Funding Opportunities
Wayne F. Placek Grants
The Wayne F. Placek Grant encourages research to increase the general public’s understanding of homosexuality and sexual orientation, and to alleviate the stress that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience in this and future civilizations.
The Wayne F. Placek Grant encourages research to increase the general public’s understanding of homosexuality and sexual orientation, and to alleviate the stress that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience in this and future civilizations. Since 1995, the Placek Fund has granted more than $1 million.
The Wayne F. Placek Grant encourages research that addresses the following topics:
- heterosexuals’ attitudes and behaviors toward LGBTQIA+ people, including prejudice, discrimination, and violence
- family and workplace issues relevant to LGBTQIA+people
- special concerns of sectors of the LGBTQIA+ population that have historically been underrepresented in scientific research
- issues concerning Black LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities
APF will give away two Wayne F. Placek Grants in 2025. One of these grants, the Wayne F. Placek Grant in Memorial of John Peterson, will be focused on psychological research into issues concerning Black LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities, that is conducted by scholars of color.
Wayne F. Placek was initially a research subject of Evelyn Hooker, a groundbreaking psychologist whose 1950s research laid the foundation for the view that homosexuality was not a form of psychopathology. Ultimately, Hooker’s research led to the removal of homosexuality as a clinical diagnosis. Placek, who identified as a gay man, was a participant in Hooker’s studies. Placek was so moved by Hooker’s work that he left his entire estate to her. He instructed that the money be used to advance the general public’s understanding of LGBTQIA+ individuals and reduce the stress and adversity experienced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Today, the Wayne F. Placek Grant has funded over $1 million in LGBTQIA+ research.
Eligibility
APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.
Applicants must be either a doctoral-level researcher or graduate student affiliated with an educational institution or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization.
Graduate students and early career researchers are encouraged to apply.
Application Instructions
Application Materials:
- project proposal
- project timeline
- detailed budget and justification
- CV
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated on:
- relevance to Placek program goals
- magnitude of incremental contribution
- quality of proposed work (significance, innovation, approach)
- applicant’s demonstrated scholarship and research competence
Please be advised that APF does not provide feedback to applicants on their proposals.
Please review our Program FAQs for important details on the application process.
Recent Recipient
Cory Cascalheira
New Mexico State University
“Towards Computationally Enhanced Technology-Delivered Interventions for LGBQ+ People: Establishing the Computational Construct Validity of Psychosocial Stress with Big Data”
Past Recipients
2024
Dr. Nicole Fran Kahn, Seattle Children’s Hospital
“Identifying data-driven and community-informed mental health intervention points for transgender and gender diverse adolescents receiving gender-affirming care”
Wayne F. Placek Grant in Memorial of John Peterson
Austin Bryan, Northwestern University
“Exploring Psychosocial Stressors and Behavioral Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Disease Among LGBTQ+ Ugandans”
2023
Cory Cascalheira, New Mexico State University
“Towards Computationally Enhanced Technology-Delivered Interventions for LGBQ+ People: Establishing the Computational Construct Validity of Psychosocial Stress with Big Data”
Wayne F. Placek Grant in Memorial of John Peterson
Jacquelyn Chin, University of California, Santa Barbara
“A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Community-Partnered Mental Health Intervention for Black Queer Young Adults”
2022
Joshua Goodman, PhD, Southern Oregon University
“Feasibility and Acceptability of a Tailored Intervention to Promote Sexual Minority-Affirming Parenting”
Jennifer Goldberg, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
“A Critical Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Queer and Trans Midwifery Service-Users in Ontario”
2021
Nicholas Perry, PhD, University of Denver, and Stephanie Goldstein, PhD, Brown University
2020
Andrea Kaniuka and Rob Cramer, PhD, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
2019
Jenna Alley, University of Utah
2018
Richard Liu, PhD, Brown University
2017
Corey Flanders, PhD, Mount Holyoke College
