Chapter Development Awards

Purpose of Award

The Leadership Engagement and Development (LEAD) Award aims to support the outstanding efforts of a Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) chapter that fosters leadership development, engagement, and growth within its membership. Strong leadership within a chapter is essential to sustaining meaningful impact, advancing the mission of the Society, and preparing future leaders in pharmacy.

Phi Lambda Sigma is committed to fostering and recognizing leaders while supporting ongoing leadership development. The LEAD Award builds upon this mission by encouraging chapters to create intentional, structured opportunities that strengthen leadership skills, promote member engagement, and cultivate a culture of continuous growth within the organization.

The purpose of the LEAD Award is to honor a PLS chapter that exemplifies excellence in:

• Leadership Development: Creating initiatives that build leadership skills among members and prepare them for future roles within and beyond the profession.
• Member Engagement: Promoting active participation and meaningful involvement of chapter members in leadership activities.
• Sustainable Impact: Developing programs or initiatives that contribute to long-term chapter growth and alignment with the mission and strategic priorities of Phi Lambda Sigma.

Through this recognition, the LEAD Award seeks to inspire chapters to implement innovative and impactful leadership initiatives that strengthen both their local chapter and the broader PLS community.

Number of Awards & Stipend

Multiple awards may be given in the fall semester of the academic year.  Award amounts and number of awards given will depend on the number of applications received and funds requested. The recipient chapter is to use the funds towards interprofessional collaboration efforts. Award amounts will not exceed $3,000.  

The Phi Lambda Sigma Awards Committee will make the selection after careful review of submitted application material.  All award recipients will be recognized and featured in official PLS communications, including the annual awards booklet. 

Awarded projects are expected to be completed within six months of receiving funding. Recipients of award funds are also expected to submit a final report no later than 60 days following completion of the proposed project or event.  The report should include 2-3 photos from the event (with captions) and a 500-word description of the event and the impact. The report should also include outcomes achieved and a report of how the funding was used.

The report should be submitted to awards@philambdasigma.org.

Eligibility

The PLS chapter must be in good standing with the Central Office. Applications submitted after the published submission deadline will be ineligible for award consideration.  A chapter may only receive a chapter development award once per academic year. To promote broad recognition across the Society, priority is given to recognizing as many unique chapters as possible. In the event of a high volume of applicants, priority may be given to chapters that have not previously received the award.

Application Deadline & Selection Procedure

Completed award materials must be submitted electronically through the submission form linked at the bottom of this page by the published deadline to be eligible for consideration.

Submissions should include:

• A description of the proposed project and how it supports the mission, goals, and/or strategic priorities of Phi Lambda Sigma
• An estimated timeline for project completion
• Information describing anticipated participation and project impact
• Signatures from both the chapter president and chapter advisor on the final page of the application
• A letter of support from the Dean of the school or college of pharmacy

To be eligible for consideration:

• The proposed project must involve at least 10% of the chapter membership
• The initiative must benefit a minimum of 20 individuals
• Community service projects are not eligible for this award
• Incomplete applications will not be considered

Additional resources, including the Budget Toolkit and examples of past winning projects, can be found below.

Application & Submission Procedure

Please complete the LEAD Award Submission Form. Submissions will be considered based on the following:

• Project must involve at least 10% of Phi Lambda Sigma chapter membership.
• Project must benefit at least 20 people
  Project must be completed no later than six months after the award is received.
• Submission should include a description of how the project will either support the mission of Phi Lambda Sigma and/or the goals and strategic plan of Phi Lambda Sigma.
• Submission should include an estimated timeline for completion.
• A signature of the chapter president and chapter advisor must be included on the final page of the application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• A letter of support from the Dean of the school/college of pharmacy must be included
  Community service projects are not eligible for this award.

Resources: 

Budget Toolkit

Scoring & Evaluation

The LEAD Award is evaluated by the Phi Lambda Sigma Awards Committee using a standardized review process based on the submitted application materials.

While the complete scoring methodology is not publicly available, chapters are encouraged to review the evaluation framework and categories used to guide scoring. These categories reflect the core areas of interprofessional collaboration, leadership development, innovation, feasibility, community impact, and alignment with the mission and values of Phi Lambda Sigma.

To learn more about the criteria we are using to evaluate award submissions please review the criteria.

LEAD Award Rubric

Receipt of Award Money & Required Report

Recipients of the award money are expected to submit a report no later than 60 days after the proposed conclusion of the event in which funds are used. The report should include 2-3 photos from the event (with captions) and a 500-word description of the event and the impact on Phi Lambda Sigma members, the chapter, and the school of pharmacy. The report should also include outcomes achieved and a report of how the funding was used.

Deadline

The deadline for Spring Award submission is February 15th at 11:59pm PST annually.

The Phi Lambda Sigma Awards Committee strives to notify applicants of a decision within approximately six weeks following the submission deadline.

QUESTIONS

Questions regarding the LEAD Award, eligibility requirements, or submission procedures may be directed to the Phi Lambda Sigma Awards Committee. Contact awards@philambdasigma.org.