Funding Opportunities

Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and trans (LGBTQIA+) people face many challenges in forming, defining, and maintaining families. This program seeks to encourage the study of LGBTQIA+ family psychology and therapy through its support of promising young investigators whose graduate research is oriented toward issues in this general area.

Deadline: November 27, 2024
Amount: 1 grant of $10,000
Sponsors: APF

This program is no longer accepting applications for 2025.

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) people face many challenges in forming, defining, and maintaining families. This program seeks to encourage the study of LGBTQIA+ family psychology and therapy through its support of promising young investigators whose graduate research is oriented toward issues in this general area. Preference is given to advanced students who have demonstrated their commitment to this area through their dissertation research plans.

Program Goals:

  • encourage talented students to orient their careers toward engaging LGBTQIA+ family issues through basic and/or applied research
  • advance the understanding of problems faced by LGBTQIA+ families including those associated with cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and family structure diversity
  • advance the understanding of successful coping mechanisms including sources of support and resilience for family members
  • advance the understanding of clinical issues and interventions in the domain of LGBTQIA+ 

Roy Scrivner was a psychologist well-known for his passion and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. Scrivner founded APA’s Division of Family Psychology’s Committee on Lesbian and Gay Family Issues and received numerous awards for his contributions to LGBTQIA+ psychology. Scrivner became president of the Texas Psychological Association in 1992, becoming the first openly gay president of a state psychological association in the United States. During his time at the Texas Psychological Association, Scrivner was an instrumental figure in repealing Texas’s law that prohibited same-sex sexual relations. Scrivner’s work has significantly impacted psychological representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, and his legacy lives on through the Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant.

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 an advanced graduate student, in good standing, endorsed by supervising professor
  • have a demonstrated commitment to LGBTQIA+ family issues

Application Instructions

Application Materials: 

  • project proposal
  • project timeline
  • detailed budget and justification
  • CV
  • letter of recommendation from faculty advisor

Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated on:

  • goals and objectives
  • innovation and impact
  • methodology and quality
  • budget allocation

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

Muzi Nina Li

Purdue University

“Development and Validation of the Chinese Sexual Minority Future Family Formation Grief (FFFG) Scale”

Past Recipients

2024

Muzi Nina Li, Purdue University
“Development and Validation of the Chinese Sexual Minority Future Family Formation Grief (FFFG) Scale”

2023

JoonWoo Lee, M.Ed, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Transgender and Nonbinary Peoples’ Experience of Relational Trauma with Parental Figures”

2022

Lamont Stanley Bryant, University of Virginia
“Family of Origin & Chosen Family Social Support Dynamics Informing Sexual Gender Identity”

2021

Sara Bybee, University of Utah
“Post-traumatic growth among sexual and gender minority families facing advanced cancer”

2020

Melissa Halperin Manley, Clark University
“A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Sexual Minority Parents’ Experiences with Consensual Non-Monogamy”

2019

Em Matsuno, University of California, Santa Barbara
“Efficacy of an Online Intervention to Increase Supportive Behaviors Among Parents of Trans Youth”

2018

Kimberly Pentel, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
“Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy for Same-Sex Female Couples: A Pilot Study of the ACCESS Program.”

2017

Shannon Dunlap, University of California, Los Angeles
“Investigating the impact of transgender-related minority stress and parent-adolescent functioning.”

2016

Sasha Canan, University of Arkansas
“A Mixed-methods Study of Sexual violence and Familial Support in Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Adults”

2015

Hongjian Cao, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
“Experiences of Stress and Romantic Relationship Among Same-Sex Couples: General Stress versus Minority Stress”

2014

Erin Burke, Yale University
“What About Gay Fathers? Hormones and Fatherhood in Same-Sex Male Couples”

2013

Shelby Scott, University of Denver
“Understanding Unique Challenges and Communication in Lesbian Romantic Relationships: Developing Guidelines for Practitioners” 

2012

Amanda Veldorale-Brogan, Florida State University

2011

Joshua Kellison, Arizona State University

2010

Marco Armando Hidalgo, DePaul University

2009

Brian Buzzella, Boston University

Joanna Thome, Roosevelt University

2008

Allen Omoto, PhD, Claremont Grad University 

Anessa Flentje, PhD, University of Montana

2007

Kelly Blasko, Pennsylvania State University

2006

Charles Strohm, University of California, Los Angeles

Abbie Goldberg, PhD, Clark University

2005

Katherine A. Kuvalanka, University of Maryland, College Park

Cara C. Bergstrom, University of Michigan

Nanette K. Gartrell, MD, University of California Medical School, San Francisco

2004

Sondra E. Soloman, PhD, University of Vermont

Mary Jane Phillips, Georgia State University

Kelly A. Blasco, Pennsylvania State University

2003

Geoffrey L. Ream, Cornell University

Jelica Todosijevic, University of Vermont

2002

Abbie Goldberg, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Kimberly F. Balsam, University of Vermont

Brian D. Carpenter, PhD, Washington University

2001

Kevin Pedretti, Stanford University

Mary L. Lambert, University of Maryland

Esther D. Rothblum, PhD, University of Vermont

Nanette K. Gartrell, MD, University of California Medical School, San Francisco

2000

Kory Floyd, PhD, Cleveland State University

Charlotte J. Patterson, PhD, University of Virginia