Helping Hands grant program

The American Psychiatric Foundation's Helping Hands Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 to medical schools for mental health service projects that are created and managed by medical students, particularly in underserved minority communities. These projects can be conducted in partnership with community agencies or in conjunction with ongoing medical school outreach activities.

The program was established to encourage medical students to participate in community service activities, particularly those focused on underserved populations; raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of early recognition of illness; and build an interest amongst medical students in psychiatry and working in underserved communities. The program is supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the 2011-2012 school year is May 25, 2011 (postmark date). You may obtain the application and instructions here. Be sure to follow all instructions. Only complete applications (application form, executive summary, project narrative, and budget) will be reviewed. Information on what to include in the budget and project narrative are included in the instructions.