AFM Local 802 Professional Development Fund
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The intent of the part-time faculty development fund is to support activities that nurture:
- Professional development opportunities that support pedagogical and curricular advancement
- Innovative and inclusive classroom strategies and practices
- The development of knowledge and skills related to one’s professional field and in areas of instructional growth and content expertise
- Creative and scholarly projects related to one’s field(s) of instruction that contribute to one’s teaching
Fall 2026 funding cycle will open to receive applications for activities taking place from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
Award Amount
The university allocates $4,000 per academic year to part-time faculty through the Professional Development Fund; $2,000 is allocated for each fall and spring application cycle. The fund per applicant will be capped at $1,000, including travel, lodging, and materials, as applicable.
Eligibility
- Must be a member of AFM Local 802.
- Probationary faculty: must have completed at least two semesters of teaching appointments or at least one year of service as a part-time faculty, and have received an appointment letter for either/both the fall or spring semester of the current academic year (Fall 2026/Spring 2027).
- Post-probationary faculty: must have received an appointment letter for either/both semesters in the current academic year (Fall 2026/Spring 2027).
- Annual, Multi-year, and Grandparented faculty are eligible to apply even if on paid or unpaid leave of absence.
- Professional Development Fund recipients must be part-time faculty members at The New School at the time funds are awarded.
- Faculty who received professional development funding in Spring 2026 will not be eligible to receive funds in the Fall 2026 cycle.
Use of Funds
Types of activities that the fund could support:
- Attendance at workshops or courses focused on exploring new approaches to teaching and learning, including inclusive and equitable teaching practices
- Attendance at workshops or courses focused on skills development to advance and broaden teaching knowledge and skills related to one’s professional field or areas of instructional growth and content expertise
- Professional conferences promoting development in one's professional field or area of instruction
- Professional conferences where a faculty member will participate as, for example, a discussant, a panel chair, or a presenter
- Research related to one’s professional field or that contributes to content in current course assignments.
- Creative or scholarly projects related to one’s field(s) of instruction
- Exhibition development related to one's professional field or content in current course assignments
- Materials and related tools or software purchase (not licensure) that contribute to a creative or specific scholarly project in one’s professional field or related to content in current course assignments
- Books, webinars, sheet music, scripts, concert/theater tickets, etc. that contribute to maintaining currency in the field in which one teaches
- Transportation (airfare, taxi, train, car rental, and related expenses, etc.)
Examples of requests that will not be considered for professional development funds include:
- Assignments for work outside the university
- Compensation for the applicant
- Compensation to support hiring or pay for individuals (through freelance fees for service, meals for others, catering, etc).
- Materials related to teaching one's courses
- Equipment that has uses beyond the duration of the funded event or activity (computers, cameras, printers, musical instruments or accessories, recording equipment, etc.) and/or represents a business expense
- Funding to support hiring or pay for individuals
- Acquisition of space (leasing, rental, etc.)
- Certification related to professional licensure or standing
- Meals
Application Process
Applicants must complete the application form and include a detailed budget summary for consideration.
Please ensure to log in into your newschool email account to view and submit the application form. You may need to log out of any personal accounts on a current browser. Once you log back into your newschool email account, you will be able to access the application.
Timeline
- Fall 2026 Application opens on July 1, 2026 with a priority deadline of September 18, 2026. Applications that meet the eligibility criteria may be considered on a rolling basis following the priority deadline based on the availability of funds.
- Earliest Start and Completion Dates for Fall 2026 Funded Projects/Activities: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027
Additional Resources
For questions related to the fund, please contact universityptfaffairs@newschool.edu.