USA Scholarships
Professional Development Scholarship Guides
Professional Development Programs
Guides for funded professional development, leadership, and executive programs that don't lead to a degree but build skills and networks. Each guide covers eligibility, benefits, and the full application process.
PhRMA Sabbatical Fellowship 2027 - Drug Discovery
The PhRMA Foundation Pharmacology/Toxicology Sabbatical Fellowship historically paid faculty up to $40,000 for six to twelve months of training at another US institution to deepen pharmacology and toxicology research skills. PhRMA now organizes that scientific territory under its Drug Discovery program (predoctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty starter grants). Faculty seeking sabbatical-style career development should review Drug Discovery Faculty Starter Grants ($100,000 for one year) and watch phrmafoundation.org for any restored sabbatical track.
Nila Banton Smith Dissemination Grant 2027
The Nila Banton Smith Research Dissemination Support Grant from the International Literacy Association (ILA) awards up to $5,000 to members who turn literacy research into resources for educators, such as literature reviews, meta-analyses, monographs, or similar dissemination projects. Funds can support project expenses including limited salary support, and the work must finish within one year of the award. Applicants submit through ILA''s ScholarOne awards system. ILA''s 2027 awards cycle uses a 1 February 2027 submission deadline for grants listed on literacyworldwide.org.
Injury Advocacy Scholarship 2025 - $1,000
The 2025 Injury Advocacy Scholarship from Schlack & Bassmaji awarded $1,000 to one US student for an essay on injuries caused by someone else''s negligence and advocacy for injured people. The cycle closed 1 September 2025. Rules matched the firm''s later awards: legal US residents nationwide with 3.0+ GPA, enrolled in vocational or two- to four-year post-secondary study, 750-to-1,000-word essay, resume, transcripts, no AI-generated text, and Illinois preference. Use this guide for reference; apply on the current year''s page when the next cycle opens.
Injury Advocacy Scholarship 2026 - $1,000
The 2026 Injury Advocacy Scholarship from Schlack & Bassmaji, a Chicago-area personal injury firm, awards $1,000 to one US student who writes about negligence-related injuries and advocacy for injured people. High school seniors, vocational students, college students, and graduate students with at least a 3.0 GPA may apply if they are legal US residents in any state or Washington, DC, and enrolled in a vocational programme or two- to four-year post-secondary school. You submit a 750-to-1,000-word essay, resume, transcripts or acceptance proof, and the online form by 1 September 2026. Essays are screened for AI-generated text. Preference goes to Illinois students, but applicants nationwide are welcome.
Michigan Society of Fellows 2027 - $63K/yr
The Michigan Society of Fellows Three-Year Fellowships place recent Ph.D.s and terminal-degree holders at the University of Michigan as non-tenure-track Assistant Professors and Postdoctoral Scholars for a 2027-2030 term. Fellows receive a $63,000 annual stipend plus benefits, teach the equivalent of one academic year spread across three years, and pursue independent research in humanities, arts, sciences, or professions. Ph.D. or comparable degrees must be completed between 1 June 2024 and 24 August 2027. Applications open 1 August 2026 and close 14 September 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT, with appointments beginning 25 August 2027.
Mediation & Conversations Scholarship 2026 - $1,000
The Mediation & Conversations Scholarship from Dolan Divorce Lawyers, PLLC awards $1,000 to one US student who shows mindful communication and conflict mediation skills. High school seniors, vocational students, college students, and graduate students with at least a 3.0 GPA may apply if they live in any US state or Washington, DC, and enroll in a vocational programme or accredited two- to four-year post-secondary school. You submit a 750-to-1,000-word essay on mediating between people in your life, a professional resume, transcripts or acceptance proof, and the online form by 30 September 2026 at 11:59 PM EST. Essays are screened for AI-generated text. Preference goes to Connecticut students, but applicants nationwide are welcome.
McGuire Law Firm Scholarship 2026 - $1,000 Pre-Law
The McGuire Law Firm $1,000 Scholarship helps US students who will attend school in fall 2026 as pre-law undergraduates or first-year law students at an accredited institution anywhere in the United States. McGuire Law Firm, an Oklahoma personal injury practice with offices in Edmond and Lawton, requires US citizenship or work authorization, a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0, and an acceptance letter from your school. You submit a resume, transcripts, residency proof, a one-to-three-page essay on a legal topic you choose, and the online form by 15 September 2026, with notification on or about 28 September 2026.
Lycoming County Medical Society Scholarship 2027 - $7,500
The Lycoming County Medical Society Scholarship is administered by The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society for medical students who lived in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, before enrolling in an accredited allopathic or osteopathic program. For the 2026-2027 academic year, two recipients each receive $7,500. You must be a US citizen enrolled full time at a US medical school, have at least 12 months of Lycoming County residency before registering as a medical student (excluding time in Pennsylvania only for prior college), and not have won this award in the immediately preceding year. Applications open 1 July and close 30 September 2026 through the Foundation portal, with two nonfamily reference letters, enrollment verification on school letterhead, and a 750-word essay on why you chose medicine.
Fernandez Law Group Scholarship 2027 - $1,000 Pre-Law
The Fernandez Law Group Scholarship For Students is a $1,000 award from Fernandez Law Group, a California personal injury firm with offices in Santa Monica and Los Angeles. One recipient each cycle gets a check for tuition and related school expenses. You must be a US citizen or otherwise authorized to work in the United States, hold at least a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA, and be accepted to attend a US school as a pre-law undergraduate or as a first-year law student. The application asks for a resume, transcripts, proof of residency, an acceptance letter, and a one-to-three-page essay on the legal field you plan to pursue. Completed packages are due through the firm''s online form by 15 September 2027, with winners typically notified around 28 September.
AGA Fellowship-to-Faculty Award 2027 - $130K
The AGA-Torrey Coast Foundation Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award gives one North American fellow $65,000 per year for two years ($130,000 total) to protect time for clinical or translational research on gastro-esophageal cancer while preparing for a faculty career. The American Gastroenterological Association runs the programme for MD or PhD trainees in their final fellowship year or the year after, or postdocs with four to six years of research experience. You need AGA membership, an AGA-member mentor, at least 50 percent effort on the project, and a career development plan. Funding starts 1 July 2027. The 2026 application window opened 18 June 2026 and closed 15 September 2026; status notifications go out by 1 February 2027.
AAUW Career Development Grant 2027 - Up to $8,000
AAUW Career Development Grants pay up to $8,000 to women who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents and hold at least an associate degree. The grant funds accredited certificate or training programs that help you enter, change, or advance in fields where women are underrepresented, including STEM, business, and law, or executive leadership training when women hold fewer than half of senior roles. Your program must start between 1 January and 30 June 2027 for the winter/spring cycle. Applications open 18 August 2026 and close 30 September 2026 at 5pm ET, with notification in November 2026 and funds in November or December 2026.
Alfred Friendly Press Partners Fellowship 2027
The Alfred Friendly Press Partners Fellowship brings journalists living in exile in the United States to the Missouri School of Journalism for a four-week in-person training programme. Housing, food and transportation are paid by the Alfred and Jean Friendly Foundation, and there is no fee to take part. The training covers security, legal knowledge, journalism craft and entrepreneurship, with the psychosocial side of exile running through the whole month. Roughly ten fellows are selected each round, and the foundation has trained hundreds of journalists from 90 countries since 1984.