The Fund for Psychoanalytic Research, which was established to encourage research in or relevant to psychoanalysis, has been considering applications and awarding research grants since December 1976. Guidelines for applications to the Fund are set forth in a pamphlet available from the central office of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Details of the operation of the Fund since its inception in 1975, including a description of all the projects funded, are available in reports submitted to the Association by Robert S. Wallerstein, the first elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fund.
Twelve projects have been funded to date, involving eleven different researchers or research groups, widely distributed geographically. Commitments ranging from $2,000 to $12,000 have been made, generally on a one year basis. Requests for funds may be fully or partially granted. At the Atlanta meeting, five awards were made. Chris Heinecke (Los Angeles) received a small grant to close out his data in a study of frequency of sessions versus outcome in analyses of children. Milton Jucovy's group in New York received an award to fund the transcription of the discussions of the group of analyst investigators talking over their analytic sessions of the children of concentration camp survivors. The largest single grant to date ($12,000) was to Hartvig Dahl to conduct the linguistic, logical and psychological analysis of the processes of inference involved in the validation of psychoanalytic hypotheses in the material of actual analytic hours. A two-year commitment was made to George Engel for continuation of the follow-up studies on Monica. Peter Knapp was awarded funds for the experimental study of the free association process. All grants awarded are announced; rejected applications remain confidential.
The intention of the Fund is to assist in the payment of research costs; the time and effort of the analyst are donated. Research costs include, for example, salaries of research assistants (perhaps $8.00 per hour), transcription and computer time. Payment for individual analyses and compensation of the analyst are specifically excluded, as are institutional overhead expenses. All projects must be under institutional auspices, either an academic institution or the local psychoanalytic society or institute. The application must include clearance by the review board of the parent institution, which is expected to provide overall monitoring of the expenditures and to control disbursements.
The source of funds has been voluntary contributions of members of the American Psychoanalytic Association. The first appeal for a “voluntary assessment” of $25 to accompany annual dues was made in January, 1976. About $35,000 has been received in each of the last two years with almost 80% of the members responding with contributions of $25 or more. Initial estimates were for three to four applications for funds at each meeting, and a ceiling of $8,000 per individual grant was set. This policy led to an amount of $62,000 available by the time of the Atlanta meeting in May, 1978 when the ceiling was raised to $12,000. The number of applications received also increased (eight in Atlanta), and this trend is expected to continue as the Fund becomes more widely known. Presently there is a total of about $31,000 available for December awards. The Board is exploring other sources of funds for the future.
The Board of Directors of the Fund consists of ten members who elect their own chairman. Two Board members each are elected by the Committee on Scientific Activities, the Committee on Research and Special Training, the Committee on Psychoanalytic Education, the Editorial Board of the Journal, and the Executive Committee of the American Psychoanalytic Association (the Association's Treasurer). Terms are for three years, staggered, with eligibility for one second term. According to Dr. Wallerstein, “the general tone is optimistic. The Fund is established and in a modestly thriving state. We have felt satisfied that we are meeting a need and coping with requirements. The Fund may, however, be coming into a phase where demands outrun available resources.”