Have you been thinking about a professional development activity for 2026-2027, but it's just out of reach? Is there a training or workshop that sounds exciting? Is licensure required for your field? Do you have an opportunity to show your artwork or screen your film? Will language classes, a conference, or a project management certificate help you land that promotion? The Alumni Association and Alumni Career Services sponsor an annual Professional Development Fund to support alumni throughout all stages of their careers. Applications will be accepted between December 1 - 31. Scroll down for details.
Ask yourself this: What Do I Need to take the next step in my career? Introducing the "What I Need" Grants Program for 'Bos Of the Last Decade, alumni who graduated from Tufts' undergraduate schools within the last 10 years. The Alumni Association and Alumni Career Services recognize that funding can jumpstart a young alum's career just when they need it most. Applications will be accepted between December 1 - 31. Scroll down to learn more.
Applications will be accepted between December 1 - 31.
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The Two Fund Categories
About the TUAA Professional Development Fund
In 2018 the Tufts University Alumni Association in partnership Tufts Alumni Career Services launched a Professional Development Fund for alumni from all of Tufts schools. Since that time 100+ recipients have benefitted from the Fund. In 2025, recognizing that young alumni can face a unique set of challenges during a pivotal time in their career, Alumni Career Services launched the new WINGs Program for BOLD Alumni (alumni who graduated within the past ten years).
Applicants from all career stages and ages are eligible to apply to one of the two Fund categories. Check out the profiles on the Past Recipient tab to learn more about the amazing careers of our recipients.
There are two categories of funding that alumni can choose from. Please read the details about each Fund on their separate tabs before you apply.
- TUAA Professional Development Fund for alumni who graduated with a Tufts undergraduate degree more than 10 years ago, or alumni who earned a graduate/professional degee at any time
- WINGs Program for BOLD Alumni for alumni who graduated from Tufts' undergraduate schools within the past 10 years
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APPLICATION LINK and instructions for the TUAA Professional Development Fund for Alumni Who Graduated More Than 10 Years Ago
TUAA Professional Development Fund
Apply Now!
This Fund category is for alumni who
- graduated from Tufts with an undergraduate degree 10 or more years ago. Applicants may hold a graduate/professional degree from Tufts or another institution.
OR
- graduated from Tufts with a graduate or professional degree at any time and hold an undergraduate degree from another institution.
Activities that Qualify for Funding & Award Size
Alumni are encouraged to apply for financial support for their professional development needs. We fund a range of activities such as those listed here. Average awards are approximately $750; we will consider requests for larger amounts, but individual awards will not exceed $1,500. Examples are included below. We are open to activities that are not listed below.
- Professional or academic organizations: membership dues, registration (including travel, lodging, meals) for conferences,
- Workshops and trainings
- Coursework and continuing education
- Certification and licensure fees and preparation courses and materials
- Preparation course and materials for graduate school exam, exam fees (for example, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, NCLEX, etc.), and graduate school application fees
- Artist materials, assistance with exhibiting artwork and film
- Software and technologies
- Proposals for other activities are encouraged, but acceptance is not guaranteed
Activities that do not qualify for funding:
- Tuition and administrative fees as part of a degree program in which you are currently enrolled
- Compensating subjects for research activities
Criteria for Award Selection
Applications will be evaluated on the following areas:
- Potential for this funding to impact trajectory of applicant’s career.
- Evidence that applicant has demonstrated commitment to their career goal.
- Applicant’s reason for turning to Tufts for help, including an explanation of other efforts and options for funding.
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APPLICATION LINK and instructions for the WINGs Program for BOLD Alumni Who Graduated Within the Last 10 Years
The WINGs Program for BOLD Alumni
Apply Now!
Ask yourself this: What Do I Need to take the next step in my career? Introducing the "What I Need" Grants Program for 'Bos Of the Last Decade, alumni who graduated with their undergraduate degree from Tufts within the last 10 years. The Alumni Association and Alumni Career Services recognize that funding can jumpstart a young alum's career just when they need it most. In 2025, Alumni Career Services decided to launch the WINGs Program to foster upward career mobility of our young alumni.
The 'Bos of the Last Decade (BOLD) is a Shared Interest Group of the Tufts University Alumni Association. This committee comprises volunteers who graduated in the last decade (2016 - 2025) and are committed to connecting young alumni to Tufts through engagement and philanthropy.
