FAHS Minority Fellowship Program Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Do I have to be a member of an racial or ethnic minority group to apply?

No, you do not have to be a member of ethnic minority group.  Eligible individuals include United States citizens and permanent visa residents, including, but not limited to, those who identify as Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Asian American, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Latino/a, or Spanish origin, LGBT, bi/multilingual, or an individual with one or more disability.

Additionally, race/ethnicity data for MFP applicants and MFP Fellows can be found by visiting the MFP Program Data Page .

What are the Hours of Operation for the Minority Fellowship Program?

9:00AM - 5:30PM EST

How do Fellows reapply for the Fellowship?

Fellows must submit an application to reapply for the award each year. Their application materials will be evaluated by the Advisory Committee on all listed selection criteria for reapplication.

For additional application information please visit the MFP Application Information Page.

How do Fellows receive their stipend?

  • MFP Fellows receive a stipend disbursed in payments via direct deposit to the Fellow's bank account.
    • o The very first stipend payment usually comes in the form of a mailed check.
    • o This stipend should be used towards their tuition, doctoral research, and completion of their degree.
    • o Stipend distribution is contingent upon completion of required quarterly reports, assignments and tasks.

If I receive support from another federally-funded training grant, may I also accept funding from the MFP?

No. Individuals supported by other federal training grants are not eligible for support from the MFP.

What if the funding is from a private foundation, the state, or the university?

Please contact our office for guidance. Funding eligibility in these instances will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

When are the MFP training event dates?

The following In-person MFP training events are scheduled for the 2023-2024 MFP Program Year

  • The 2023 AAMFT virtual Annual Conference- October 25-27,2023
  • The 2023 All Intensive Training Institute- November 13-18, 2023
  • 2024 MFP Doctoral Training Institute- May 15-19, 2024 

For more information on MFP Training events please visit the MFP Training Events page.

Minority Fellowship – Doctoral and Dissertation Completion Fellowship Questions

Am I required to specialize in substance abuse?

No. However, each Fellow must agree to receive some AAMFT provided or approved training specific to providing mental health and substance abuse services to minority and underserved populations.

How long do the Fellowships last?

Both the Dissertation Completion Fellowship (DCF) and the Doctoral Fellowship (DF) are awarded for one year. DF Fellows are eligible to reapply and receive the award up to three times. DCF Fellows are eligible to reapply and receive the award up to two times. Awards for both Fellowships are contingent upon selection by the Advisory Committee (AC) and continued support from our federal funding agency. Beyond the stipend support, Fellows are expected to maintain a career-long relationship with the MFP for professional development, guidance, and association.

What benefits do Fellows receive?

  • AAMFT training opportunities and enrichment experiences
  • Significant Educational Stipend
  • Travel Support to MFP Training Events
  • Winter Training Institute which provide training specific to providing cultural competence, mental health and substance abuse services to underserved minority populations
  • Travel support to the AAMFT Annual Conference
    • DF Fellows and DCF Fellows will receive reimbursement to cover all costs of attendance at the AAMFT Annual--attendance at the conference will provide continuing education and cross-collaboration with faculty and other leaders in the field, as well as an opportunity to present their work.
    • For more information on MFP Financial Support and Benefits please see the MFP Fact Sheet  for funding limits. For student member benefits please click here.

Can I apply while in my master’s program?

Yes. Applicants in the last year of their master’s program can apply for the MFP. Note that all selected applicants for the Fellowship will need to provide proof that they will be enrolled full time in a Doctoral.

MFT program by the start of the MFP program year September 30.

Minority Fellowship Program – Youth Questions

Can I apply while in my undergraduate program?

Yes. Applicants in the last year of their undergraduate program can apply for the MFP. Note that all selected applicants for the Fellowship will need to be enrolled in a MFT Master’s program as a full-time student by start of the MFP-Y program year (September 30).

How long do the Fellowships last?

The MFP-Y Fellowship is awarded for one year. Fellows are eligible to reapply and receive the award up to three times. Awards for the Fellowship are contingent upon selection by the Advisory Committee (AC) and continued support from our federal funding agency. Beyond the stipend support, Fellows are expected to maintain a career-long relationship with the MFP for professional development, guidance, and association.

What benefits do Fellows receive?

  • AAMFT training opportunities and enrichment experiences
  • Significant Educational Stipend
  • Travel Support to MFP Training Events
  • Travel support to the AAMFT Annual Conference
    • o Fellows will receive reimbursement to cover all costs of attendance at the AAMFT Annual--attendance at the conference will provide continuing education and cross-collaboration with faculty and other leaders in the field, as well as an opportunity to present their work.
    • o For more information on MFP Financial Support and Benefits please visit the Finance and Support Benefits page.

What is the eligibility information for the MFP-Y?

The eligibility information can be located on the MFP Program Information page.

When is the MFP-Y application due?

The MFP-Y application will open in December.  AAMFT MFP provides applicants approximately 2 months to complete the application. For more information, visit the MFP Application Information page. 

Does my masters MFT program need to be COAMFTE accredited to apply?

No. You do not need to attend a COAMFTE accredited MFT program in order to apply for the MFP. To visit the COAMFTE directory click here.

Is my master’s program eligible?

The identity of the academic program must be a MFT identity. For more information, visit the MFP Program Information page.

Am I required to specialize in substance abuse?

No. MFP-Y applicants should have research or service targeted toward youth population between the ages of 16-25.

Application Questions

Do I need to be an active AAMFT Member to apply for the MFP?

Yes-all applicants must be active AAMFT members with current AAMFT login and password information.

For more information on becoming an AAMFT member please visit the AAMFT Membership page. Note for non AAMFT members: The AAMFT membership application process can take up to 7-10 business days- please keep this in mind when applying for the MFP, as all MFP application materials must be received by the MFP application deadline.

