Scholarships for Professional Development

Investing in your professional development is an investment in your career success. And the funding opportunities below can help support your investment.

Blue suitcase with money leaking out.

Opportunities

The Wow Fund

The School of Management offers financial support for students interested in traveling to national conferences, competitions or professional development events during the academic year. These can be life changing, “wow” experiences for a student, but they can also be costly. By submitting an application to the Wow Fund, you will be considered for funding to help offset the costs of your travel. All undergraduate, graduate and PhD students in the School of Management are eligible to apply for Wow funds. 

Applications for the Wow Fund are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the academic year. The application is live in BizLink.

Students will be expected to outline projected costs and identify and report additional sources of funding in the application. 

Bhuwan Purohit posed for a photo with two other men at the Microsoft Fabric Conference.

“I had an incredible time attending the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference in Las Vegas! I highly recommend looking into the WOW Fund offered by CRC on BizLink! It provides financial support to help students participate in amazing learning opportunities like this one.” Bhuwan Purohit, MSBA ‘25

Jordan A. Daniels Nonprofit Board Fellowship

The Jordan A. Daniels Nonprofit Board Fellowship introduces MBA students to the intrinsic value of board service, through a foundational curriculum that blends the concepts of social impact, servant leadership and professional development, combined with an academic year of service as a board member intern with a local nonprofit organization. The fellowship's aim is to develop a diverse group of informed, community-oriented leaders who understand the importance of good governance; and are both prepared and motivated to serve the WNY nonprofit community. Fellows who successfully complete the program will earn a Board Leadership Micro-credential.

The Jordan A. Daniels Nonprofit Board Fellowship is facilitated by the School of Management’s Center for Leadership and Global Impact.

Social Impact Fellows Program

Through UB's Social Impact Fellows (SIF) program, students from the School of Management, School of Social Work, School of Public Health and Health Professions, and the College of Arts and Sciences spend the summer learning about social innovation in Western New York. This interdisciplinary program matches graduate students with nonprofit organizations to collaborate on projects that impact the community in real-time. Students learn about pressing social issues while embracing diverse styles and educational backgrounds of their team; as well as gaining insights and respect for the populations served by their partner organizations.

The SIF is facilitated by a interdisciplinary faculty team. This popular program has been featured on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) website and National Public Radio (NPR).  

WNY Prosperity Fellowship

The Prentice Family Foundation’s Western New York Prosperity Fellowship Program is a truly unique program for undergraduate and graduate students with an entrepreneurial drive who want to make a difference in Western New York. Each fellow is awarded up to $25,000 in scholarship and internship support for an academic year, based on demonstrated financial need.

This fellowship is facilitated through UB's Startup and Innovation Collaboratory (CoLab) powered by Blackstone LaunchPad.