Scholarship Opportunities
CARLA offers three scholarship programs to support attendance at the CARLA Summer Institutes:
- Priority Teacher Professional Development Scholarship Program
- Teaching Excellence in Action in Minnesota (TEAM) Scholarship Program
- LC/CARLA Summer Institute Scholarship for UMN Language Instructors
Priority Teacher Professional Development Scholarship Program
The Priority Teacher Professional Development Scholarship program is designed to promote equity and access to affordable professional development for world language educators who are currently teaching a Less Commonly Taught Language in the United States and/or are currently teaching at a Community College, Historically Black College/University, or postsecondary Minority Serving Institution in the United States. The program provides funding for selected teachers in these categories to attend a CARLA Summer Institute for no charge.
The Priority Teacher Professional Development Scholarship program is sponsored by the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) as a U.S. Department of Education Title VI Language Resource Center initiative.
Application Process
The application process is as easy as 1-2-3!
- Select a CARLA Summer Institute that meets your professional development needs.
- Propose a follow-up activity based on the institute—either an outreach event or a classroom-based project.
- Apply online by March 14, 2025.
Please read all of the details below before submitting an application.
Program Information
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- K-16 world language teacher
- Currently teach in the United States
- Fit into one or more of the following categories:
- Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) teacher
- Community College (CC) language teacher
- Minority Serving Institution (MSI) postsecondary language teacher
- Historically Black College/University (HBCU) language teacher
Applicants must propose a follow-up activity or project based on the content of a CARLA Summer Institute of their choosing. Applicants may propose an outreach activity (e.g., presentation to colleagues at school/district/conference) or a classroom-based project (e.g., creation of a new lesson/unit to use with students). For inspiration, check out these Priority Scholar Spotlights and a list of projects proposed by the selected 2024 Priority Scholars.
Awardees will be required to submit a short reflection form about the activity/project they carried out. The follow-up activity/project should be completed by December 13, 2024, to be eligible for a $100 payment as described below. Extensions will be available for activities/projects that take longer to implement.
Selection Information
Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
- quality and potential impact of the proposed follow-up activity/project; and
- thoroughness of the application.
Approximately 35 scholarships will be awarded. The final number is dependent on funding.
Groups of teachers may apply to the program with a related activity/project, but applications will be evaluated on their individual merits. CARLA cannot guarantee that all group members will receive a scholarship.
Financial Information
Commitment Fee ($50): Teachers who are selected to participate as Priority Scholars will be obligated to register online and pay a $50 non-refundable commitment fee; the rest of the registration cost will be waived (up to a $500 value).
Reimbursement ($100): Teachers who attend the institute, complete their proposed activity/project, and submit a short reflection form by December 13, 2024, will be eligible for a payment of $100. This amount will cover the cost of the $50 commitment fee and other miscellaneous costs associated with attending the institute (e.g., books for online institutes). Please note: CARLA cannot cover travel costs for applicants wishing to attend an in-person institute.
Important Dates
Application Deadline: Friday, March 14, 2025
Teacher Notification: April 11, 2025
Applicants will be notified whether they were selected to receive a Priority PD scholarship to attend a CARLA summer institute.
Commitment Deadline: April 25, 2025
Selected educators will be asked to pay the nominal commitment fee by this date to signal their commitment to the program. The fee will go up by $50 after this date.
Reflection Form Submission: December 12, 2025
Extensions will be available for activities/projects that take longer to implement.
Questions and More Information
Questions about the CARLA summer institutes?
Please visit the CARLA Summer Institutes website or contact the CARLA office at [email protected].
Questions about the payment arrangement or eligibility?
Contact Karin Larson at [email protected].
Want to learn more about the program?
Check out these Priority Scholar Spotlights and a list of projects proposed by the selected 2024 Priority Scholars.
Teaching Excellence in Action in Minnesota (TEAM) Scholarship Program
The Teaching Excellence in Action in Minnesota (TEAM) Scholarship Program annually offers scholarships for free attendance at a CARLA Summer Institute to a selected group of K-12 Minnesota world language/ESL/DLI teachers.
Now in its thirteenth year, this program has provided funding for over 80 TEAM Scholars to attend a CARLA Summer Institute of their choice.
The TEAM Scholarship program is sponsored by the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), the Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC), and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
Application Process
The application process is as easy as 1-2-3!
- Select a CARLA Summer Institute that meets your professional development needs.
- Propose a follow-up activity based on the institute—either an outreach event or a classroom-based project.
- Apply online by March 21, 2025.
Please read all of the details below before submitting an application.
Program Information
- K-12 world language, dual language, and ESL teachers, and program coordinators, instructional coaches who are currently teaching in Minnesota schools are eligible to apply. (Please note that each institute is targeted at different levels and not all are appropriate for DLI/ESL teachers. Applicants will be asked to list the stated target audience on their application.)
- Applicants must propose a follow-up activity or project based on the content of a CARLA Summer Institute of their choosing. Applicants may propose an outreach activity (e.g., presentation to colleagues at school/district/conference) or a classroom-based project (e.g., creation of a new lesson/unit to use with students)
- For Inspiration, check out these TEAM Scholar Spotlights and a list of projects proposed by the selected 2024 TEAM Scholars.