Can I attach files or additional documents to my application?

Yes-allowable file size and types may vary depending on the question in the application requesting supplemental information (eg, unofficial transcripts, CV/Resume, etc.).

How will my recommenders provide their recommendation for my application?

All applicants will be required to provide accurate contact information (full name & primary email address) for Academic Advisors/Recommenders listed in their application for the MFP. 

Applicants will have the option of providing their recommender contact information prior to the completion of their application. This will allow recommenders more time to submit the required information by the application deadline.

Please note that all application materials, including the complete application form and all required recommendation forms should be submitted prior to the application deadline. Applications that do not comply with submission requirements will not be reviewed.

For more information on required application materials including unofficial transcripts, recommendations and application deadline information, please visit the MFP Application Information page (www.humansyst.org/mfp).

What are the criteria used to select Fellows?

  • Demonstrated commitment to culturally competent research and/or service to ethnic minority and underserved populations in the areas of mental health and/or substance abuse
  • Knowledge of mental health services issues
  • Research or Service Focus
  • Fit between career goals and training environment
  • Potential to become a culturally competent mental health service provider demonstrated through accomplishments and goals
  • Scholarship/grades/Letters of recommendation
  • Must be enrolled as a full-time student by the start of the fellowship year.

When are selections announced for the Fellowship?

Selections for the Doctoral and Dissertation Completion Fellowships are announced by the end of the MFP program year-currently July 31st of each calendar year. The MFP-Youth selections are announced before September 30th of each calendar year.

Can I submit my application after the deadline?

No-the online application will be closed after the indicated application deadline. All recommendations must also be submitted by the deadline. For more information on the application deadline and additional submission requirements please visit the MFP Application Information page.

When can I expect to get an update on my application?

All applicants will receive confirmations of both their submission and that of their recommender(s), via email shortly after the submission of the respective portions of the application.

The following list provides additional information on the application status/process and notifications regarding the MFP application.

  1. Applicant Application Submission
    1. All applicants will receive a confirmation email following the completion of the Fellowship Application Form. This confirmation will be sent via email to the primary email address provided in the application.
  2. Academic Advisor/Recommender submissions
    1. For DCF/DF, Fellows are required to have 3 Academic Advisor/Recommender submissions. For MFP-Y, Fellows are required to have 2 Academic Advisor/Recommender submissions.
    2. All applicants will receive confirmation emails following the submission of each recommendation form by each listed recommender.
  3. Application Review Process
    1. Pending the successful completion of steps 1 and 2 above, applications will be reviewed by the MFP Advisory Committee.
    2. Note that all applicants will receive an email notification indicating whether or not their application has been forwarded for review by the MFP and its Advisory Committee.
    3. As part of the process, applicants may be asked to provide additional documentation.
  4. Fellowship Award Notification
    1. Applications that have been selected for an MFP Fellowship Award will be notified via email and provided additional information required to officially accept the award and all associated program benefits (mentorship, skills development, professional development trainings, stipends, etc.).

Can I save my application and continue it later?

Yes-to do so select the “save and continue application” option on the top of the application page. After providing your email address, you will receive a link to your saved survey via email. If you do not receive this link, check your junk/filter inbox settings and/or folders. You will need to confirm receipt of your “save and continue application” link prior to exiting the application. Your recommenders will also have the option to save and continue when completing their recommendations by following the process outlined above.

Can I provide unofficial copies of my transcript in my application?

Yes–all applicants will be required to provide unofficial transcripts as supplemental documentation prior to the submission of their application. For more information on supplemental documentation please visit the MFP Application Information page.

Note that the transcript document that you upload to your MFP application must have all your course work listed including any credit transfer from previous academic institutions, information on the institution where you obtained your degree (name, address, etc.), and a clearly stated overall GPA section. All required supplemental documentation (transcripts, CVs, etc.) should be uploaded and submitted with the electronic MFP application on or before the stated MFP application deadline.

Do I need to provide copies of my GREs as part of the application?

Only if available. If you do not have access to your GREs you will be required to provide an explanation in the application (eg, not required by my current/future MFT program, scores have expired, etc.). If you have access to your GRE scores you can either upload a copy to your application or mail a copy to

AAMFT MFP. For more information on the GRE and other supplemental documentation please visit the

MFP Application Information page. Please note that GRE scores are not used in the selection of Fellows.

I didn’t receive an email confirmation after my submission-what should I do?

Be sure to check your junk/filter inbox settings and/or folders. If you are still unable to receive this confirmation email feel free to contact us at [email protected].

My recommenders did not receive an email regarding my application-what should I do?

They should be sure to check their junk/filter inbox settings and/or folders. If they still did not receive an email regarding your application they should contact us at [email protected].

Does my MFT program need to be COAMFTE accredited to apply?

No. You do not need to attend a COAMFTE accredited MFT program in order to apply for the MFP. Your

MFT program needs to be at a regionally accredited academic institution.

If I attend an online doctoral or masters MFT program can I still apply?

Yes, as long as you’re online MFT program is in a regionally accredited academic institution and you are a full-time student.

Technical Assistance

What internet browser should I use to complete my application?

Latest versions of:

  1. Mozilla Firefox
  2. Google Chrome
  3. Internet Explorer
  4. Safari

Note that you should have JavaScript enabled in your browser to ensure that all facets of the application are available to you.

The online application is not allowing me to add more text to a response- what should I do?

Review character limits- there are character limits to responses for some questions. For example, Essay questions are limited to responses containing no more than 4500 characters including spaces

Remove text formatting- Ensure that if you are copying and pasting information into the form that unnecessary formatting is removed.

Update your internet browser- ensure that you are using an up to date version of one of the following Mozilla Firefox,

Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer.