The AAAE Professional Development Grant Program was designed to support AAAE members who are committed to advancing their knowledge, network, and career development but are not be able to attend in person learning events due to budgetary constraints.
Made possible through the success of AAAE’s business operations, grants are available to Executive and Affiliate members (individual members employed by an airport), and NEW in 2024 staff of AAAE Corporate members can apply for select events!
Eligible 2024 Events:
- 96th Annual AAAE Conference & Exposition / April 28 - May 1 / Nashville*
- F. Russell Hoyt National Airports Conference / September 22-24 / Fort Lauderdale*
- Loretta Scott, A.A.E. Accreditation/Certification Academy
March 17-22 / Dallas
July 7-12 / Denver
November 3-8 / Alexandria - Airport Planning, Design, and Construction Symposium / March 5-7 / Salt Lake City*
- Washington Legislative Conference / March 14-15 / Washington, DC
- Airport Customer Experience Symposium / March 19-22 / Denver, CO
- Airport Operations & Technology Symposium / August / TBA
- General Aviation Conference / August / TBA
- Aviation Security Summit / December / Washington, DC
- Airports Conference of the Americas / August / TBA OR
- North America/Central Europe Airport Issues Conference / November / TBA
*Staff of AAAE Corporate members are eligible to apply for these events.
Note: Not all conference websites linked above have been updated to reflect 2024 dates and location at time of publish.
Each Professional Development Grant Includes:
- Flights to/from the event
- Hotel lodging during the event
- Complimentary registration for the event
Recipients are Responsible for:
- Transportation to/from the airport/hotel
- Meals not included with the event
- Hotel incidentals (room service, mini bar, tips, etc.)
- Enrollment or program fees (Accreditation/Certification Academies and Review Courses)
Eligibility Requirements:
- Be an Executive or Affiliate member of AAAE in good standing at the time of application AND of the event. Staff of AAAE Corporate members are eligible to apply for a grant to attend the Annual Conference, NAC, and Joint Symposium.
- Submit a complete application, including a letter of recommendation from a supervisor who is authorized to approve travel.
- Cannot currently have access to a leadership travel reimbursement through AAAE.
- Cannot have received a AAAE professional development grant in previous three years.
- One grant to the Annual Conference and one grant to the National Airports Conference will be earmarked for a AAAE Young Professional Committee member.
Timeline
- Applications are now being accepted!
- Applications must be received by close of business on January 18, 2024. Only complete applications will be considered.
Note: Per the IRS, these professional development grant payments in the form of expense reimbursement, complimentary conference registration, and/or direct travel arrangements are taxable to the recipient at face value. As such, AAAE will collect completed W9 forms from each recipient upon acceptance into the program, prior to travel arrangements being made.
Please contact Gwen Basaria at gwen.basaria@aaae.org or 703.797.2540 with questions.
AAAE reserves the right to change or discontinue this program without notice.
