AAUW Career Development Grants 2026 (up to $8,000) Deadline: 30 September, 2025

Applications are open for the AAUW Career Development Grants 2026. Career Development Grants champion gender equity in education and workplaces by investing up to $8,000 in women pursuing a certificate, credential, or training program needed to enter, transition into, or advance within high-demand STEM fields in which they are underrepresented. Grants fund short-term, accredited programs.

American Association of University Women (AAUW) also welcomes applications from women currently employed in high-demand STEM fields who seek executive-level or leadership development training to advance into decision-making roles.

AAUW aims to help close the gender gap in STEM professions, including in technical and executive leadership roles, by supporting a broad range of career trajectories. AAUW’s Career Development Grants focus especially on emerging tech and science-driven industries, and AAUW holds a particular interest in programs that lead to tangible employment outcomes or advancement within 6-12 months.

Grant

• The award ceiling for Career Development Grants is $8,000. Grant funds are payable to grantees only and are disbursed in full, at the beginning of the grant term or at the start of the program, as appropriate.

Eligibility

• Applicants must identify as a woman.
• Applicants must be:
  • Accepted or enrolled in a certificate, credential or training program in a high-growth STEM field, in which projected occupational growth is 5% or more over the next 8-10 years, and where women are underrepresented, and comprise less than 50% of the workforce; OR
  • Currently employed in a high-growth STEM field, in which projected occupational growth is 5% or more over the next 8-10 years, and where women are underrepresented, and comprise less than 50% of the workforce, if pursuing executive leadership or management training.
• Certificate, credential, or training programs must include a minimum of 400 instructional hours.
• Programs must be offered by accredited or licensed institutions and lead to professional advancement or employment in the applicant’s chosen field.
• Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree.
• Applicants whose accredited certificate, credential or training programs directly prepare them for industry-recognized certification may receive priority consideration, depending on the strength of their application and alignment with program goals.

Application

The application deadline for Round 1 of the AAUW Career Development Grants is September 30, 2025.

For more information, visit AAUW Career Development Grants.