Professional Development Fund

WHAT IS THE CFWF PD FUND?

CFWF established a fund in 2014 with a mission to support professional development for agricultural
journalists and communicators for CFWF members. This the legacy of a lot of hard work by volunteers
and generous contributions by sponsors who, over the years, have enabled CFWF to generate a surplus
from fund-raising activities that can now be used to support professional development activities.

For the purposes of the fund, professional development is an activity that enhances the knowledge of the profession and/or contributes to the development of a person’s professional attributes, abilities and skills. Professional development can be accomplished by participating in activities related to agricultural journalism or communications including research, educational programs, conferences, workshops, exchanges, etc.

Here’s how past recipients have used the CFWF PD Fund:

Taking a financial accounting course to enhance skills to better understanding agriculture as a business
A study on the communications preferences of British Columbia’s dairy farmers
Presentation at a conference on plant biotechnology science writing and public communication
Participation in the annual congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists to develop and report on international perspectives
Learning about research methods in agricultural science
An exchange tour with Russian dairy reporters visiting Ontario
How to better communicate using visual graphics

The Application

Guidelines for submissions: Be clear. Be succinct. Be specific.

Applicants must be CFWF members and will be asked for the following information:

Professional background
History of CFWF membership & involvement
Description of the event/activity that requires funding
The details of the professional development component, anticipated outcomes
Who will benefit from this event/activity, and how?
How will the learning from the event/activity be shared, and when?
A reference letter (employer, institution, collaborator, sponsor, mentor, etc.) providing support for the application
Amount requested along with general financial outline

Points of consideration in awarding a grant will be:

The length of time involved with the federation or a regional association;
The type of involvement in the federation, a regional association or other volunteer activity related to the profession (excluding simple participation in a national or regional conference, and marketing and communications activities);
Applications that aim for a broad application so other members may benefit from the professional development experience;
Applications that will generate outcomes valuable to both the applicant and the profession;
Applications that develop new knowledge and information for the discipline;
Applications that apply concepts or technology in innovative ways;
Applications that demonstrate teamwork, particularly across disciplinary lines;
Applications that contain an international component;
Applications that are linked to an existing professional development plan.

Applications should be submitted online

THE FUNDS

A total of $5,000 will be available for disbursement in 2021 among all successful applicants;
A typical grant could be up to $2,000 per applicant;
Applicants are encouraged to seek additional or complementary funding from other sources.

THE PROCESS

Applications will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of three (3) judges appointed by the fund’s Board of Trustees. The panel is chaired by one (1) member from the Board of Trustees who will be supported by one judge each from the east and the west;
- The judges will assess applications using a pre-set scoring system developed by the Board of Trustees and supplemented by discussion amongst the judges.

2021 Deadline will be available soon:
- Recipients will be asked to report/present their findings/results at the annual national conference or at regional association meetings/events in the coming year.
- Recipients will normally have to wait two years before applying again to the PDF but the panel of judges will have discretion in this matter with justification;
- Team applications must have a designated lead person.