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Grants

Grants
May 14, 2025

 

  

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AOTF Grants

            The 2025-2026 funding cycle opening soon: Sign up for our emails

Funding Opportunities in Occupational Therapy Research

AOTF supports the advancement of occupational therapy through funding opportunities for students, clinicians, early career researchers, and experienced investigators. From scholarships and fellowships to grants and mentorship awards, these programs aim to build evidence, promote innovation, and strengthen the OT profession. Please take a look at the current and upcoming opportunities below. Timelines are subject to change.

Grants for OT Faculty/Early Career Researchers:

The mission of Implementation Research Grant program is to improve both individual patient outcomes and overall public health through better use and integration of evidence-based practice. IR grants will study the use of strategies to advance the adoption and integration of evidence-based health interventions into clinical and community settings in order to improve patient outcomes and benefit population health. Application open: Mid-August, 2025

The purpose of this grant program is to lay the necessary groundwork for larger intervention studies and support the profession's Centennial Vision of occupational therapy as science-driven and evidence-based.  Application open: Mid-August, 2025

Health Services Research examines how people get access to health care, how and what care is delivered, the cost of that care, and what happens to patients as a result of receiving or not receiving care. Specifically, HSR is a multidisciplinary field that studies how social factors, financing systems, organization structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect access to health care, the quality and costs of health care, and ultimately, the health and well-being of health care consumers. Not available in 2026 cycle.

This inaugural funding will support projects with a specific focus on the investigation of Parkinson's disease (PD) and OT intervention as well as provide a blueprint for future Foundation partnerships. Not available in 2026 cycle.

Fellowships for Post-Doctoral Researchers:

The Nedra Gillette Endowed Research Fellowship award is in support of a postdoctoral researcher's foundational occupational therapy study into the human condition. Applications open: January 5, 2026 

Seeks to improve diversity of the occupational therapy workforce by supporting postdoctoral training for individuals from groups demonstrated to have low representation in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences. Applications open: January 5, 2026 

Scholarships for OT Doctoral Students:

The Dr. A. Jean Ayres Occupational Therapy Doctoral Candidate Research Scholarship, named after the originator of sensory integration theory and practice, will support an outstanding emerging OT scientist conducting research pursuant to their dissertation plan, build evidence in sensory integration and sensory processing, as well as help increase the visibility of occupational therapy in these fields. This annual scholarship will be $5,000. Established in 2025. Applications open: January 5, 2026 

The Dr. Gary Kielhofner Doctoral Research Scholarship in Occupational Therapy will support an occupational therapist doctoral candidate in pursuing their research. Applications open: January 5, 2026 

The Bonita Kraft Occupational Therapy Doctoral Student Scholarship will support an occupational therapist doctoral candidate in pursuing research in the areas of mental health and serious mental illness. Applications open: January 5, 2026 

Mentorship and Training Funds:

The Dr. Carolyn Baum Occupational Therapy & Functional Cognition Award is a new award from American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) to an occupational therapy researcher to train their mentee.  The $10,000 award stipend is to be used by the mentor to support the research and/or research training of their mentee.  Established in 2025. Applications open: September 15, 2025 

The AOTF Standing for Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) committee is offering OT research funds to occupational therapy (OT) graduate students and clinicians from underrepresented groups to address the urgent need of broadening their representation in OT research. Applications open: June 9, 2025