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APNA Research Grants

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association Research Grants program provides funding to enhance scientific contributions that advance the knowledge and practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing in two categories:

  • Research studies to generate new knowledge to advance psychiatric mental health nursing
  • Evidence-based practice (EBP) change or quality improvement (QI) projects to apply evidence to practice

These awards are to assist psychiatric nurse investigators in their scholarly careers and vary from $1,000-$10,000 per award. Awards are intended for investigators who are early in their careers and who have not previously had major intra- or extramural funding.

SUBMIT MY PROPOSAL

Meet the Need

Priority for funding is based upon scientific merit, potential for knowledge development, and relevance to the advancement of the knowledge and practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing. Preference is given to proposals that fit one of the following areas. Include in your application which priority area your proposal addresses:

  • Strategies and models for shared decision-making/partnering to accomplish positive mental health treatment outcomes.
  • Strategies to address disparities and promote and/or increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within mental health care, including access to care, the psychiatric-mental health nursing workforce, etc.
  • Integrated mental health care that considers developmental and holistic (biological, social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual) dimensions across the lifespan.
  • Innovative adaptations to psychiatric nursing practice and/or psychiatric nursing interventions and the impact on mental health, recovery, and healing.
  • Psychiatric-mental health nursing workplace, workplace violence, workforce, and scope of practice issues.

Applicant Eligibility

  • Applicants must be current members of APNA.
  • Applicants must be within the early stages of their scholarly careers and/or individuals who have not previously had major intra- or extramural funding.
  • Each grant applicant must be licensed as a registered nurse who focuses on psychiatric-mental health.
  • APNA will accept applications for master’s thesis or doctoral dissertations with approval by the grant applicant’s thesis, dissertation, or DNP project committee.
  • Grant recipients are eligible to apply again to the APNA grant program after 5 years.

Application & Review Process

Application

Applicants are required to submit a complete application form via the online submission site. (Here is a quick walkthrough.) You will need to log in with your APNA account in order to begin your submission.

Only complete applications will be considered; incomplete materials will not be reviewed. Each submission includes:

  • Application Form
  • Proposal (Refer to this checklist for detailed proposal guidelines.)
  • Institutional review board (IRB) approval documentation for research and EBP/QI projects
  • Budget justification
  • Letter of approval from thesis/dissertation/DNP chair via online form (if appropriate)
  • If possible, include letter of approval from facility and/or employer if serving as the data collection site
  • Curriculum vitae or biosketch with research activities. Funding history should include the year, funding agency, amount, and purpose.

Key Dates

  • April 15: Grants Announced
  • May 22: Preliminary Review Request Deadline
  • June 17: Application Deadline
  • August 22: Notifications Sent
  • September 16: Grant Recipients Announced

Review

Applications will undergo an anonymized review by a Research Review Committee Panel.  Please organize your proposal according to the review criteria:

Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of the preliminary reviews offered through the APNA Research & Scholarship Council in order to help ensure that their proposals meet the review criteria (see next section).

Applications are treated as privileged communication and are restricted to Research Grant Review Committee members, APNA Board of Directors, and staff.

Funding

1. Grant Recipients will be notified in late September with funding to commence in October.

  • For grants $5,000 and above, funds will be dispensed under the following agreement:
    • 25% of the award will be sent in the initial payment (October 2025). An additional 50% will be dispensed at 6 months (March 2026) after receipt of a progress report including expenditures to date. The final 25% of the award will be sent after submission of the final report with full budget reconciliation (October 2026). Submission to the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA) is required within the next 6 months.
  • For grants below $5,000, funds will be dispensed under the following agreement:
    • 50% of the award will be sent in the initial payment (October 2025). The remaining 50% of the award will be sent after submission of the final report with full budget reconciliation (October 2026). Submission to the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA) is required within the next 6 months.
  • A change in the disbursement schedule can be requested in writing; changes must be justified and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Release of funds will be contingent upon required itemized budget reconciliation. If expenditure reports are not received in a timely fashion, funding is not guaranteed.

2. Priority for funding is based upon scientific merit, potential for knowledge development, and relevance to the advancement of the knowledge and practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing. Preference is given to proposals that fit one of the following areas. Include in your application which priority area your proposal addresses:

  • Strategies and models for shared decision-making/partnering to accomplish positive mental health treatment outcomes
  • Strategies to address disparities and promote and/or increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within mental health care, including access to care, the psychiatric-mental health nursing workforce, etc.
  • Integrated mental health care that considers developmental and holistic (biological, social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual) dimensions across the lifespan
  • Innovative adaptations to psychiatric nursing practice and/or psychiatric nursing interventions in response to the pandemic and the impact on mental health, recovery, and healing

3. All proposals must be reviewed by an Institutional Review Board. An application may be submitted prior to IRB review but release of funds will be contingent upon APNA receiving a written copy of IRB approval. The time period allotted to attain IRB approval is within 60 days from announcement of grant recipients.

4. Budget: Only expenses essential to the conduct of the proposed project (direct costs only) will be considered for funding. Support for salary, travel, or conference registration is not allowed. Indirect costs are not allowed. Research assistant/data entry/statistician costs will be considered as a portion of funding.

2024 APNA Research Grant Recipient

The impact of discrimination and stress on unhealthy alcohol and other forms of substance use among ethnoracial minority gay, bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM)  
Wonkyung Chang, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC
PhD student at the University of Rochester

 

wonkyung-chang

Wonkyung Chang, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC, is a PhD student at the University of Rochester in New York. With experience in both clinical and research settings, Chang focuses on understanding and addressing the needs of marginalized populations, particularly in the context of substance use and mental health issues. Chang has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented her findings at several national conferences, covering topics such as eating behaviors in Mexican migrant farmworkers and HIV and substance use among high-risk populations. She recently received the first-place poster presentation award at the 2024 APNA NY chapter conference. Chang has years of experience working as a psychiatric nurse in New York and South Korea across various settings. Her clinical and immigration experiences have shaped her research and provided valuable insights. She aims to improve the understanding of substance use among marginalized populations by utilizing large national data sets for her studies.

2024 APNA Research Grant Recipient

Understanding The Lived Experiences of Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents With Perinatal Depression and Perinatal Anxiety in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida  
Olajumoke Ojeleye, PhD(c), MSN, BSN, RN, RM, RPHN
PhD candidate at the University of South Florida

ojeleye__07-22-24

Olajumoke Ojeleye is a maternal and child health nurse scientist and currently a PhD candidate at the University of South Florida. With a keen focus on perinatal mental health, Ojeleye is committed to unraveling the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents grappling with perinatal depression and anxiety in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Her passion lies in delving into the often overlooked social determinants of perinatal mental health, particularly among vulnerable populations such as pregnant and parenting adolescents. Through her research, Ojeleye aims to develop innovative and culturally adaptive interventions to improve mental health and reduce morbidity among perinatal adolescents. Her overarching objective is to significantly decrease maternal morbidity and mortality rates by addressing the critical mental health needs of this demographic. Additionally, Ojeleye is committed to teaching and mentoring, with a strong desire to support the next generation of nurses and midwives in developing a research-oriented mindset.

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