EBSCO/MLA Annual Conference Grant

EBSCO Information Services generously donated to the MLA Scholarship Endowment Fund to provide stipends to enables MLA members to attend the association’s annual conference. Each year MLA awards up to four travel grants to members who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference.

Eligibility

• The applicant must:
  • be a member of MLA.
    • see membership options
    • Membership must be current and dues paid in order to be considered for this conference grant (no exceptions).
  • be currently employed as a health information professional.
  • have between two and five years of experience as a health sciences librarian at the time of the annual conference.
  • complete an application, including a 200-word statement answering the question listed below.
• No more than one awardee from any given institution will be awarded the grant in a single year.

Priority Consideration Criteria:

• The applicant is a first-time attendee at the MLA annual conference (in-person).
• The applicant is presenting (or has submitted) a paper, poster, or lightning talk for MLA’s annual conference.

Terms

• The grant recipient will be reimbursed up to $1,000 for actual travel and conference-related expenses.
  • Expense statements with all receipts must be submitted to MLA after the annual conference. 
• Up to four awards may be made each year for the EBSCO/MLA Annual Conference Grant.
• All proposed expenses must clearly align with the intention of the grant and will be evaluated for relevance.
• Funding may be used for reasonable and actual expenses that meet MLA guidelines:
  • Physical travel within North America, or international travel when specifically allowed (e.g., mileage, travel fares, lodging)
  • Direct costs related to profession development or conference attendance (e.g., registration fees, books)
  • Costs to enable the awardee to travel (may allow for compensation for reasonable expenses, e.g., family caregiving)
  • The funds may not be used for institutional overhead, other indirect costs, or income tax payments.
• If no candidates are determined eligible, no grants will be awarded.
• Letters of reference are NOT requested or desired.
• The travel grant must be used in the year it is awarded and cannot be carried over to another year. 

NOTE: In the case of a virtual-only conference, terms may be altered.

Submission Checklist

• Completed online application
• A 200-word statement answering the following questions:
  • What do you expect to gain professionally and/or personally by attending the MLA annual conference?
• Updated MLA member profile