Direct Action Visionary Grants

Overview

The APF Direct Action Visionary Grants seek to fund innovative interventions, based on psychological knowledge, that directly address pressing needs of communities.

Research is critical to advancing the field of psychology, but communities also need care right now. APF is uniquely positioned to accomplish both. Through APF Direct Action Visionary Grants, we are particularly interested in supporting communities and populations dealing with prejudice, bias, intolerance, and all forms of bigotry including racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and misogyny.

Projects should support APF’s four Visionary Priorities:

• Serve Marginalized Communities
• End Prejudice & Stigma
• Prevent Violence
• Explore Mind-Body Health Connections

APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.

Projects must:

• be an evidence-based psychological intervention or resource
• have demonstrated competence and capacity to execute the proposed work

Additional eligibility information:

• Project applicants may be individuals or organizations and are not required to be psychologists or mental health professionals. However, an expert in the relevant evidence-based psychological intervention or resource used for the project must be centrally involved throughout the funding timeline.
• Projects are not limited to clinical or academic settings.

Below are examples of the types of projects this grant aims to support. APF encourages innovative projects that utilize evidence-based psychological interventions and resources in new and impactful ways to reach those in need. These examples are meant to be informative, not limiting.

Example Projects

• Evaluation of the implementation of an evidence-based intervention in a specific community. Specifically, projects that adapt the intervention and resource for a community in need while maintaining fidelity to the core, evaluate or monitor the implementation (uptake) or sustainability of the intervention and resource, and scale the intervention and resource in a real-world setting (e.g., community mental health care organization, integrated behavioral health care clinic, etc.).
• Bridging the gap to bring an evidence-based intervention to a community in need. (e.g. funding for a community outreach program)
• Translation and evaluation of psychological knowledge into a form that can be easily distributed to and understood by a community in need. (e.g. development of a fact sheet on recognizing risks of suicide among LGBTQIA+ youth; translating an evidence-based resource into another language)

We will not fund the following types of projects:

• Facility renovations or acquisitions
• Proof of concept of an intervention or resource for a community in need
• Clinical trials to develop clinical applications and evidence-based guidelines for a community in need.
• Pilot studies will not be accepted unless the intervention is currently being implemented in a real-world setting.

APF will accept Letters of Intent on a rolling basis throughout the year. Submitted LOIs will be evaluated quarterly after the deadlines of October 31, 2025, January 30, April 30, July 31, and October 30, 2026.