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Dalmas A. Taylor Memorial Summer Minority Policy Fellowship

The application deadline for the Summer 2024 Taylor Fellowship is February 1, 2024.


ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

This predoctoral fellowship honors the memory of Dalmas A. Taylor, who passed away during his term as President of SPSSI. Dr. Taylor had been involved for many years with SPSSI. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Psychological Association and in increasing APA’s attention to the inclusion of people of color.

This fellowship is funded by SPSSI and administered in conjunction with APA Advocacy and the APA Minority Fellowship Program. It provides an opportunity for a doctoral student who is an ethnic minority to work on public policy issues for an entire summer.

Read comments from some of our past fellows here.

See a list of past fellows here.


A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FELLOW

Historically, the Taylor Fellow has come to Washington, DC for the summer to work alongside SPSSI and APA policy staff and attend policy events on Capitol Hill in person. In the summers of 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Taylor Fellow worked remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and because many DC-based offices (including APA and SPSSI) transitioned to remote work. Thankfully, congressional offices have now reopened, many federal agency offices are back to in-person or hybrid schedules, and many other Washington-based organizations have returned to in-person or hybrid schedules. Many events, such as congressional receptions and federal agency advisory meetings, are again being held in person (they are also now streamed online, which many were not before the pandemic). Once the ideal candidate is identified for the Summer 2024 fellowship, they can expect to discuss fellowship logistics with SPSSI staff so that together we can craft an in-person and virtual fellowship experience that takes into account the candidate's personal considerations (e.g., beginning the fellowship at a convenient time in the fellow's academic schedule). 

The Taylor Fellowship program emphasizes participation in a range of policy activities and can include a number of projects. In addition to attending congressional hearings and briefings, and other federal policy-focused events (e.g., meetings with federal agencies and policy coalitions), the Taylor Fellow can:

  • Craft a policy brief

  • Write a blog post for SPSSI’s “Sound Science, Sound Policy” blog, which is published by PsychologyToday

  • Plan a policy-focused webinar for SPSSI members and the broader social justice-minded APA community

  • Write a newsletter column for SPSSI’s member e-newsletter, Forward

As part of the fellowship, the Taylor Fellow will also:

  • Participate in SPSSI's Summer Conference and Policy Workshop preconference in Philadelphia (June 20-23, 2024)

  • Meet SPSSI leaders and leaders at the intersection of the psychology and policy world

  • Conduct background research and draft policy materials alongside APA Public Interest Government Relations staff

  • Participate in APA’s Minority Fellowship Program Summer Psychology Institute (typically held in person in Washington, DC in late June or early July)


ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be currently enrolled and in good standing in an accredited doctoral program in psychology or a related field. In addition, they must be a member of an ethnic minority group (including, but not limited to, African American, Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian American, Latinx, and Pacific Islander) and/or have demonstrated a commitment to a career with a focus on ethnic minority issues. Applicants should not have completed their doctoral program by the time they begin the fellowship.

Applicants should ensure that, if selected for the fellowship, their schedules would allow them to attend the SPSSI Summer Conference and Policy Workshop preconference (June 20-23, 2024), which SPSSI would pay for.


AWARD AND CRITERIA

The summer fellowship is a full-time commitment and runs 8-12 weeks. While the timing is flexible, we recommend that fellows aim to begin the fellowship no later than mid-June (as most of Washington goes on vacation in August). The summer stipend is $3,000. The fellow also attends the SPSSI Summer Conference and the week-long APA Minority Fellowship Program Summer Psychology Institute free of charge.

SPSSI will reimburse the fellow up to $1,500 for travel/relocation to DC and/or living expenses in DC. (Note: The fellow will be responsible for making their own housing arrangements.)


The application should include:

1. A cover page stating your name, institution, address, telephone number, and email address

2. A statement (of no more than 1,000 words) with detailed information that includes:
     (a) the reason for your interest in this fellowship;
     (b) your current and previous research and experiences;
     (c) an indication of your interest in ethnic minority psychological issues; and
     (d) a statement of how this fellowship would contribute to your career goals

3. Two letters of recommendation

4. Your curriculum vitae


HOW TO APPLY

Click here to submit an application.

Online submissions are the preferred method. You are limited to five files to upload at any given time, and submissions must be limited to this number. At the time you submit your completed application, please also send an email to SPSSI's Central Office at awards@spssi.org. As the subject of the email, write "Taylor application." In the body of the email include the information from your cover page. Recommendation letters should be included with your uploaded materials if possible. If preferred, please have recommendation letters emailed to awards@spssi.org for inclusion.   


DEADLINE

This is an annual fellowship program. The application deadline for the Summer 2024 Taylor Fellowship is February 1, 2024. 


IMPORTANT NOTE

All applicants for the Taylor Fellowship are strongly encouraged to also apply for the APA Minority Fellowship Program Psychology Summer Institute, which takes place in late June or early July. Preference for the Taylor Fellowship will be given to applicants who plan to apply to both programs.


QUESTIONS?

Contact the SPSSI Policy and Communications Director, Sam Abbott, at sabbott@spssi.org.