CPD Grants Application Form

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) awards CPD grants of up to £800 to support individual SLTs in their professional development.

Please note:

• Please see this link to find guidance for CPD Grants: CPD Grants
• Panel members may not be experts in your area — please include background information and write out names in full before using abbreviations.
• Grant recipients must acknowledge RCSLT funding in any report or publication created as a result of the award.
• Grants are awarded to individuals and cannot be transferred to another person.
• Awards are based on the quality of the application, benefit to the applicant and the profession, number of applications received, and available budget.
• The panel may award funding in full, in part, or decline applications.
• Travel and accommodation costs may not be covered, although contributions may be possible if funds allow.
• If a grant is awarded but you cannot attend the planned activity, you must submit a new application for a replacement course.
• The panel may adjust the final award amount if actual costs are lower than those quoted.
• RCSLT may reclaim any funds not used for the declared purpose.
• You will be informed of the outcome approximately one week after the panel meeting.
• Decisions made by the RCSLT panel are final.
• Evidence of the panel’s decision‑making process can be provided upon request.
• Applicants must clearly indicate any use of AI within this application and explain why it was used.
• Please ensure you upload a copy of your employer funding declaration (confirming whether funding was refused or partially awarded) when prompted at the end of the form. You can download the Declaration Form here: Declaration Form (Word).
• Please check the RCSLT website for submission deadlines. Your CPD activity must take place after the relevant panel review date.

Deadlines: See the current schedule on the RCSLT website: CPD Deadlines

After completing this form:

• You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt.
• If you have any questions about your CPD grant application, please contact grants@rcslt.org.

We anonymise all CPD grant applications before they are reviewed by the panel.

For successful applicants, we keep your application data for two years. We also retain your name, grant amount, and award date for as long as required for organisational reporting.

Data relating to unsuccessful applications is retained for six months for administration purposes and then deleted.

For more information about how RCSLT manages personal data, please see the full Privacy Notice on the RCSLT website: RCSLT Privacy Notice.

To apply for an RCSLT CPD Grant, you must be either a full certified member or an associate member working in one of the following roles:

• Speech and Language Therapist (UK or international member)
• SLT assistant, support worker or technical instructor
• SLT student
• Associate practitioner

You must also have held uninterrupted RCSLT membership for at least two years prior to submitting your application. This may include one year of student membership.

Exceptions: Breaks in membership due to parental leave are permitted. Please upload supporting evidence from your employer if this applies to you at the end of the form.

Successful applicants must maintain RCSLT membership for the full duration of the funded activity.

Please provide details of any previous RCSLT awards you have received. Include the date, type of grant, the amount awarded, and the purpose of the grant.

• If you have not received any previous RCSLT grants, select “No” and continue.
• If you have received funding within the last 24 months from RCSLT Minor Grants or CPD Grants, you are not eligible to apply for this CPD grant.

If you have received multiple previous awards, please enter each one as a separate row in the table below.

The CPD grant cannot fund:

• Subsistence
• Salary backfill
• Group applications (e.g. CENs)

The CPD grant does not usually fund:

• Travel
• Accommodation

If sufficient funds are available, contributions towards travel or accommodation may be considered.

Important: You may apply for funding for one CPD activity only (e.g., one course or one conference). Please enter the exact date(s) of your planned CPD activity below.

Please provide a short summary of your chosen CPD activity. Your summary should include:

• the purpose of the CPD
• who the CPD is relevant to (e.g., client group, clinical area, role)
• the specific and measurable learning outcomes you hope to achieve
• a link to the course or event webpage (if applicable)

You will be asked to provide a more detailed justification later in the form.

Please provide full financial details to support your proposal. Each cost must be itemised separately. If your CPD activity is based outside the UK, please convert all costs into GBP (£) using current exchange rates.

You should also provide details of any other funding you have applied for, received, or been refused. If your employer considers the course essential to core competencies, you should request funding from them in the first instance.

Please provide details of any other funding sources you have applied to, including amounts requested, confirmed, declined, or awaiting confirmation. Include any self-funding contributions.

Please specify the amount you are requesting from RCSLT for each item. You should only include costs you have not already secured elsewhere.

Please describe your current position and role, client group and location. Describe your experience relevant to this application and explain why the proposal is relevant to your current or future role.

How will your day-to-day skills / practice / expertise / specialism be enhanced? List the positive outcomes and benefits to your own personal development.

You may find it useful to link to points in the RCSLT Professional Development Framework PD Framework

This might include through the:

Strategic plan

Research priorities

Current workstreams such as guidance / position papers

Please cover as many as possible. (You will need your RCSLT website log‑in to access these pages.)