New Small Grant Category Supports Antiracist Curricula

The APS Teaching Fund Committee has established a new grant category to encourage the development of antiracist curricula. This category of grants is designed to support “projects that aim to eliminate racial bias in online psychological science curricula and incorporate principles of racial justice into the online teaching of psychological science content.” Grants for antiracist curricula will be available twice per year as Small Grants up to $5,000 and also as part of a temporary initiative to distribute microgrants to support online learning projects in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new grants come at a time of tremendous social upheaval in response to concerns over police brutality against Black people and align with APS’s broader commitment to end systemic racism and advance equity and justice, according to Laurie Hunter, chair of the APS Teaching Fund Steering Committee. “Diversity and inclusion is an issue of critical importance in our world today,” said Hunter, a psychology lecturer at Christopher Newport University. “Encouraging students to embrace and to appreciate our differences and understand we are all part of the human race is crucial to higher education. As an institution supporting higher education and research, it is imperative APS take steps to encourage educational programs addressing diversity and inclusion. We are grateful for the endowment and for the opportunity to provide such funding.”

Established in 2006 with a $1 million gift from the David and Carol Myers Foundation, the APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science has provided financial support for dozens of projects  over the years, including video and podcast series, teaching conferences, research projects on teaching and learning, curricula supporting gender equality in STEM, and tools for teaching statistics and research methods. The Teaching Fund Steering Committee, which reviews grant applications, also chooses the speaker for the annual David Myers Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychological Science at the APS Annual Convention.

July 3 is the deadline for online learning microgrants (up to $1,000). Applications for the next round of small grants (up to $5,000) are due October 1. Learn more about the APS Teaching Fund and the projects it supports.