The Helfand/Bluhm Career Support Fellowship

Made possible by the David Helfand, PAR ’20 and Leslie Bluhm, PAR ’20 Zell/Lurie Real Estate Fund

The David Helfand, PAR ’20 and Leslie Bluhm, PAR ’20 Zell/Lurie Real Estate Fund was created in 2019 from a generous gift by David Helfand and Leslie Bluhm. With this gift the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center created the Helfand/Bluhm Career Support Fellowship Program. 

The Helfand/Bluhm Fellowship is intended for students whose financial need prohibits them from participating in career-related activities and who do not have personal resources, family resources, or outside resources to meet this financial need. The fellowship program distributes individual grants to such students to help defray the cost of qualified expenses for real estate career search activities including travel, networking, interviews, conferences, and other related concerns. Submission of application does not guarantee receipt of a fellowship. Please review Guidelines and FAQ for additional, important information.

The Helfand/Bluhm Program helped bring down the barriers to entry to the industry for me. I was able to go to cities I wasn’t from, and those visits gave me a better sense of the real estate landscape. Without the fellowship, I would not have been able to attend treks or take advantage of these opportunities. I am really grateful for it.

Wharton Undergraduate, Class of 2025

Eligibility

1. Financial need that prohibits participation in career-related activities and cannot be met with personal resources, family resources, or outside resources.
2. Current full-time enrollment as a Penn/Wharton student.
3. Current membership in a Zell/Lurie-supported club.
4. Funding request is limited to real estate recruiting purposes.

Application

• Applicants must affirm financial need that prohibits participation in career-related activities and cannot be met with personal resources, family resources, or outside resources.
• Applications are submitted after travel.
• Applicants must meet eligibility requirements prior to travel and prior to application.
• Funding cannot be guaranteed prior to travel or application.
• Only applications that meet all requirements will be considered.
• For trek attendees to be eligible for the Helfand/Bluhm Fellowships, the trek must have received the appropriate school approval. WUREC must obtain approval from the Wharton Undergraduate Division, and all other Clubs should secure approval from their respective schools. Individual students should confirm the necessary approvals with their Club trek organizers prior to travel.

Funding

• Submission of application does not guarantee receipt of fellowship.
• Funding is dependent on many factors, including but not limited to the competitiveness and purposefulness of the applications submitted.
• Funding is intended for exclusively for students whose financial need prohibits them from participating in career-related activities and who do not have personal resources, family resources, or outside resources to meet this financial need.
• Funding will only be provided for qualified expenses and is subject to restrictions.

Review and Awards

• Applications are reviewed by the Committee on a rolling basis.
• Fellowship recipients receive funding on a post-travel, reimbursement basis.
• Award funding amounts are guided by regional maximums.
• Fellowship recipients will receive instructions for reimbursement in the award letter. Recipients are responsible for reading and following all reimbursement policies. 
• Submission of post-travel survey is required.

Application Period

The application period for the 2025-2026 academic year is now open.

Please allow additional review time for applications received in the week before or after a major Center event. Please allow additional review time in the week before or after University-recognized holidays, or periods when the University is closed.

Contact

The Helfand/Bluhm Guidelines and FAQ provide answer to most common questions. If you have a question that is not answered on the here or on the Guidelines and FAQ page, please contact Claire Harte at charte@wharton.upenn.edu.

Guidelines & Frequently Asked Questions

Eligible Students

You are eligible for a Helfand/Bluhm Career Support Fellowship if you:

1. Have financial need that prohibits you from participating in career-related activities and do not have personal resources, family resources, or outside resources to meet this financial need. You must attest to this need in the Application.

2. Are enrolled full-time as a Penn/Wharton student and are a member of one of the clubs supported by Zell/Lurie:

• Wharton MBA Real Estate Club
• Wharton Undergraduate Real Estate Club
• Weitzman School of Design Real Estate Club
• Penn Law School Real Estate Club

3. Are traveling for real estate related recruiting purposes, such as:

• Company visits
• Club Treks
• Industry networking
• Interviews
• Conferences (applications for travel to conferences should include the conference agenda)
• Other related activities

Please note: For trek attendees to be eligible for the Helfand/Bluhm Fellowships, the trek must have received the appropriate school approval. WUREC must obtain approval from the Wharton Undergraduate Division, and all other Clubs should secure approval from their respective schools. Individual students should confirm the necessary approvals with their Club trek organizers prior to travel.

4. Have filled out and submitted the Helfand/Bluhm post-travel survey. You can find a link to this survey in your award email.

Eligible Expenses

/You can only submit one application per trip. Please do not combine expenses from multiple trips into one application. If you are making reoccurring trips to one destination we still require each trip to be reimbursed separately.

What expenses are eligible for reimbursement?
Eligible expenses include transportation (coach/economy class only), lodging, conference registration, membership fees (if required for attendance), and food. Alcohol is not an eligible expense.

The Committee cannot reimburse travel expenses to or from your hometown or home country during university breaks.

What counts as a valid receipt?
All eligible expenses must have appropriate corresponding receipts. All receipts must be itemized and provide payment method. Meal receipts must be itemized. Invoices are not acceptable receipts and must include original receipt and payment method.

How should I handle international expenses?

