Funds are available from the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health to support group psychotherapy research that focuses on one of five clinical populations: children, the elderly, the chronic mentally ill, substance abusers and significantly ill patients with marked functional impairment.  The Group Psychotherapy Foundation is seeking research-focused, rather than program-focused, applications

Grants are typically awarded at $2,500-$15,000 depending on the importance of the research to the field, the seniority of the investigators and the number of research applications received. Grant funding can be used to support the basic costs of research, e.g., supplies, research equipment, photocopying, postage, computer services, statistical consultation and research assistant salaries; investigator salaries and travel expenses are not funded. (Equipment purchased for use with a research project is to be donated to an institution at the completion of the project.) Grant monies are awarded with an expected completion of the project in one year as follows: fifty percent upon grant approval, forty percent upon submission of a six month progress report and the final ten percent upon receipt of a post project report.

The deadline for receipt of research grant application materials is November 1^st. Email submission is preferred; application materials should be sent to the Group Foundation at dfeirman@agpa.org.  If mailed, one copy should be sent to the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health at 25 East 21st Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10010.  The application form may be reproduced in word with electronic signature, scanned and emailed, faxed or mailed.

Applications must include:

1. Completed application form (initial signature page);

2. 1-page summary of research project;

3. Detailed description of research project which covers the 8 areas mentioned below;

4. Budget information;

5. Information about the investigators, including curriculum vitae of principal investigator;

6. Approval form from the appropriate local ethics review board;

7. Sample of participant consent form;

8. Optional additional materials, e.g., letters of support, reprints.

Applications will be reviewed by researchers who are experts in the field of group psychotherapy research.  Applications are given scores from 1 – 5 on each of the following areas:

1.    Importance of the topic (from “not at all important” to “very important”).  Successful applications will make a compelling and logical argument for why the completion of the research project would move the field of group psychotherapy research forward and/or improve public health.

2.    Would the study contribute to the body of evidence supporting the efficacy of group psychotherapy (rated from “not at all” to “greatly”)?  Successful applications will illustrate how the research study, if conducted, will provide a needed contribution to the existing group psychotherapy literature. 

3.    Coverage of the literature (rated from “poor” to “excellent”).  Successful applications will provide an organized, focused review of the literature on which the study is built, illustrating the contribution that the new study would provide.

4.    Conceptual framework (rated from “poor” to “clear and compelling”).  Successful applications will provide a clearly delineated theoretical rationale for their intervention strategy, possibly including a diagram or other description of how the intervention affects its  proximal and ultimate targets. 

5.    Methodological rigor (rated from “flawed” to “state-of-the-art”).  Successful applications will provide a clear rationale for the choice of study design (e.g., open trial, non-randomized control, randomized control), along with a clear and accurate description of how the design will help meet the purposes of the study.  For example, a small open trial of a new treatment can be extremely useful for working on additional treatment development and demonstrating feasibility and acceptability of the new treatment, but it cannot demonstrate treatment efficacy. 

6.    Appropriateness of measures (psychometric quality, relevance; rated from “inappropriate” to “appropriate”).  Successful applications will use instruments that measure the constructs in question and will include information on the reliability and validity of the measures for the target population. 

7.    Appropriateness of statistical approach (relevant analyses, power considerations, etc.; rated from “inappropriate” to “appropriate”).  Successful applications will include a complete and appropriate analytic plan.

8.    Feasibility of study (investigator experience, realistic proposal, etc; rated from “doubtful” to “no concerns”).  Successful applications will be feasible.

The detailed project summaries should be detailed enough to allow reviewers to accurately rate each of these eight categories.  There are no page limits for the Group Foundation grant applications. 

In addition, recipients must agree to accept the conditions governing the award as determined by the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health which include:

1. Carrying out the project as approved by the Group Foundation;

2. Submitting progress reports as requested by the Group Foundation;

3. Submitting a final report no later than three months after completion of the project;

4. Returning any unspent funds to the Group Foundation.