Not Verified

Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program

American Psychological Association

The fellowship is directly related to efforts to reduce health disparities among ethnic minorities in the U.S. by filling a crucial need for mental health professionals in psychology, nursing, social work, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, and substance use and addictions counseling.

The MFP selects individuals with promise and a commitment to careers that address behavioral health services needs of ethnic minorities. Thus, the IMFP has two target populations at the center of its efforts: the members of ethnic and racial minorities in need of behavioral health services and ethnic minority graduate students in the six represented disciplines.

How to Apply

Required documents to be submitted online

Doctoral

application form
two essays
curriculum vitae
unofficial transcript(s)
academic advisor recommendation
two additional recommendations
GRE report (if applicable—refer to the application instructions for details)

Masters

application form
one essay
curriculum vitae
unofficial transcript(s)
two recommendation letters (with recommendation forms)
GRE report (if applicable—refer to the application instructions for details)

Dates to remember

Applications will open October 1 with a January 15 submission deadline.
Review process: March through late April
Notification: mid-May via the online application system

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

Substance Use Disorders

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or noncitizen nationals;
be master’s or doctoral students in psychology, nursing, social work, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, or substance use and addictions counseling;
commit to enter careers in behavioral health services for ethnic and racial minorities who have a mental or co-occurring mental and substance use disorder immediately upon graduation.
It is not required for applicants to identify as ethnic minorities; however, African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Asian-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are especially encouraged to apply.

Additional eligibility by discipline and training level:

Marriage and Family Therapy

Master’s eligibility

must be enrolled in a program with an MFT identity

Doctoral eligibility

must be enrolled in a program with an MFT identity

Mental Health Counseling

Master’s eligibility

must not already possess a master's degree in a behavioral health field
be enrolled in a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accreditedopens in new window counseling master’s program
commit to becoming board certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification prior to graduation and to completing the application process

Doctoral eligibility

be enrolled full time in a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited doctoral counseling program
be board-certified by holding the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential

If the applicant is not currently board-certified, they must document all of the following:

a full state license as a professional counselor
a passing score on the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE)
a commitment to apply for the NCC credential and to complete the application within the shortest possible timeframe after notification of the MFP award

Nursing

Master’s eligibility

must have an active registered nurse license;
must be enrolled full-time in an accredited master’s degree behavioral health (psychiatric mental health/substance use) program in nursing.
Master’s-level curriculum and plan of study must embody behavioral health disorders prevention, treatment, and recovery that are under girded with theoretical and clinical science.

Doctoral eligibility

must have a master's degree or completed at least nine (9) credits related to psychiatric/mental health nursing or substance use
must be enrolled as a full-time doctoral student in a fully accredited nursing program in psychiatric/mental health nursing or substance use
must have an active registered nurse license

Psychology

Master’s eligibility

be enrolled full-time in a terminal master’s program in psychology that:
- prepares students to be license-eligible practitioners
- is on APA’s list of eligible programsopens in new window
- is not accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, not a marriage and family therapy program and not an addictions program

Doctoral eligibility

be enrolled full-time in an APA-accreditedopens in new window doctoral program
No fellowship support is available during a student's internship year.

Social Work

Master’s eligibility

must be enrolled at a CSWE-accredited institutionopens in new window

Doctoral eligibility

must hold a social work master’s degree from a CSWE-accredited program
- In certain cases, social work doctoral students who are license-eligible in a partner IMFP field are eligible to apply for the social work doctoral fellowship as part of the IMFP. Remember that you can only apply to one discipline per application cycle.

Please contact us for more information.

Substance Use and Addictions Counseling

Master’s eligibility

must be enrolled and be in good standing in one of the following programs:
- a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited master’s addictions counseling program or other master’s counseling program with a concentration in addictions
- a regionally accredited master’s addictions counseling program or other master’s counseling program with a concentration in addictions
- an addictions program accredited by the National Addictions Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC)

Eligible Countries:

United States

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Psychological Association

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

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

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity