Sponsored by the Executive Committee of Division 15
The purpose of this one-time grant opportunity is to provide some funding for members of Division 15 who are working on research projects that have either lost funding or have had opportunities for funding curtailed for research in your area of inquiry. In many areas of educational psychology research, funding opportunities have become limited. We would like to offer some support to help with your research that promotes scientific knowledge creation in educational psychology.
This funding opportunity is open to research in any area related to educational psychology. We are particularly focused on those areas that have been directly impacted by budget cuts, including research focused on marginalized communities. Because the grants we offer are not particularly large, we especially encourage applications from Division 15 members who are at a stage of their research where a $1,000 to $10,000 grant will help most.
Proposal Requirements
Qualifications
The lead authors of submitted projects must be researchers in educational psychology and must be Fellows, members, associates, or affiliates of Division 15. Applicants can be at any stage of their career, including late, middle, or early-career scholars. PhD students are welcome to apply as collaborators with a more senior scholar. Applications will be considered from individuals working in academic institutions, research and development organizations, or other research venues. For those individuals who are not currently APA or Division 15 members, they should consult the Division website on how to become a member at www.apadiv15.org/join.
Monetary Award
We have $50,000 available to fund multiple grants ranging from $1,000-$10,000. Grants funded will depend upon the quality, overall number of submissions, and alignment of the proposed project to the goals of the initiative. Requests for larger amounts will be expected to have a larger potential impact. Funds are awarded in one lump sum to the recipient’s institution; the institution must agree to be responsible for administering the funds and accounting to the IRS. These funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs; funds are only provided for direct costs associated with conducting the research. Funds may be used to pay for research assistant time, technology tools directly related to the research activities, participant incentives, and travel to the APA conference. Funds may not be used for salary or stipends, APA Division 15 membership, or fees/travel to non-APA affiliated meetings/conferences.
What to Submit
- A title page with address, institution, phone, email, and title of the research proposal.
- A proposal (blinded) of not more than four single-spaced pages describing the proposed research and use of the award. This document should be structured using the following sections: Statement of the Problem (that should underscore the theoretical framework guiding the project), Research Question(s), Methods and Design, Data Analysis, and Research Dissemination Plan. The research dissemination plan should include at least one strategy for sharing research findings with the larger, non-research-affiliated community (e.g., op-ed, policy brief, webinar, podcast, social media post, etc.) The title page, abstract, references, tables (up to 2), and/or figures (up to 2) are not counted toward the four-page limit.
- A 1-page budget outlining how the monies will be expended and justification for why the funds are needed.
- This should include a description of grant monies that were lost or grant opportunities that have been curtailed or eliminated.
- A timeline including the start and end dates of the project.
- A current vita for each author listed, including the date of conferral of doctoral degree.
- A letter of support from your institution—indicating the institution’s capacity to administer the funds (if awarded). The grant will not pay any indirect costs.
The review committee will conduct a blind review of all applications. Therefore, please use this form to submit your PDF application: https://forms.gle/zaHEMqtdkhY85s1w8.
Your PDF should be labeled with a submission file code consisting of a color name and a 4-digit number of your choosing (Pink1234, Orange5013, etc.) to avoid names or institutional affiliations associated with your submission. Please also complete all other fields on the form so that once our review process is complete, we can successfully link your proposal with your contact information to deliver decisions. If you have any difficulty using the submission form, please send your PDF proposal to Wade George by email (wade.george@apadiv15.org) instead.
When to Apply
Completed applications should be submitted by no later than 11:59 (PST) on February 15th, 2026. Awardees will be notified by March 31st, 2026, for projects slated to begin April 1, 2026. Projects should be finalized no later than April 1, 2027.
Criteria and Obligations
Applications will be evaluated based on the scientific merits of the proposed work, inclusive of the theoretical grounding of the work, how well the project aligns with the goals of the grant program, the soundness of the methods, and the implications of the potential findings for advancing research/practice in educational psychology. Awardees will be expected to turn in a brief one-page progress report midway through their proposed project.
Division 15 must be acknowledged in any presentations or publications that result from this funding. Awardees will submit a final report at the conclusion of their project.