Note to applicants: Please read this entire page. It contains information you'll need to know about the application and funding processes for this award. Applicants to the Legal Education Access Fund (LEAF) should use this application process as well.
Students may apply to receive funding of up to $500 per academic year (or in the summer after each year) in support of a range of professional development pursuits, including:
- Travel to internships, shadow opportunities, or professional interviews for full-time employment
- Career-related conferences, training, and related events
- Conferences/events must have a career-related component with a clearly established connection between the event and your professional goals
- If you are presenting research at a conference, then apply to the Opportunity Grants first.
- The funds can be used to cover travel expenses, registration expenses, or relevant membership dues
- Travel to graduate/professional school interviews
- Purchase of professional attire for a specific and scheduled career related event (interview, conference, etc.)
- Applicants should provide a reasoning for the selections included in the budget
- Requests for clothing for potential and unscheduled events are unlikely to be funded
- Standardized test registration or test prep fees for GRE, LSAT or MCAT
- Graduate or professional school applications
- Other categories of expense may be eligible, as determined by the review committee on a case-by-case basis
- Please note: academic expenses, including requests related primarily to your coursework or thesis work, are not eligible
GRE, LSAT, and MCAT Fees
Applicants requesting funding for graduate/professional school applications and or standardized tests must first investigate eligibility for fee waiver and reduction programs offered by the organization administering the tests.
Class or Course Fees
You may not use the CAF to pay for the cost of courses taken elsewhere to satisfy Reed graduation or distribution requirements. Any classes or courses should have a connection to your professional goals.
Reimbursements
Two week limit: you may apply for funds to reimburse you for expenses which you have already paid for, as long as you paid for them no more than two weeks prior to the date of application. Expenses which you paid for more than two weeks prior are not eligible expenses for this fund. There is no guarantee that your application will be funded, so it's best to apply for funding prior to paying for something. Note: In your application, you must clearly highlight any expenses that are reimbursements.
Application Deadline
The 2026–27 CAF application will close on Monday July 12, 2027 at 12:00 a.m. pacific time, or earlier if funds are exhausted.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year and early summer and must be received in Handshake by Sunday night at midnight for the application to be considered at the next CAF committee meeting (that Monday or Tuesday).
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are:- currently enrolled full time at Reed (including study abroad or study away);
- undergraduates.
Eligible applicants remain eligible to apply for funding after graduation until the application closes that summer. Students who are on leave are not eligible to apply while they are on leave from the college.
Funding
Applicants may receive a maximum of $500 (see below for an exception for LEAF applicants) from the Career Advancement Fund per academic year. You may apply more than once if you have not yet reached the $500 limit. Funding requests will be reviewed and, if approved, may be fully or partially fulfilled depending on the applicant’s financial need, strength of application materials, and availability of funds. All approved funding requests will be paid through the Business Office as a cash advance or a reimbursement. Itemized receipts are required, and unused funds must be returned. Funding for awarded applications can sometimes be received by Friday that week, but often not until the following Friday, so please plan ahead. Holiday weeks can also delay receipt of funds.
A note about taxes:
The college may be required to report all or a portion of this award to the IRS and all or a portion of this award may be taxable based on your personal income tax situation. We advise you consult a qualified tax professional to determine the appropriate tax treatment if your application is selected for funding.
Application Process and Materials
The Career Advancement Fund is a funding application in which you must specifically address the prompts provided. The more clearly you explain how this funding will support your future career pursuits, the better. Please provide context for your request, bearing in mind that the readers may not know your financial circumstances or how your request fits in to your larger career goals.
Apply via the Career Advancement Fund in . Login via the instructions at the link, and look for the Career Advancement Fund. Application materials include two short essay responses, an itemized budget, and a one-page resume or CV.
Short Essay Prompts
Respond to two short essay prompts (250 words max for each response). Be thorough and detailed in the words allotted; we need a thoughtful response to both questions in order to consider your request.
Prompt One: Professional Goals (250 word maximum)
What are your professional goals and how will this funding help you achieve them? Please be explicit about how this activity is related to career exploration or development.
