Alma Empowering Minds Scholarship & Mentorship Program

Overview

American Psychological Foundation

APF is a grant-making foundation that funds early career psychologists and graduate students using psychology to solve important problems and improve people’s lives.

Alma Empowering Minds Scholarship & Mentorship Program

Alma is on a mission to simplify access to high-quality, affordable mental health care. We recognize this goal is dependent on more equitable opportunities for aspiring professionals, and the Alma Empowering Minds Scholarship is a testament to that commitment. By providing financial support and clinical mentorship for graduate students from historically marginalized communities, Alma hopes to build a brighter, more inclusive future for the next generation of providers and those they will serve.

Systemic obstacles have the power to hinder access to higher education, including graduate studies in mental health care. Our scholarship aims to break down those existing barriers and introduce more diverse perspectives, experiences, and insights to the field. Each recipient of the scholarship will receive $5,000 towards their master’s degree in mental health care and the opportunity to participate in our Empowering Minds Mentorship Program, where they will be paired with an experienced clinician and receive guidance, support, and industry knowledge for one academic school year.

The mentorship program will instill confidence and nurture personal and professional growth, ensuring students can navigate the challenges that may arise during their studies and future careers. Recipients will also have exclusive access to workshops and skill building opportunities to equip them with diverse tools and knowledge, encompassing academic expertise and essential soft skills such as communication, cultural competence, and empathy. Such holistic training will prepare our scholars to become well-rounded mental health professionals capable of impacting their communities.

We firmly believe that empowering graduates from historically marginalized communities will drive transformative change, fostering a society that embraces compassion, empathy, and understanding for all.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Applicants must:
* be from a historically marginalized community; this includes:
* LGBTQIA+ persons, Black, Latino/x, Indigenous, and Native American persons; Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; and other persons of color; persons with disabilities; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality
* be graduate level students completing their first year of coursework in a master’s degree program in a mental health discipline.
* still be enrolled when funds are disbursed.

* International applicants from countries that have diplomatic relations with the United States and who meet the other eligibility requirements may apply for APF funding.
* You can apply to as many APF programs as you like.
* Researchers can win multiple awards for different projects.
* Each individual project, however, can only win once.

Ineligibility

* APF does not allow institutional indirect/administrative/overhead costs and/or fees to be taken out of grant monies.