The American Psychological Association (APA) has allocated up to $3 million over a period of three years for seed funding to increase the number of APA-accredited internship programs and positions. The dual purposes are to expand the number of accredited internship positions and to promote quality training for professional practice. This grant program is one component of multifaceted efforts across the profession and APA to address the significant imbalance in supply and demand for accredited internships.
The APA Board of Educational Affairs believes that professional psychology and the public are best served by a workforce trained in programs that meet the standards of the profession as demonstrated through a quality assurance mechanism recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Completion of an APA-accredited internship is also a requirement for hiring by federal agencies and is increasingly required for state licensure. Moreover, unaccredited internship programs are not eligible for federal funding that focus on increasing training slots in currently accredited programs.
The Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) now welcomes grant applications from internship programs desiring to become APA accredited. These grants will be limited to internship programs operated by nonprofit entities to assist with any or all of the following expenditures toward the goal of accreditation:
- APA-accreditation application fees
- Accreditation site visit fees
- Program consultation
- Administrative and supervisory support
- Intern stipends and intern benefits
- Other specifically identified direct costs to be incurred in seeking accreditation
Grants are available to two types of internship programs: those that have already met APPIC membership criteria that indicate basic structures are in place for APA accreditation; and those that may be in early stages of development or have not yet met APPIC membership criteria. The addition of a rotation or a placement site within an existing APA-accredited internship program is not eligible for funding at this time. Accredited internship programs that have lostfunding for intern stipends or other program expenses also are not eligible for funding at this time.
The maximum grant award to a successful applicant will be $20,000. Internship programs that are awarded grants will be expected to begin the accreditation process within one year of the award.
Priority will be given to programs seeking accreditation that expand the number of internship positions, serve historically underserved populations, and/or prepare psychologists to work in integrated primary care and community health care settings.
For this round of funding, applications must be received by June 30, 2016 for award in August 2016. To apply, please complete the application found at: http://www.apa.org/about/awards/internship-program-grants.aspx. Questions concerning the grant program or applications can be directed to Jackie Tyson at jtyson@apa.org or (202) 336-5966.