Green and Gold Student Leadership and Professional Development Grant
The Green and Gold Student Leadership and Professional Development Grant is currently accepting applications for activities being offered in-person and remotely.
Funding may be restricted if the University of Alberta issues a Travel Directive. This means that funding for travel-related activities may be rescinded in advance of the activity if travel restrictions change.
Please note all travellers must comply with the Government of Canada requirements.
The application for activities taking place between April and June 2024 will be available by January 1, 2024.
The Green and Gold Grant has limited funding. Not all eligible applications are funded.
Application Deadlines
Application Deadline
August 1
November 1
February 1
May 1
Date of Activity
October - December
January - March
April - June
July - September
Students will be notified of the decision to approve or deny their application approximately eight weeks after the relevant deadline.
Please review the following factors before applying:
- Applications for each deadline will open one month before the deadline.
- Students must apply for the deadline in which their activity falls. Late applications will be ineligible. If an activity spans multiple deadlines, the application must be submitted for the deadline in which the activity starts. For example: If your activity begins November 10 and goes until June you must apply for the deadline in which November falls which would be the August 1 deadline.
- Students can apply for the Green and Gold Grant even if they don’t know if they have been accepted to the activity. i.e. You will find out about your acceptance to the activity a month after the Green and Gold Grant application deadline.
- Students can apply for the Green and Gold Grant to support their activities even when the activity hasn't yet released all of the specifics. i.e. You know the date, location, and time of the conference but the itinerary including specific sessions is not available at the time of application.
Program Overview
The purpose of the Green and Gold Student Leadership and Professional Development Grant (Green and Gold Grant) is to help U of A students become leaders in their profession following graduation. The Green and Gold Grant funds up to 80% of the total cost of an activity, to a maximum of $1,500.
Outcomes
This grant provides funding to participate in high impact professional development activities that will help students:
- Expand and develop leadership and employability skills.
- Explore future career opportunities.
- Learn about professional practices in different cultures and contexts.
- Establish networks vital to professional practice and advancement.
- Reflect critically on their career interests and aspirations.
Employability skills – skills directly related to obtaining and maintaining a job – include:
- Career management skills (i.e., skills required to navigate the world of work)
- Discipline-specific skills (i.e., skills specific to certain occupations or fields)
- Generic skills (i.e., skills that are transferable to different situations, such as using technology, written and verbal communication, teamwork, problem-solving, self-management skills)
- Self-management skills (e.g. values, abilities, interests, time management, goal setting, perseverance)
Details
All current full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students with at least satisfactory academic standing. Students must be registered at the University of Alberta at the time of application and when they participate in the proposed activity.
Students are eligible to receive only one grant during each degree program. Group applications are not accepted.
Applications are assessed by the Green and Gold Grant Adjudication Committee. Applications are considered based on their individual merit and quality. Criteria central to the review process are:
- Purpose and value of the activity and explanation of leadership and professional development
- Applicant's role in the activity (i.e. attendee, participant, volunteer) and level of involvement
- Quality of the application package (i.e. level of detail, clear and concise writing, persuasive and logical explanations)
- Commitment and fiscal responsibility (i.e. planning completed in advance, effort to minimize overall costs)
Types of activities eligible for funding include, but are not restricted to:
- Leadership conferences and seminars
- Skill-building workshops
- Meetings and events hosted by professional associations
- Experiential learning activities
Certain activities are not eligible for the Green and Gold Grant. These include, but are not restricted to:
- Academic conferences where the primary purpose for attending is to present research
- Activities where an applicant is applying for funding to run the activity (e.g. speaker fees, - catering for participants)
- Research-related travel (e.g. field research, travel to participate in a collaborative research project or to study with a scholar elsewhere)
- Activities for which applicants will also receive academic credit (e.g. practicum, field school, study abroad) or continuing education credit
- Activities which lead to accreditation or licensure required for a profession. This includes prep courses and courses required for accreditation hours. e.g. CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant), PMP (Project Management Professional), LSAT (Law School Admission Test), MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), etc. This list is not exhaustive.
- Work experience placements, whether paid or unpaid (e.g. internship, practicum)
- Any activity where the applicant will be paid for their participation
- Two full-time academic staff members, one from a professional program Faculty and one from a general program Faculty, appointed by the Dean of Students (or designate)
- Four undergraduate students, two designated by the Students' Union and two undergraduate students at large appointed by the Dean of Students (or designate)
- Four graduate students, two designated by the Graduate Students' Association and two graduate students at large appointed by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (or designate)
- Two student affairs professionals appointed by the Dean of Students (or designate)
Applications with eligible activities will be adjudicated. The adjudication committee evaluates each application based solely on the information provided. This includes the responses to the short answer questions and the budget. Applicants are not contacted to clarify their application.
The Green and Gold Grant uses an anonymized adjudication process. The sections of the application that collect identifying information are used for grant administration purposes. The application indicates which sections are shared with the adjudication committee.
Students
Financial , Career & Professional Development