Regional Professional Development Grant

The Royal College is currently undertaking a systemic review of the awards, grants and visiting professorships programs. As a result, for 2024 this award is currently under review and is on hold until further notice. Updates will be shared on this page as they become available. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we strive to make program improvements for the benefit of all members.

Professional development grants are for self-learning activities that are prospectively planned by individual Fellows in collaboration with a mentor, supervisor or instructor. These self-learning activities are planned to achieve a defined set of learning objectives and qualify as planned learning projects within Section 2 – Planned Learning (two credits per hour) of the Royal College’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program. Professional Development grants can be developed as individual traineeships to learn a skill or expand an area of competence relevant to their scope of practice or to support participation in formal courses offered by a university, college or institute as part of a personal learning project. Funding cannot be applied to Section 1 – Group Learning Activities – such as conferences.

General Policies

• Fellows are eligible to apply for funding for a Professional Development grant.
• All Professional Development grants must be structured to meet the self-learning requirements of traineeships or personal learning projects (which may include formal courses) as defined by the Royal College’s MOC Program.
• This grant is not applicable to observerships (due to the lack of formal, structured feedback and evaluation) nor is it applicable to research projects.
• Professional Development grants can be developed to address a relevant professional practice need within any domain of clinical practice.
• Professional Development grants can be designed to achieve or enhance competencies across one or more of the CanMEDS Roles.
• The learning plan, the selection of activities and evaluation strategies must be developed in collaboration with a mentor, supervisor or instructor and structured to provide each Fellow with feedback on the achievement of the intended learning objectives.
• Professional Development grants are eligible for study within Canada and abroad.
• Applicant must provide acceptance letter and course curriculum.

Grant Eligibility

• Applicant must be a Fellow of the Royal College.
• Applicant must be practicing in the region at the time of application and intending to return to practicing in the region following the completion of the professional development activity.
• Applicant is eligible to receive a Professional Development grant once every 5 years.
• Professional Development grants are not open to individuals registered/ registering in a postgraduate program accredited by the Royal College. All programs listed on the Information by Discipline webpage are not eligible for a PD grant.

Application Process

A Royal College Professional Development grant application form via our online platform, must be completed and submitted to the appropriate Regional Advisory Committee by the applicant at least 4 weeks in advance of the start of the planned period of professional development. We will not accept applications after the start date of the course, funding is not retroactive.

Grant Conditions

Within 3 months of completion of their professional development activity, the applicant must provide the Royal College with the following documents:

• A completed report using a standardized report template provided by the Royal College that summarizes their experiences and achievements.
• Evidence they have documented their professional development findings and outcomes in MAINPORT using the Self-Learning (Section 2) planned learning template for traineeships/PLPs or formal courses.
• To be completed by mentor, supervisor or instructor: A completed evaluation report using a standardized report template (provided by the Royal College) providing feedback on the achievement of the applicant’s identified learning objectives.

Grant Amount

• All successful applicants will receive funding based on estimated total learning hours multiplied by a daily rate (8 hours) of $300, up to a maximum of $4,000.
• 50% of the approved grant funds will be distributed at the time the application is approved.
• The balance of the funds will be distributed once the professional development activity has been completed and all required documents have been provided.

Please note: if final documentation is not submitted within three months of completion of the PD activity, any outstanding funds will be reallocated to the grants budget and the grant recipient will be responsible for reimbursing the funds already disbursed.

Additional Funds for Fellows in Rural/Remote Practice

In recognition of the additional challenges of meeting CPD requirements for Fellows practising outside of major academic centres, you may apply for additional travel funds of $500 if:

• You live and practice a minimum of 200 KMs driving distance from the nearest University Faculty of Medicine (not including distributed learning centres); and
• the PD activity you are undertaking involves a face-to-face component.

Please note: The first $500 of an educational grant is exempt from income tax; grants in excess of $500 must be included in income in the year received. The Royal College will be issuing a T4A Supplementary for grant income received within each calendar year. Please refer to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Income Tax Folio S1-F2-C3: Scholarships, Research Grants and Other Education Assistance for an explanation of taxation of scholarships. Successful applicants in receipt of one or more grants/awards exceeding $500 within the calendar year will receive a T4A.

Important funding notice
Funding for regional grants is calculated annually on a per capita basis. Funding in any region may be depleted before the end of each fiscal year. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Contact us
Program Coordinator
Telephone: 613-730-8177, ext. 355; toll-free 1-800-668-3740, ext. 355
Email: awards@royalcollege.ca