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent advanced degree.
• Responsible for care of children/dependent(s).
• Trip must be an academic/society professional meeting for the purpose of advancing your career (e.g., presenting at an academic/society meeting [abstract/paper/poster] or receiving a society award/honor).
• Faculty must have an academic appointment at Harvard Medical School.
• Faculty and Postdocs must have a primary appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital.

 

Award Expenditures

Awards may be used for the following expenses listed in the budget outline on your application:

• Travel expenses for children/dependent(s).
• Travel expenses for children/dependent(s)’s caregiver (not family members) during trip with the sole purpose of caring for the children/dependent(s).
• Expenses for additional child/dependent care at home during the trip.
• Expenses for child/dependent care at meeting site.
• Direct child-related expenses (e.g., shipping breast milk)

Awards may not be used for the following:

• Conference registration.
• Personal travel expenses for faculty member or postdoc.
• Payment to family members (including in-laws) for child/dependent care expenses.
• Other expenses not associated to the additional care or travel of the children/dependent(s) (e.g., routine child/dependent care expenses such as food).

 

• Support is considered taxable income under Federal Tax Law.
• Awardees must provide original receipts and/or invoices in order to receive payment under Mass General Brigham Reimbursement Policy and must attest that these expenses were used for child/dependent travel or additional care.
• Amount of payment will not exceed $1,000 of incurred expenses.
• Documentation of expenses must be submitted within 30 days of the travel return date.

 

Information requested on the application

• Meeting/conference information
• A brief description of how attending this conference will advance your career and academic rank
• Description of how the $1,000 will be spent (e.g., extended day care, extended elder care, caregiver travel)