- If you are presenting at a conference, explain why you're not seeking funding from the Opportunity Grants.
- If you're requesting funds to pay for graduate or professional school fees, you must investigate fee waivers and mention this here.
- Academic expenses, including requests related primarily to your coursework or thesis work, are not eligible.
Prompt Two: Financial Circumstances (250 words maximum)
We want to ensure that limited funds go where they create the greatest impact. Please describe your current financial situation as it relates to this activity, specifically addressing:
- Need: Would you be able to undertake this activity without Career Advancement Funds (CAF)?
- Impact: How will receiving this award directly enable or expand your participation in the opportunity?
The application will also ask if you receive need-based financial aid from the college.
Itemized Budget
The application includes an itemized budget form where you will detail how you will spend the funds. Complete the form in the online application using the following guidelines:
- Expense Outline: List all planned allocations. For items already paid, write "(Paid)" in the "Description of Item" field.
- Funding Gaps: If total project costs exceed your request, explain how the remaining expenses will be covered (e.g., personal savings, employment income, or other funding sources). Please include it in the "Budget explanations" field.
- Pre-Purchased Items:
- To be eligible for a reimbursement, items must have been purchased within two weeks prior to your application submission date. Upload all corresponding itemized receipts at the bottom of the form.
- Note: Purchasing items in advance does not guarantee application approval or reimbursement.
- Use of Funds: As a non-profit organization, the college is required to manage resources prudently to advance its institutional mission. Applicants are expected to exercise care and sound judgment, ensuring all expenditures meet the following criteria:
- Necessity: Expenses must directly support and align with the mission of the college.
- Reasonableness: A cost is considered reasonable if both the nature of the item and the amount spent do not exceed what a prudent individual would spend under the same circumstances.
Resume or CV
Upload a one-page resume or CV in PDF format. We strongly recommend that you have your resume and application reviewed before you submit (see the sidebar of the CLBR website for Drop-In Advising hours and locations).
Thank You Note and Receipts
Refer to the CAF Terms and Conditions for details. These are detailed in the Etrieve form, and are also sent separately via SMApply for reference. For cash advances, images of all itemized receipts should be emailed directly to the business office at business-office@reed.edu. Receipts for reimbursements will be collected in the application form in SMApply. The thank you note and any photos should be uploaded to SMApply (you will find instructions in your applicant portal).
Funding Sources
The Career Advancement Fund is made possible by generous gifts from alumni and friends of the college. Additionally, funding for specific opportunities or populations comes from the following sources:
Thomas Daniel Sophomore Exploration Fund
The Thomas Daniel Sophomore Exploration Fund is a fund for sophomores to make it easier for you to explore your purpose and is generously funded by Reed parent and Trustee Thomas Daniel. Funding for sophomores who receive funding from the CAF will come from this fund.
Thomas Daniel Healthcare Career Fund
The Daniel Healthcare Career Fund (DHCF) has been established to assist students who are pursuing a career in healthcare. Funds for applicants who submit CAF requests which are related to careers in healthcare may receive their funding from this career fund. Additionally, the DHCF Attire & Tools award is applied to through the CAF, and this allows students to potentially receive up to $200 beyond the maximum CAF award of $500. The DHCF can also support (through separate applications) short-term clinical experiences during the academic year, and unpaid summer internships and research experiences at research or healthcare facilities.
LEAF (Legal Education Access Fund)
The Reed Legal Network of alumni have established a small fund to help students with LSAT and LSAC related costs, law school application fees, travel to law school interviews, and paralegal and paraprofessional programs. If you apply to the CAF for any of these expenses, you may be funded by the LEAF instead. When funds allow, it is possible that expenses in excess of $500 per year may be funded. If you have already received maximum funding through the CAF, and if you have further law school related expenses, please apply again to the CAF. Further funding is not guaranteed, but we'll continue to consider law school-related requests from all applicants for as long as funding remains available.
Please email clbrfellowships@reed.edu with any questions.