Division 49 Group Psychotherapy Grant

The Division 49 Group Psychotherapy Grant is administered through the American Psychological Foundation in partnership with Division 49, the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy. The program is designed to support innovative research projects focused on group psychotherapy and related group-based therapeutic interventions conducted in naturalistic settings. The grant specifically emphasizes small-group therapeutic environments and seeks to advance knowledge regarding the effectiveness, processes, and outcomes of group psychotherapy practices. In addition to the direct grant award, the selected recipient receives a three-year membership to Division 49, providing additional professional development and networking opportunities within the field of group psychology and psychotherapy. The purpose of the funding opportunity is to encourage applied research that improves understanding of therapeutic group processes and outcomes. The funding announcement highlights several priority research areas, including the efficacy of group therapy for specific disorders, the influence of member characteristics such as gender, personality, comorbidity, and disorder duration on treatment effectiveness, comparisons between therapeutic modalities such as group versus individual therapy, and the role of group climate and communication patterns in treatment outcomes. The funder also notes that projects may extend beyond formal psychotherapy groups to include health-related support groups such as smoking cessation or weight-loss support groups, provided the proposed work has clear implications for therapeutic group processes and psychological health outcomes. The grant provides one award in the amount of $1,500. The funding announcement does not specify a project period, indirect cost limitation, or matching requirement. No cost-sharing obligation is described, and applicants are not required to provide matching funds. The announcement also does not specify restrictions regarding allowable or unallowable costs, though applicants are required to submit a detailed budget and budget justification as part of the application package. Because the award amount is modest, the funding is likely intended to support pilot research activities, participant costs, limited personnel effort, or research-related operational expenses associated with group psychotherapy studies. Eligibility is limited to applicants affiliated with nonprofit charitable, educational, and scientific institutions or governmental entities operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. Applicants must also demonstrate knowledge of group psychology or group psychotherapy principles. The program explicitly encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds, including diversity in age, race, religion, nationality, ability status, sexual orientation, gender, and geography. Preference is given to early career psychologists who are within ten years postdoctoral experience and to projects that meaningfully integrate group psychotherapy into the proposed research design. The announcement does not indicate eligibility for for-profit organizations or unaffiliated individual applicants without institutional affiliation. Applications must be submitted online through the GivingData portal maintained by the American Psychological Foundation. Applicants are instructed to create or log into a GivingData account to access comprehensive application instructions and submission materials. Required application components include a project proposal, project timeline, detailed budget and budget justification, and curriculum vitae. The funding announcement does not identify a letter of intent or pre-application requirement. Applicants are also directed to review the organization’s Program FAQs for additional guidance related to the application process. The funder states that it does not provide proposal feedback to applicants after review. Applications will be evaluated according to several stated criteria. Reviewers will assess the degree to which the proposal aligns with the stated goals of the program, the quality and feasibility of the proposed research, the originality and innovation of the work, and the applicant’s demonstrated capability to execute the project successfully. Additional consideration will be given to the appropriateness of the proposed allocation of resources and the importance of the requested funding to the project’s execution, particularly when the proposed work is part of a broader funded initiative. The application deadline for the current funding cycle is June 5, 2026. The grant appears to be a recurring annual opportunity offered through the American Psychological Foundation and Division 49, although a future cycle date is not explicitly stated. Contact for application support is available through APF Programs at programs@ampsychfdn.org.

Emphasize innovative and feasible group psychotherapy research with clear therapeutic implications. Demonstrate strong methodological capability and explain how the funding is critical to project execution. Align the proposal closely with stated program goals and clearly address therapeutic group processes and outcomes.