This Fund category is for alumni who graduated from Tufts with an undergraduate degree within the last 10 years. Applicants in this category may be pursuing or completed a graduate program at Tufts or another institution.
Activities that Qualify for Funding & Award Size
Alumni are encouraged to apply for financial support for their professional development needs. We fund a range of activities such as those listed here. Average awards are approximately $750; we will consider requests for larger amounts, but individual awards will not exceed $1,500. Examples are included below. We are open to activities that are not listed below.
- Professional or academic organizations: membership dues, registration (including travel, lodging, meals) for conferences,
- Workshops and trainings
- Coursework and continuing education
- Certification and licensure fees and preparation courses and materials
- Preparation course and materials for graduate school exam, exam fees (for example, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, NCLEX, etc.), and graduate school application fees
- Artist materials, assistance with exhibiting artwork and film
- Software and technologies
- Proposals for other activities are encouraged, but acceptance is not guaranteed
Activities that do not qualify for funding
- Tuition and administrative fees as part of a degree program in which you are currently enrolled
- Compensating subjects for research activities
Criteria for Award Selection
Applications will be evaluated on the following areas:
- Potential for this funding to impact trajectory of applicant’s career.
- Evidence that applicant has demonstrated commitment to their career goal.
- Applicant’s reason for turning to Tufts for help, including an explanation of other efforts and options for funding.
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Application Questions
The applications for both funds require the following:
-Contact information, school, degree, and year of graduation
-Questions with maximum 1250 character answers
-Resume or curriculum
Contact Information:
1.) First and Last Name. If your current/preferred name is different than what may be on your Tufts alumni record, please include the former name, as well as the current, so we can verify that you are a degree holder.
2.) Undergraduate School(s) (Please list all schools and degrees.) and Year of Graduation.
3.) Graduate and/or Professional School(s) and Year(s) of Graduation, if applicable. Please include any schools for degree(s) that you are currently pursuing.
4.) Please state your current status: current job title/role/organization, unemployed, or student.
5.) Are you applying for the TUAA Alumni Professional Development Fund or the WINGs Fund for Young Alumni who graduated within the past ten years from an undergraduate school at Tufts?
Questions:
1.) Please provide a description of the activity or training for which funds are being requested. If your activity is facilitated or sponsored by an organization, for example a professional organization, please provide details about the organization rather than including website links.
2.) How will this funding help or change the trajectory of your career journey? Why is this particular opportunity important for you? Will it assist you in entering the field, provide new skills or update existing skills, or help you to advance to the next rung on your career ladder?
3.) What steps in your career and/or education have led you to this particular opportunity? This can include coursework, jobs, volunteer work, trainings, and other activities. Demonstrate how you have already committed to pursuing this funding opportunity.
4.) Why have you turned to Tufts for help in funding this activity? Are there additional resources such as employer funds or scholarships that are available to you? What other alternatives have you explored?
5.) Optional: Is there any other information that you would like to include that was not addressed in the previous questions?
6.) Amount of support requested for activity (dollar value required)
7.) Total cost of activity (dollar value required)
8.) If your funding amount includes multiple elements, please provide a breakdown of your expenses. Example: Conference registration fee - $350, Hotel fee - $300, Airline fee - $300, Total: $950
9.) Are you still able to complete this activity if we cannot fund your request in full?
Resume or curriculum vitae is required.
10.) Personal information is redacted from the application and resume or curriculum vitae. Please follow the instructions below. Failure to do so may result in exclusion of your resume or curriculum vitae.
- Submit a Microsoft Word or PDF version of your resume or curriculum vitae.
- Please include name only at the top of the resume or curriculum vitae.
- Please remove address, phone, email, website, LinkedIn address, and other identifying information from all sections (including header/footer) of your resume or curriculum vitae.
- If you have publications and other entries on your resume that include your name, you must block out that information or replace with "MY NAME" in every entry.
- Tufts is not responsible for the security of any sensitive personal information that appears in an applicant's file.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
We strive to ensure that each applicant has equal access to the program, and we encourage feedback about our application process.
Applicants may submit a Microsoft Word document with responses to the questions in the Application Questions section along with a resume or curriculum vitae. Please submit directly to Ingrid Cornetta in the Office of Alumni Engagement at ingrid.cornetta@tufts.edu. If you need assistance with the application process and/or if you find that the application is not accessible, please let us know by reaching out to ingrid.cornetta@tufts.edu.
