What American Psychological Foundation does

The American Psychological Foundation (APF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaking foundation founded in 1953 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It operates as a portfolio of competitive research grants, scholarships, fellowships, and Direct Action programs that translate evidence-based psychological science into community interventions, disbursing over $2.4 million annually across 88+ programs to 143 universities and organizations in 2025. Its grantmaking portfolio spans established research funding streams — including the Wayne F. Placek Grants (LGBTQIA+ research since 1995, over $1 million cumulative), Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant, Springfield Research Fund, Marian R. Stuart Grant, and FRED Scholarship — alongside newer Direct Action programs such as the Visionary Grants (up to $60,000 each), the Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative (2,000+ support sessions, 75+ collaborators), and GPS Group Peer Support.

APF's business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: it is funded by 600+ individual, corporate, and institutional donors in 2025 through donations, bequests, Corporate Alliance and Nonprofit Alliance partnerships, and legacy funds (Wayne F. Placek, Franklyn Springfield Awareness Fund). It is legally distinct from but affiliated with the American Psychological Association, and is governed by a Board of Trustees with senior leadership including CEO Michelle Quist Ryder, PhD and President Terence Keane, PhD. Distribution operates through the GivingData online grant application portal, direct grant disbursement, and a partner network spanning The Kennedy Forum, American Medical Association, Ballmer Group, Third Horizon, and Purdue University Global. The foundation does not sell products or services; its customers are grantees (researchers, students, community organizations, and clinical practitioners serving marginalized populations including LGBTQIA+, Latine, Jewish, and addiction-affected communities), and its "revenue" consists of philanthropic contributions supporting annual grant outflow.

Name

American Psychological Foundation

Legal name

American Psychological Foundation

Website

https://ampsychfdn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Psychological Foundation is a 501(c)(3) grantmaking foundation that disburses over $2.4 million annually across 88+ programs funding psychological research, scholarships, and community-based mental health interventions for marginalized populations in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI)

Keywords

• Psychological research funding
• Grantmaking foundation
• Nonprofit philanthropy
• Community mental health
• Academic scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: APF operates as a grantmaking foundation funded entirely through donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional donors. The foundation disburses grants to support psychological research and community interventions.
2. Donor Partnerships: Partnership programs including Corporate Alliance and Nonprofit Alliance where organizations contribute financially to support APF's mission and programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The American Psychological Foundation (APF) is a 501(c)(3) grantmaking foundation that funds psychological research, scholarships, and community-based mental health interventions. It disburses over $2.4 million annually across 88+ programs, including research grants (e.g., Wayne F. Placek Grants, Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant), student scholarships, and Direct Action programs (e.g., Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative, GPS Group Peer Support) that translate psychological science into community-level interventions.

Product overview

The American Psychological Foundation (APF) is a grantmaking foundation that operates as a portfolio of research funding programs and Direct Action initiatives rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include competitive grant and scholarship programs that fund psychological research (such as the Wayne F. Placek Grants, Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant, and Springfield Research Fund programs) alongside Direct Action programs that implement evidence-based psychological interventions directly in communities (including JCMHI, GPS Group Peer Support, and Direct Action Visionary Grants). APF disburses over $2.4 million annually across 88+ programs spanning 70 years of operation, focused on advancing psychological knowledge through innovation in research and community-based applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Direct Action: APF initiative that translates evidence-based psychological research into tangible, community-level impact through grants and programs
• Franklyn Springfield Awareness Fund
• Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative (JCMHI)
• GPS Group Peer Support
• Mental Health Parity Index

Products and services

• Wayne F. Placek Grants Competitive research grants funding scholarly research on LGBTQIA+ topics and sexual orientation; intended for researchers in psychology and related disciplines.
• Springfield Research Fund Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• 143 universities and organizations funded in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Kennedy ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPF collaborates with The Kennedy Forum on the Mental Health Parity Index, a nationwide initiative providing real-time data on mental health and substance use coverage metrics. This partnership addresses patient access and clinician pay issues.
• Purdue University GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides APF with benefits related to hiring, job postings, internships, and work study placements. A mutually beneficial relationship supporting organizational capacity building.
• Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative (JCMHI)coreOthersJCMHI is a Direct Action Program of APF providing free clinician-led support groups for Jewish adults. APF provides organizational infrastructure and funding while JCMHI delivers direct services and conducts research.
• GPS Group Peer SupportcoreOthersGPS is a Direct Action Program of APF supporting expansion of evidence-based peer support groups to communities in need. APF provides infrastructure and support for the GPS model's continued adaptation and deployment.
• Third HorizoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in the Mental Health Parity Index initiative, collaborating on data analysis and index development alongside The Kennedy Forum, AMA, and Ballmer Group.
• American Medical Association (AMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner on the Mental Health Parity Index initiative, bringing medical perspective to mental health parity monitoring and advocacy.
• Trans Mentor ProjectcoreOthersDirect Action Visionary Grant recipient providing national virtual mentoring for transgender and nonbinary youth. APF funding supports program scaling and mixed-methods research evaluation.
• APA Leadership Development InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology Signature Program Scholarship, providing leadership development for women in the psychology field.
• Minority Fellowship Program (MFP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Fund for Racial and Ethnic Diversity (FRED) Scholarship for Emerging Scholars, supporting students from underrepresented communities of color.
• University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Angela Matijczak from UW-Milwaukee serves as co-investigator on Trans Mentor Project's Youth Participatory Action Research group.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: National nonprofit funding cutting-edge research in psychiatric and mental health disorders. Directly comparable to APF as a peer grantmaking foundation focused on psychological/behavioral health research funding for investigators and early career researchers.
• William T. Grant Foundation: Private grantmaking foundation supporting research on youth development and inequality. Comparable as a research-focused philanthropic foundation with scholar awards, early career programs, and evidence-based interventions — overlapping APF's graduate student and marginalized-community funding.
• Dana Foundation: Private philanthropic organization funding brain science research and public education. Comparable to APF as a specialist neuroscience/psychology grantmaker supporting investigators and education programs for the broader brain and behavior community.

Broad incumbents

• American Psychological Association: The largest professional organization for psychologists in the U.S., operating scholarships, fellowships, and research awards that overlap APF's funding mission. Affiliated with APF but broader in scope — also a major funder of psychological science and advocacy.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: One of the largest U.S. health-focused grantmaking foundations, funding research and programs on health equity and mental health. Comparable to APF in funding community-based mental health interventions but at vastly greater scale and broader scope.
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): The largest U.S. federal funder of mental health research, supporting investigator-initiated grants and training awards. Comparable to APF as a primary funder of psychological and mental health research, but operating at multi-billion-dollar scale as a federal agency.

Emerging players

• Spencer Foundation: Private grantmaking foundation funding education research broadly. Comparable to APF in funding graduate student and early career researchers, but focused on education rather than psychology specifically — a neighboring research-funding niche.
• Society for Research in Child Development: Professional association supporting developmental psychology and child-focused research, with its own small research grant programs. Comparable to APF in funding developmental and child psychology researchers, particularly early career investigators.

Others

• Mental Health America: Nation's oldest mental health advocacy nonprofit, providing screening tools, public education, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a community-facing organization in the mental health space that also bestows recognition awards (e.g., Bell Seal) — adjacent rather than directly competitive.
• McNally Memorial Fund / McNally Family Foundation: Listed for adjacency: MacArthur Foundation funds mental health research and equity-oriented philanthropy relevant to APF's mission but at vastly different scale and thematic focus. Included as a representative large-scale comparator on grantmaking capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AmPsychFdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericanPsychologicalFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-psychological-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ampsychfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Psychological Foundation