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The Wayne F. Placek Award is intended to encourage scientific research to increase the
general public's understanding of homosexuality and to
alleviate the stress that gay men and lesbians experience
in this and future civilizations.
The award is administered by the
American Psychological Foundation.
It is funded by proceeds from a bequest that Wayne Placek left to
Dr. Evelyn Hooker, the visionary psychologist whose
pioneering research in the 1950s paved the way for the
modern view that homosexuality is not a form of
psychopathology.
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Proposals are invited annually for
empirical research from all fields of the behavioral and
social sciences.
Proposed research may deal with any topics related to lesbian, gay, or bisexual issues.
Proposals are especially encouraged for
empirical studies that address the following topics:
- prejudice, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation, including
heterosexuals' attitudes and behaviors toward lesbians and gay men;
- family and workplace issues relevant to lesbians and gay men; and
- subgroups of the lesbian and gay population that have historically been
underrepresented in scientific research, especially racial and ethnic minorities.
In 2005, the American Psychological Foundation celebrated the Placek Awards program by
publishing a retrospective report on the projects and investigators funded in the program's first decade.
The report can be downloaded here.
Here are some Placek Award facts (current as of August, 2007):
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Since the large grants program began in 1995, more than 225 proposals have been submitted, an average of 17 per year.
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Of these applications, 32 (about 14%) have been funded.
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In 1995, the first year of the program, applicants were allowed to request up to $12,000. This amount could be increased by as much as $3,000 if matching funds were provided by their home institution (yielding a total award of up to $18,000).
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By 2007, applicants could request as much as $55,000, plus another $10,000 if matching funds were obtained (yielding a total award of up to $75,000).
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Since the Small Grant mechanism's inception in 1999, a total of 90 applications have been reviewed, an average of 10 per year.
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In all, 33 small grant applications have been funded (37% of those submitted).
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For all of the Placek Awards combined, more than $1.2 million in research funding has been distributed directly to applicants.
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In addition to funds awarded directly in Placek grants, applicants' universities have contributed more than $175,000 in matching funds and in-kind services.
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Combining direct grants and matching funds, the Placek Awards program has generated more than $1.4 million in support for research on sexual minority issues.
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Dr. Gregory Herek has served as chairperson of the Scientific Review Committee since the program began.
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Another 12 researchers have served at various times on the core Committee.
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Approximately 140 researchers and professionals have served as ad hoc expert reviewers for one or more large grant applications.
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