2016
Shana Cole, PhD, Rutgers University
2015
Luis Armando Parra, University of California, Davis
2014
David J. Lick, University of California, Los Angeles
2013
Negin Ghavami, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
“Understanding Disparities in Health and Academics of Ethnically Diverse LGBQ Students in Urban Middle Schools”
2012
Rachel Farr, PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2011
Robert J. Cramer, PhD, Sam Houston State University
Marieka M. Klawitter, PhD, University of Washington
2010
Janna Scarborough, PhD, East Tennessee State University
Peter Theodore, PhD, Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles
2009
T. Andrew Caswell, University of South Florida
Bethany G. Everett, University of Colorado, Boulder
2008 (Large)
Large
Eden King, PhD, George Mason University
Anneliese Singh, PhD, University of Georgia
Small
Christine Alksnis, PhD, Wilfrid Laurier University
K. L. Broad, PhD, University of Florida
Valerian Derlega, PhD, Old Dominion University
Nicole Rossi, PhD, Augusta State University
Tracie Stewart, PhD, Georgia State University
2007
Investigator Development Award
Mary L. Gray, PhD, Indiana University
Elizabeth Suter, PhD, University of Denver and Jody Koenig Kellas, PhD, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Large
Jennifer K. Bosson, PhD, University of South Florida
James A. Coan, PhD, University of Virginia
Lisa M. Diamond, PhD, University of Utah
Small
Eve M. Adams, PhD, New Mexico State University
Timothy J. Bilbarz, PhD, University of Southern California
Andrea Carnaghi, PhD, University of Trieste and Anne Maass, PhD, University of Padova
Debra A. Hope, PhD, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
William A. Jellison, PhD, Quinnipiac University
2006
Investigator Development Award
Debra J. Broderick, PsyD and Michael F. Steger, PhD, University of St. Thomas
Large
Abbie Goldberg, PhD, Clark University
Elizabeth Ashby Plant, PhD, Florida State University
Small
Jamie Barden, PhD, Howard University
James M. Graham, PhD, Western Washington University
Lori Patton, PhD, Iowa State University
Sharon Scales Rostosky, PhD, University of Kentucky
Meifan Wei, PhD, Iowa State University
James L. Werth, Jr, PhD, University of Akron
2005
Investigator Development Award
Jane Ward, PhD, University of California, Riverside
Large
Gregory B. Lewis, PhD, Georgia State University
Ann Marie Ryan, PhD, Michigan State University
2004
Investigator Development Award
Leslie E. Cragin, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Michelle R. Hebl, PhD, Rice University
Ann M. Ryan, PhD, Michigan State University
Melanie C. Steffens, PhD, Universitat Trier
Large
Glen I. Roisman, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign
Joe N. Rollins, PhD, Queens College, City University of New York
Small
Jessica Fields, PhD, San Francisco State University
Thomas M. Lampinen, PhD, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Sharon Scales Rostoski, PhD, University of Kentucky Research Foundation
Esther D. Rothblum, PhD, University of Vermont
Leo Wilton, PhD, Binghamton University
2003
Investigator Development Award
Melanie A. Morrison, PhD, University of Saskatchewan
Large
Donald P. Haider-Markel, PhD, University of Kansas
Bonnie Moradi, PhD, University of Florida
Larry Nucci, PhD and Stacey S. Horn, PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago
Small
Ed de St. Aubin, PhD, Marquette University
2002
Large
Michael A. Ash, PhD, University of Massachusetts
Paisley A. Currah, PhD, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Nilanjana Dasgupta, New School University
Robin J. Lewis, PhD, Old Dominion University
Small
Michael A. Ash, PhD, University of Massachusetts
Paisley A. Currah, PhD, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Nilanjana Dasgupta, New School University
Robin J. Lewis, PhD, Old Dominion University
2001
Investigator Development Award
Evelyn Blackwood, PhD, Purdue University
Peter J. Hegarty, PhD, College of Staten Island, City University of New York
Large
Ilan Meyer, PhD, Columbia University
Julianne M. Serovich, PhD and Patrick C. McKenry, PhD, Ohio State University
Jeffrey Lynn Woodyard, PhD, Stetson University
Small
Kory Floyd, PhD, Arizona State University
Monika E. Kolodzieg, PhD and Roger D. Weiss, MD, McLean Hospital
Stephen C. Wright, PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz
2000
Large
W. E. Douglas Creed, PhD, Boston College
Nilanjana Dasgupta, PhD, New School University
Sharon Scales Rostosky, PhD, University of Kentucky
Stephen T. Russell, PhD, University of California, Davis
Small
J. Michael Bailey, PhD, Northwestern University
Lisa M. Diamond, PhD, University of Utah
Ronald G. Morrow, EdD and Diana L. Gill, PhD, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
William P. Norris, PhD, Oberlin College