Home About APA Grants, Awards and Funding

APAGS Psychological Science Research Grant (PSRG)

This grant provides support for graduate students conducting psychological science research studies, with additional funding reserved specifically for diversity-focused research.

Deadline: January 31, 2024

Sponsor: APAGS

Description

The intent of this grant is to fund innovative psychological science research projects. Graduate students in all fields of psychology and neuroscience, and who are APAGS members, are eligible to apply. This grant provides $1,000 that must be used to support direct research costs. These funds can be used to pay participants, purchase essential equipment or software, acquire books or instruction manuals critical to one's line of research, or for other direct research costs. The funds cannot be used for indirect costs such as salary/stipend, travel, personal computers, or class textbooks.

Beyond the $9,000 we have allocated for this program, up to three additional grants for $1,000 will be awarded for innovative psychological science research projects specifically related to diversity. APAGS defines diversity according to APA’s Multicultural Guidelines (2017):

Diversity is “most often associated with a recognition of a range of identities and personal attributes, across the population of individuals inhabiting a particular setting or environment…To be diverse is to be made up of a broad range of individuals representing the multitude of races, creeds, religious or social identifiers, or genders that comprise humanity (or the array of potential identifiers associated with an attribute of nature). It is strongly associated with the concepts of difference, tolerance, and multicultural engagement.”

For the purposes of this grant, proposing a diverse participant sample is not sufficient criteria alone for making an innovative and significant contribution to psychological research. The candidate should discuss/justify in their proposal how this project promotes diversity (See “How to Apply” for how to submit the Diversity Supplement).

Named awards

The APAGS grant program would not be possible without the advocacy of allied psychologists and supporters over the years. Some winners of this grant will receive a named award as follows:

APAGS Ellin Bloch Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS Kenneth and Mamie Clark Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS Nancy B. Forest Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS L. Michael Honaker Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS Scott Mesh Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS David Pilon Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS Pierre Ritchie Psychological Science Research Grant
APAGS Carol Williams-Nickelson Psychological Science Research Grant

Eligibility

At the time of the application deadline, applicants must meet each of the following requirements:

Be currently enrolled at least half time as a graduate student in good standing at a regionally accredited university.
Be a graduate student member of APA, which automatically includes membership in the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS).
Have sufficient time left in their graduate program to complete the proposed project prior to degree conferral.

The following individuals are not eligible to receive this grant:

Undergraduate students (Note: Graduate students who previously joined APA as undergraduate student affiliates or associate members must ensure that their status has been changed to graduate student affiliate).
Current or former APAGS committee members, subcommittee chairs, and task force chairs.
Former APAGS subcommittee members or ad hoc reviewers who have previously reviewed this grant.
Those who have received this grant within the last five years.

APA awards and grants may be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding. Winners will need to complete either IRS form W-9 or IRS form W-8 BEN before a check can be issued.

How to Apply

Applications will open on our online submission portal approximately one month before the submission deadline. In addition to completing an application form, applicants will be instructed to upload the following document(s):

1. An abbreviated research proposal that meets the following guidelines:

No more than three single-spaced pages with 12-point Times New Roman font and 1-inch margins.
Includes specific aim(s)/purpose, background, significance, proposed research methodology, limitations and implications of proposed research, and a detailed budget.
If the proposed project is receiving funding from another mechanism, the detailed budget must include what those funds are covering and why the additional funds are needed (Note: Projects receiving external funds are permitted, given that the budget is justified).
Figures, tables, and appendices are permitted but must fit within the three-page limit.
A references section may be included on a separate page and does not count against the three-page limit.

The research proposal will be evaluated based upon the quality of the background/introduction, project motivation/rationale, proposed methodology, feasibility, and theoretical implications/overall merit.

2. For applicants wishing to be considered for the diversity-earmarked funding, please include an additional statement that meets the following guidelines:

On a separate page from the research proposal.
No more than 250 words.
Explains (1) how this research applies to one or more areas of diversity, and (2) how the overall merit and broader implications of this study contribute to our psychological understanding of diversity.

Note: Applications that are not selected for diversity-earmarked funding will still be considered in the general pool of applicants for this grant.

3. Please submit all materials, if applicable, in a single PDF file in the order listed above. Please name the file “APA Membership Number_PSRG_2024”. Aside from your APA member number, do not include any identifying information (I.e., name, institution) in your statement(s). For instructions on how to merge multiple files into a single PDF, see How to merge files into one PDF.

Submit Application Materials

The online submission portal will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 31, 2024. Applications that are submitted through means other than the online submission portal, or that do not follow the formatting requirements above, will not be reviewed.

All applicants will be notified of their status in March 2024.

Past Recipients