Professional Development Fund Application Period and Deadlines
The Spring/Summer 2025 Deadline for applications is Friday, August 8, 2025. Please note that this is the final day to submit Unit 2 Professional Development Fund applications for the 2024-2025 academic year.
The Winter 2025 Deadline for applications was Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Unit 2 members (Sessional Faculty and Sessional Music Faculty) can apply to the Professional Development Fund (PDF) administered by the Union.
We are now accepting applications electronically for professional development funds until further notice. Please e-mail your application in one document to your benefits officer at benefits@cupe3906.org
Please note: this application, in whole or in part, may be deemed by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a taxable benefit and thus be subject to income tax. It is your responsibility to consult with a tax professional and reflect this on your tax file if applicable. CUPE 3906 does not issue a T4 or equivalent.
As of September 1st, 2023, Unit 2 Members can claim up to $200 of their applicable PDF entitlement in technology-related expenses. In order to be eligible for reimbursement, these expenses must be relevant to your teaching or research. Such expenses may include, but are not limited to, tablets, laptops, data storage, software subscriptions, HDMI cables, etc. Please include an explanation as to how this item is used for teaching or research in your application.
APPLICATION FORMS:
CLICK HERE for a copy of the general PDF form.
CLICK HERE for a list of commonly submitted ineligible expense claims under the CUPE Unit 2 Professional Development Fund.
If you have questions about how to submit your application, please contact benefits@cupe3906.org and/or administrator@cupe3906.org
Eligible and Ineligible Professional Development Items
This fund is intended to assist with expenses related to professional development linked to your teaching that fall into the following categories:
- Conference Presentations/Participation;
- Certification or Association Fees;
- Books/Subscriptions
- Research and Training;
- Some teaching Materials/Resources (excluding items found here)
- **new** up to $200 in technological expenses, as of Fall 2023
Entitlement Amounts under the Professional Development Fund (PDF)
Sessional Faculty are eligible for $200 per 3 unit course to a maximum of $1000 per academic year. Subsequent sections of individual courses taught by Sessional Faculty will be eligible for a Professional Development award of $100 for the first additional section taught and $50 for each subsequent section taught (up to the maximum yearly entitlement).
Hourly Rated Music Faculty (HRSMF) eligibility will be calculated according to the unit calculations in Article 20.02 of the Unit 2 Collective Agreement (i.e., 1 student = 1 unit, or 1 Special Studies in Chamber Music = 1 unit). (For every 3 units taught, HRSMF will receive $200; subsequent units/students will be prorated.)
*Please Note: Awards are subject to the availability of funds.
Application Process
To apply, please fill out and sign the APPLICATION FORM (below) and attach original receipts. For conferences and travel, we require verification of attendance (ie/ boarding pass and/or conference receipt).
Applications are due on the last day of classes each term and will be reviewed by the Benefits Committee shortly thereafter. These dates can be found here: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca/sessional-dates/
CLICK HERE for a list of commonly submitted ineligible expense claims under the CUPE Unit 2 Professional Development Fund. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and represents some, but not all, of the ineligible items. It is designed to provide some guidance, but in the event that an item is not listed it does not automatically mean that the item is eligible and will be reimbursed.
Technological Items
The fund is not designed to cover these items and lacks sufficient funding to do so.
Article 13.01(a) of your Collective Agreement ensures that “office and instructional materials related to the employee’s instructional responsibilities will be available on the same basis as faculty members in the academic unit.” If you need it to teach, the Employer has an obligation to provide it to you. If it’s convenient, but not needed, the fund does not have enough money to cover these items as hundreds of sessionals are eligible each year.
General Application Information:
*Please note: PDF applications will be adjudicated and/or paid out at the end of the academic term in which you apply.*
You are able to claim all of your entitlement for a given academic year at once, or throughout the course of the academic year. For example, if you teach one 3 unit course in the fall and one 3 unit course in the winter, you may claim your $400 entitlement in the spring/summer session, if you prefer. (Please note that PDF benefits are adjudicated and paid out only at the end of a given term. See above.)
We recommend that you submit your claim in the same term you incur the cost, if possible. You cannot claim costs incurred in prior eligibility periods during the current eligibility period (e.g., you cannot claim something in December 2023 for an expense you incurred prior to September 1st, 2023).
Please note: this application, in whole or in part, may be deemed by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a taxable benefit and thus be subject to income tax. It is your responsibility to consult with a tax professional and reflect this on your tax file if applicable. CUPE 3906 does not issue a T4 or equivalent.
CLICK HERE for the most recent version of the application form.
If you have any questions, please e-mail benefits@cupe3906.org