All receipts and materials must be in English. Reimbursement requests should be in U.S. Dollars. For international receipts with a different currency, you must include the appropriate exchange rate information. For applications containing charges in foreign currencies, your Excel itinerary must present all amounts in US dollars, along with the corresponding exchange rate details. The final requested amount on your application should similarly be submitted in US dollars.

Are there restrictions on transportation?
Yes. All train seats must be coach class, and all airline seats must be economy. As a result, Amtrak Acela tickets are not eligible for reimbursement. Seat selection is only reimbursable with additional justification for personal needs. Long-distance Uber or rideshare trips (over 1.5 hours) are not considered an appropriate use of funds.

What are my responsibilities for managing costs?
Students are expected to make every effort to mitigate costs. This includes booking travel early, using student discounts, comparing prices, staying with friends when possible, and using public transportation.

Are there other expenses that are not eligible?
The committee cannot reimburse:

• Travel to or from your hometown or home country during university breaks.
• Purchases made with gift cards, vouchers, flight miles, or other non-reimbursable payment methods.
• If you receive separate funding or a subsidy for your travel, you must notify the Zell/Lurie Administrative Coordinator before requesting reimbursement.

How can I ensure my application is processed quickly?
Be proactive! Provide justification for any unique expenses ahead of time and make your application as clear as possible. This will minimize questions during the review process and lead to a quicker turnaround.

Application Process

Complete a Helfand/Bluhm Fellowship Application. In their application students must submit:

• Helfand/Bluhm Fellowship Itinerary Worksheet (worksheet provided in application)
• A single PDF of all receipts in chronological order (sample provided in application)

Review Process

What is the review process like?

All completed applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications are reviewed by the Helfand/Bluhm Fellowship Committee. All applicants will be notified of the decision on their application via email. The review process may take some time, so please be patient. The application will NOT be reviewed if it does not meet eligibility criteria.

What does the reimbursement process look like?

First you will receive an award letter that will confirm the amount the Committee has awarded you for reimbursement. After Fellowship recipients receive their award letter, we ask that you complete the Helfand/Bluhm Career Fellowship survey.

If you already have a completed profile in Penn Marketplace, no action is required. We strongly urge you to confirm the accuracy of all information in your profile. If this is your first time receiving reimbursement, you will receive an invitation to register as a payee on Penn Marketplace from the University of Pennsylvania. This email will have the subject line: ‘UPENN’s Individual Registration Invitation for University of Pennsylvania.’ This email is not generated by the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center. If you cannot locate the email or for any questions, please contact SupplierSupport@upenn.edu or call 215-898-7216.

Please see an invitation email example below:

Once you have located the invitation email follow the link to register as a “person providing goods or services.” Please note that Penn Marketplace was created for vendors/companies and the language is not tailored to students.

Please refer to the Penn Marketplace Individual Registration Guide for a step-by-step guide on completing and submitting your registration.

Taxes

Each award is taxed according to federal or international law.

If you are US citizen or resident alien, all prizes in the amount of $600 or greater within a calendar year must be reported by the University to the IRS on Form 1099-MISC. It is the responsibility of all award recipients, regardless of the award amount, to report the taxable award received to the IRS on their personal income tax returns.

If you are a nonresident alien, the University is required to withhold 30% tax on the full amount of the prize unless the individual is exempt from taxation under a tax treaty. This information is reported to the IRS on Form 1042-S.

Please contact the Penn Tax Office with questions regarding withholding and year-end tax documents. The Zell/Lurie Center staff are not authorized to provide tax advice.

Contacts

The Helfand/Bluhm Guidelines and FAQ provide answer to most common questions. If you have a question that is not answered on the here or on the Guidelines and FAQ page, please contact Claire Harte at charte@wharton.upenn.edu.

Regional Maximums

Below are maximum reimbursable amounts by region. This is the maximum award you can receive per trip. Please submit only one application per trip. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of maximum award.

• Southeast (including Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, Miami, etc.): $750
• Southwest (including Dallas, Houston, Austin, Phoenix, Denver, Nashville, etc.): $600
• Midwest (including Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Louisville, etc.): $850
• West (including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, etc.): $1250
• Northeast (including Boston, upstate NY, Providence, etc.): $500
• New York & DC: $200
• International (Asia): $2000
• International (Europe): $1500
• International (Other): $1500

When To Expect Payment

My reimbursement was approved; when can I expect payment?

Deposits will be made electronically into your bank account, normally within 10 working days from approval. If you did not enroll in Direct Deposit your reimbursement will be mailed to the address you listed on your Penn Marketplace registration. Note reimbursements are not handled by Payroll. Do not contact Payroll regarding your reimbursement request or payment.

Who To Contact

You can contact Claire Harte at charte@wharton.upenn.edu with questions, comments, or concerns regarding your reimbursement. All communication must be made through email.

Deadline For Submitting Requests

If you do not submit your request within two weeks of travel you may forfeit your reimbursement.

Your Employee Identification Number

What is my Employee Identification Number (EIN), referred to on the Penn Marketplace registration form?

Put your Social Security number in place of an EIN number on your registration form. You can find your social security number on your social security card.

See an example of a social security card below:

International students should contact International Student and Scholar Services Office (ISSS) for guidance on social security numbers, international tax identification numbers, and all work-related questions/