- Awardees will be required to submit a short reflection form detailing their completed scholarship activity/project.
- The follow-up activity/project should be completed by December 12, 2025 to be eligible for a $100 payment as described below. Extensions will be available for activities/projects that take longer to implement.
- Check out a copy of the application questions before you complete the form.
Selection Information
Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
- the stated need for the professional development;
- quality and potential impact of the proposed follow-up activity/project; and
- thoroughness of the application.
Approximately 10 scholarships will be awarded. The final number is dependent on funding.
Groups of teachers may apply to the program with a related activity/project, but applications will be evaluated on their individual merits. CARLA cannot guarantee that all group members will receive a scholarship.
Financial Information
Commitment Fee ($50): Teachers who are selected to participate as TEAM Scholars will be obligated to register online and pay a $50 non-refundable commitment fee; the rest of the registration cost will be waived (up to a $500 value).
Reimbursement ($100): Teachers who attend the institute, complete their proposed activity/project, and submit a short reflection form by December 12, 2025, will be eligible for a payment of $100. This amount will cover the cost of the $50 commitment fee and other miscellaneous costs associated with attending the institute (e.g., books for online institutes). Please note: CARLA cannot cover travel costs for applicants wishing to attend an in-person institute.
Additional PD Support for TEAM Scholars ($150): TEAM Scholars who complete their follow-up activity/project will be encouraged to submit a proposal to give a conference presentation about their work at either the annual MCTLC or MELEd conference following the year of participation in the program. Any Scholar whose proposal is accepted can receive up to $150 reimbursement of their conference registration fee after they make their presentation.
Important Dates
Application Deadline: Friday, March 21, 2025
Teacher Notification: April 11, 2025
Applicants will be notified whether they were selected to receive a TEAM scholarship to attend a CARLA summer institute.
Commitment Deadline: April 25, 2025
Selected Scholars will be asked to pay the nominal commitment fee by this date to signal their commitment to the program. The fee will go up by $50 after this date.
Reflection Form Submission: December 12, 2025
Extensions will be available for activities/projects that take longer to implement.
Questions and More Information
Questions about the CARLA summer institutes?
Please visit the CARLA Summer Institutes website or contact the CARLA office at [email protected].
Questions about the payment arrangement or eligibility?
Contact Karin Larson at [email protected].
Want to learn more about the program?
To learn more about the program, check out these TEAM Scholar Spotlights and a list of projects proposed by the selected 2024 TEAM Scholars.
LC/CARLA Summer Institute Scholarship Program for UMN Language Instructors
University of Minnesota language instructors including associate faculty (i.e., P&As) in CLA and graduate students in CLA/CEHD in language-related programs are invited to apply for a scholarship to attend one of the 2025 CARLA Summer Institutes. Scholarship recipients will be required to pay a non-refundable $50 commitment fee. The balance of the institute cost will be paid by CARLA/Language Center. Awardees must agree to share the ideas they gleaned from the institute at a Teaching Ideas Roundtable sponsored by CARLA and the Language Center during the following academic year.
The TEAM Scholarship program is sponsored by the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), the Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC), and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
Application Process
The application process is as easy as 1-2-3!
- Select a CARLA Summer Institute that meets your professional development needs.
- Outline how attendance at your selected institute will support your professional development.
- Apply online by April 4, 2025.
Please read all of the details below before submitting an application.
Program Information
A limited number of scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to current University of Minnesota language instructors who fit in one of the following categories:
- UMN associate faculty (i.e., P&As) teaching language in CLA language-related programs
- UMN graduate students teaching language/language education courses in CLA/CEHD language-related programs (Please note that this competition is not open to P&A instructors in CEHD language-related programs.)
The program is restricted to:
- instructors who have taught language or language education classes at the University of Minnesota during the 2024-2025 academic year, AND
- plan to teach language or language education classes at the University of Minnesota during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Please note: This program is not meant for UMN graduate students who teach outside the University. UMN graduate students who teach language at a K-12 school in Minnesota are encouraged to apply to the Teaching Excellence in Action in Minnesota (TEAM) Scholarship Program.
Awardees must agree to share the ideas they glean during the institute at a Teaching Ideas Roundtable sponsored by CARLA and the Language Center during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Selection Information
Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
- the stated need for the professional development;
- thoroughness of the application.
Approximately 8 scholarships will be awarded. The final number is dependent on funding.
Financial Information
Commitment Fee ($50): Teachers who are selected to participate as Priority Scholars will be obligated to register online and pay a $50 non-refundable commitment fee; the rest of the registration cost will be waived (up to a $500 value).
Important Dates
Application Deadline: Friday, April 4, 2025
Notification: April 18, 2025
Applicants will be notified whether they were selected to receive a scholarship to attend a CARLA summer institute.
Commitment Deadline: April 25, 2025
Those selected will be asked to pay the nominal commitment fee by this date. The fee will go up by $50 after this date. The commitment fee is not refundable.
Questions and More Information
Questions about the CARLA summer institutes?
Please visit the CARLA Summer Institutes website or contact the CARLA office at [email protected].
Questions about the payment arrangement or eligibility?
Contact Karin Larson at [email protected].