Meet ACTFL Convention Stipend Recipients
Increasing Access to Professional Development
The ACTFL First-Time Attendee Stipend program provides a limited number of recipients with funding to help offset the costs of attendance to the ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo—the premier event for language educators in the United States. In 2025, this total amount represents a $500 stipend plus a $253 travel allowance.
In order for the language education profession to endure, it is vital that we empower teachers at all stages of their careers to participate in high-quality professional development opportunities at regular intervals. However, we know that challenges including financial obstacles, time out of the classroom, and travel costs can be prohibitive to this growth.
This stipend ensures that more early-career and BIPOC educators are able to experience the Convention each year—not only to bring home valuable resources to their students and schools, but also to contribute their voices, perspectives, and input during the event.
Supporting Educators' Continuing Development
in stipends supporting professional development in 2024-2025
additional educators, on average, rely on the new knowledge that stipend recipients share with them
of recipients are early-career teachers (first 5 years) or from under-resourced schools
of recipients identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)
of recipients report increased confidence in their teaching skills post-Convention
of recipients report implementing new strategies, technologies, or best practices within six months!
What Stipend Recipients Have Shared
Spanish Teacher:
"Helping educators to come together to exchange ideas and grow our knowledge and teaching tools is certainly a worthwhile investment."
French Teacher:
“Networking with colleagues from across the nation is an invaluable experience."
Portuguese Teacher:
"This Convention values teachers in a society where our important work is often under-appreciated. Participating in the Convention raises my self-esteem about the importance of the profession."
Mandarin Chinese Teacher:
"Your support directly impacts educators like me by making these opportunities more accessible and meaningful. It helps us grow as professionals and bring what we learn back to our classrooms and communities."
Spanish Teacher:
"Supporting educators in attending ACTFL is not just an investment in one teacher, but in the quality of language education as a whole."
Student:
"[The stipend] was immensely helpful; I would not have been able to attend without the stipend, but I do feel as though I’m a better educator after going."
For every teacher who is able to participate in critical professional development—especially when funding is a concern—we uplift not only an individual but also their colleagues, students, and school.
Help language educators acquire cutting-edge professional development while building community! Programs like ACTFL First-Time Attendee Stipends are made possible by generous contributions to LCF from donors like you.