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Application Timeline & Requirements for Both Funds
Applications will go live on December 1, and the deadline to apply is December 31.
There are two Funds open to alumni. Applicants should choose one of the options based on when they graduated from Tufts. Please see the Fund tabs for details and links to the applications.
- TUAA Professional Development Fund
- WINGs Program for BOLD ('Bos of the Last Decade) Alumni
Applicants to both Fund categories must be degree holders (Bachelor's, Master's and/or Doctoral) from one or more of Tufts' schools. Holders of Tufts' certificates, diplomas, and continuing education credits are not eligible to apply unless they hold a Tufts degree. Previous recipients are not eligible to apply. Previous applicants who did not receive a grant are encouraged to apply.
Accessibility
If you need assistance with the application process and/or if you find that the application is not accessible, please reach out to Ingrid Cornetta in the Office of Alumni Engagement at ingrid.cornetta@tufts.edu or (617) 627-3532. We want to ensure that each applicant has equal access to the program.
Timeline
- Deadline to apply is December 31, 2025.
- Applicants will be notified in early March 2026.
- Activities must be completed between the opening day of the application period on December 1, 2025 through March 1, 2027, one year from award notification date.
- One month after completion of their activity, recipients must submit proof of completion (receipts) and complete a survey about the experience.
Application Requirements
Deadline to apply: December 31, 2025, 11:59 pm eastern time.
Applications are reviewed by a committee of alumni and Tufts staff. Identifying information is redacted from the application materials. Each application is read and scored by three reviewers.
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
- Personal information is redacted from the applications. Please adhere to the instructions below. Resumes/CVs with this information may be excluded from your overall application, which will affect your final score.
- Please submit a Microsoft Word version of your resume/CV. We cannot accept a PDF.
- You must include your Year of Graduation for all degrees on the application form. Applications without this information may be excluded.
Application Form
- Information about the applicant
- Short-answer questions about the activity to be funded and why you are applying. Please keep each of your answers to 1000 characters (approximately 200 words) or less.
- For applications to be considered, all items must be completed.
Resume or CV
Please submit a Microsoft Word version of your resume/CV with your first and last name as the title of the document. We cannot accept a PDF.
- Please include name only at the top of the resume/CV.
- Please remove address, phone, email, website, LinkedIn address, and other identifying information from the top, header and footer of your resume/CV.
- If you have publications and other entries on your resume that include your name, you must block out that information or replace with "MY NAME" in every entry.
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Contact Information
Questions
Please contact Ingrid Cornetta in the Office of Alumni Engagement at ingrid.cornetta@tufts.edu for
- questions about activities that qualify for the Fund
- requesting an accommodation in submitting your application
- resolving technical issues
Giving to the Fund
Interested in giving to the Fund? Contact Nicole M. Anderson in Alumni Career Services at nicole.anderson@tufts.edu.
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Volunteer to Review Applications!
Alumni volunteers participate in reading applications and selecting recipients for the Alumni Fund. This volunteer opportunity requires little time, about 5-7 hours throughout December-February. Read profiles of past recipients and view the timeline and deadlines to determine if this is the volunteer opportunity for you.
Contact: If you are interested in being a member of the selection committee and would like to know more about the role, please contact Sheri.Sakin, Selection Committee Chair, Class of 1986, Senior Vice President Recruiting, Solomon Page Group at sherisakin@aol.com.
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Past Recipients
See how the Alumni Professional Development Fund has supported more 59 Tufts alumni with their career growth and professional development.
Advancing Your Career
With the help of the TUAA's Professional Development Fund, alumna Caitlin Quinn, A11 was able to present her research to her industry at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. Caitlin was able to use the conference to not only present her research, but bring visibility to her area of study at this critical point in time. At the conference she gathered insights into the AIDS and HIV work of her research peers, as well as the cutting edge advances in her field.
Of the opportunity the Professional Development Fund gave her, Caitlin had this to say: "Thanks to Tufts, my passion for global health began - and now, seven years after graduating, TUAA has invested in my development as a global health professional. I feel so privileged to be a lifelong member of the Tufts community, which continues to nurture and invest in the success of its alumni. This conference represents a point of growth in my career, which I could not have achieved without support from Tufts."
- Senior Associate Director
- nicole.anderson@tufts.edu
- 617 627 5741
