Mac Admins Foundation Announces the Charles S. Edge Jr. New Speakers Grant

Rebecca Latimer
Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:06:05 +0000

The Mac Admins Foundation announces the Charles S. Edge Jr. New Speakers Grant for the MacAdmins Conference at Penn State!

In partnership with the MacAdmins Conference at Penn State, The Mac Admins Foundation is proud to announce the Charles S. Edge Jr. New Speakers Grant, a new initiative designed to support the growth and development of the Mac Admin community. This grant aims to encourage first-time speakers to share their expertise at conferences, empowering a diverse group of individuals to contribute their insights and experiences.

Many skilled Mac admins have valuable knowledge to share but face challenges such as financial constraints or lack of prior speaking experience that may discourage them from submitting proposals to speak at professional conferences. This limits the diversity of topics and perspectives presented at conferences, ultimately hindering the growth of the community.

To address this, the Mac Admins Foundation is launching the Charles S. Edge Jr. New Speakers Grant. This grant will provide financial assistance and mentorship to individuals who have never presented at a professional conference, encouraging them to submit proposals to the MacAdmins Conference at Penn State. The Foundation aims to award at least two grants and will offer guidance on creating meaningful, relevant presentations that will be valuable to the Mac Admin community.

Eligibility: First-time speakers at a professional conference that have submitted a talk proposal to the MacAdmins Conference at Penn State. Preference will be given to individuals from underrepresented groups.

MacAdmins Conference at Penn State Partnership: Thanks to the support of Mac Admins at Penn State, two speaker slots are guaranteed for first-time speakers, with the possibility of more depending on various factors.

Identity Validation: If selected, applicants will need to provide a form of photo ID to confirm their identity.

Grant Amount: Each grant will award $2,500, which can be used for travel, lodging, food, childcare, and other conference-related expenses.

Mentorship and Guidance: Selected speakers will also receive one-on-one mentoring with a knowledgeable member of the Mac Admins community.

Deadline: Applications will be received until 5pm Mar 26, 2025 (which is also the deadline for submitting a talk).

How To Apply

1. Submit a proposal for a talk at the MacAdmins Conference at Penn State at https://sessionize.com/2025-macadmins-conference

2. Fill out the grant application form found here.

3. The Mac Admins Foundation will reach out with next steps.

About Charles S. Edge Jr.

Charles S. Edge Jr. was a respected published author of technical works around Apple systems administration, co-host of the Mac Admins Podcast, host of the History of Computing Podcast, and veteran of Jamf Software, 318, and Bootstrappers.mn. He was a Mac Admin enthusiast, frequently finding new voices within the broader community and encouraging them to speak, publish, and write about their work. Charles passed unexpectedly in 2024, and his gregarious and inclusive voice was silenced; he is missed by his community of friends around the world.

Charles S. Edge Jr.