CAE scholarship applications open for 2026

The NANA Foundation has opened its 2026 application window for CAE exam-fee scholarships, the annual program that covers the cost of sitting for the Certified Association Executive exam.

The Foundation opens applications each January and reviews them ahead of the spring CAE testing window. Scholarships cover the exam fee itself, removing what Foundation Executive Director Samuel Heathcote called the single biggest barrier association staff cite for not pursuing the credential.

"We hear the same thing every year from applicants: they wanted the CAE for a long time before they applied for a scholarship," Heathcote said. "The fee isn't large compared to a salary, but it's real money for someone paying it out of pocket, and it sits on top of study time they're already giving up evenings for."

The program has grown every year since it launched, from 18 scholars in its first cohort to 21 in 2025. The Foundation announced 24 scholars for its 2026 cohort in April of that year, and this January's application window opens the process for the following year's group.

Scholars are association staff at any career stage, sponsored by their employer or applying independently, and come from associations of every size NANA serves. Recipients are not required to have taken NANA's CAE prep courses, though many enroll in the Learning catalog's CAE exam study group alongside their scholarship.

The Foundation publishes a scholarship application guide each January covering eligibility, the required documents, and the review timeline. Heathcote said most applicants who get turned down in a given year are missing a supervisor letter or haven't specified which testing window they intend to sit for, both of which the guide walks through in detail.

The application itself asks for a brief statement of why the applicant wants the credential, a letter of support (from a supervisor or, for independent applicants, a peer in association management), and a target testing window. Reviewers on the Foundation's scholarship committee read every application; there is no automated scoring.

Prospective applicants should:

• Apply during the January window; late applications are not accepted

• Plan to sit for either the spring window (May 1–14) or the winter window (December 1–14), depending on when they're ready

• Expect a decision in time to register for their chosen testing window

• Note that NANA itself does not administer the CAE exam — it prepares candidates and pre-approves credit hours toward eligibility, while the credentialing body runs the exam itself

Heathcote said the Foundation prioritizes applicants from associations with small staffs, where an individual's professional development budget is thinnest, though the program does not set aside dedicated seats by association size.

Applicants who are selected join a cohort of peers preparing for the same testing window, a group Heathcote said often stays in informal contact well past the exam itself, comparing notes on study strategies and, eventually, on passing. Past scholars have gone on to serve as informal mentors for the next year's cohort, an arrangement the Foundation encourages but does not formally organize.