Grants

To apply for a conference grant, you must satisfy the following criteria. 

• You are a current SHRM member. 
  
• You must satisfy the specific eligibility criteria associated with each grant, which various from conference to conference. To review the full eligibility criteria, review the front page of each application link. 
  

To apply you must complete an online application. The application requires the following information: 

• Basic contact and demographic information. 
• Short answer questions about academic, volunteer, and work experience and career aspirations. 
  
• A current resume or academic transcript in English, depending on the grant. The SHRM Foundation may request an applicant with an international transcript to provide a transcript evaluation (at the applicant’s expense), from World Education Services or another reputable service, prior to reviewing an application.  
• For the Annual Conference grant only: one statement of support that provides insight into the applicant’s character, career and/or volunteer accomplishments, work ethic, values, and need. Who can write a statement of support? Letters may be written by work or volunteer colleagues, supervisors, professors, etc. They should not come from family members.  Please upload the statement of support as part of your application. 

Applications are reviewed and scored by groups of SHRM volunteers and are reviewed by staff. The review committee will select individuals whom they believe are most likely to leverage this learning opportunity. They will seek candidates who are eager to learn and plan to apply the skills and knowledge gained to benefit their careers, their organizations, and their communities. HR professionals who are new to the field are encouraged to apply. All decisions are final.  

Each grant is a one-time grant, however previous applicants and past recipients are eligible to re-apply. Receiving a grant previously is no guarantee of receiving a future grant. Full selection criteria for each category of grants can be found in the application. 

If you are selected to receive a SHRM Foundation Conference Grant, you will be provided a complimentary registration to the conference, hotel accommodation, and a capped reimbursement for travel-related expenses. A member of the SHRM Foundation team will work with the recipients on conference registration, hotel bookings, and other details.  Recipients are responsible for scheduling travel plans and submitting all itemized travel-related (i.e., flight, meals, gas, tolls, taxi/Uber, etc.) invoices/receipts not to exceed ($500 for Annual Conference, $750 for Employment Law and Inclusion). 

Please note, the SHRM Foundation does not reimburse for any fees or expenses incurred by applicants prior to being awarded the professional development grant. SHRM/SHRM Foundation employees or board members and the immediate family are not eligible to apply for SHRM Foundation Scholarships, Grants, or Awards.