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High School Psychology Outreach Grants

American Psychological Association

The purpose of these grants is to support regional teaching networks that facilitate networking and professional development for high school psychology teachers. Funds may support but are not limited to supporting the development or continuation of regional or state-wide teaching workshops or conferences for high school psychology teachers. A guide on Building, Guiding and Sustaining Regional Networks for Psychology Teachers (PDF, 108KB)opens in new window is available online. APF will consider all funding requests to support regional or state-wide networks for teachers, to include support of teaching workshops or conferences. Support for more informal gatherings of teachers is also possible, such as for networking opportunities, casual opportunities to meet and share ideas and best practices, or end-of-year reflections. Applications to start new teaching networks are especially encouraged.

Previous APF High School Psychology Teacher Outreach grant awardees may apply for funding to continue support of a local network. Applications to start new teaching networks are especially encouraged.

$5,000 to support regional teaching networks that facilitate networking and professional development opportunities for high school psychology teachers

Deadline: November 1, 2026; July 15, 2027

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct psychology/behavioral-science relevance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The project should have psychology or behavioral science at its core, rather than merely using a psychological questionnaire as a small component.

Strong areas include:

Clinical psychology
Counseling psychology
Health psychology
Behavioral medicine
Cognitive psychology
Developmental psychology
Social psychology
Educational psychology
Neuropsychology
Community psychology
Industrial/organizational psychology
Forensic psychology
Psychological assessment
Mental-health interventions
Behavioral health

A general medical study with no substantial psychological/behavioral research question would have weak APA alignment.

2. Important psychological or behavioral-health problem ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A competitive proposal should address a clearly defined problem.

Examples include:

Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Stress
Addiction/substance use
Suicide prevention
Chronic pain and psychological functioning
Behavioral health disparities
Child/adolescent mental health
Aging and cognition
Health behavior
Sleep and psychological health
Social isolation
Workplace mental health
Learning and educational outcomes

The proposal should establish:

Important problem → evidence gap → research question → expected benefit.

3. Scientific merit ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A strong APA-oriented proposal should have a clearly defined research question or hypothesis.

Reviewers should understand:

What is known?
What is unknown?
Why does the gap matter?
What theory or model guides the research?
What will the study test?
What new knowledge will be generated?

A particularly strong proposal connects psychological theory with empirical testing.

4. Societal and patient impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Research is strengthened when the findings can improve:

Mental-health outcomes
Psychological functioning
Quality of life
Prevention
Treatment
Educational outcomes
Workplace well-being
Family functioning
Community health
Public-health policy

For example:

Risk factor → psychological mechanism → intervention → improved mental-health outcome

provides a strong impact pathway.

5. Methodological rigor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Competitive psychology research should use appropriate and transparent methods.

Important elements include:

Clearly defined population
Validated psychological measures
Appropriate comparison groups
Adequate sample size
Appropriate statistical methods
Longitudinal design where necessary
Appropriate handling of missing data
Predefined primary outcomes
Reproducible procedures
Ethical protections

For intervention studies, consider:

Randomization
Control condition
Treatment fidelity
Blinding where feasible
Follow-up assessment

6. Innovation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Innovation can come from the research question, theory, methodology, intervention, population, or technology.

Potentially strong areas include:

Digital mental health

Mobile interventions
Telepsychology
Digital therapeutics
AI-assisted behavioral interventions

Psychological assessment

Novel assessment tools
Digital phenotyping
Computational assessment

Behavioral science

New models of health behavior
Social/behavioral mechanisms
Decision-making

Clinical psychology

New intervention approaches
Personalized psychological treatment
Prevention models

Innovation should be more than simply applying a new technology; it should address an important psychological problem.

7. Investigator qualifications and mentorship ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Research experience and appropriate mentorship can be important, particularly for early-career investigators.

Strong applicants demonstrate:

Relevant academic training
Research experience
Publications
Methodological expertise
Clinical experience where appropriate
Appropriate statistical expertise
Strong mentorship

For junior investigators, the proposal should show how the funding will help establish an independent research trajectory.

8. Diversity, equity and underserved populations ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Depending on the specific APA program, research addressing disparities can be particularly compelling.

Potential areas include:

Mental-health disparities
Access to psychological services
Culturally responsive interventions
Underserved communities
Rural populations
Socioeconomic disparities
Disability
Aging populations
Children and adolescents
Historically underrepresented groups

However, diversity should be incorporated meaningfully into the research question and methodology, rather than added as a superficial statement.

9. Feasibility ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The project should demonstrate access to:

Appropriate participants
Clinical/community settings
Psychological assessment tools
Research staff
Statistical support
Data-management infrastructure
Intervention facilities where required

A focused project that can produce meaningful preliminary data is often more convincing than an overly ambitious study.

10. Dissemination and future research ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

A strong project should have potential beyond the immediate grant.

Possible trajectory:

Pilot study → preliminary evidence → larger grant → multicenter study → clinical/community implementation

Useful outputs include:

Peer-reviewed publications
Conference presentations
Validated assessment tools
Intervention protocols
Clinical guidance
Educational resources
Community implementation

Specialties

Psychology

Eligibility Requirements

These types of grants are not intended to be used to support classroom materials or opportunities that reach 10 or fewer teachers. Rather, these grants must support professional development for teachers by providing an opportunity for teachers within a general region or state to come together to meet, network, and learn from one another. Virtual networks can also be supported.

For examples of the types of networks these grants seek to support, please see those listed at this TOPSS website.

Grant funding can be used to support the following:

mailings to teachers;
food at workshop, conference, or other event;
materials for workshop, conference, or other event;
copying costs;
honorarium for speaker(s) at workshop or conference;
other costs associated with outreach to regional teachers or with holding a workshop, conference, or other event;
costs associated with virtual events or networks;
other related costs for supporting a workshop, conference, or other event, or other opportunity for collaboration.

Planned workshops or other events may be held at a high school, but grantees may also want to consider contacting local colleges, universities, or community colleges for potential sites; virtual events may also be considered.

APF will award $5,000 in grants in 2026. The average value of grants awarded to date has been $500–$1,000 per grant though larger grants are possible. These grants are made possible through the American Psychological Foundation Lee Gurel Fund for High School Psychology.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Psychological Association

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242

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