Growth in Alliant Scholarships & Fellowships
Each spring, the Alliant Educational Foundation opens its annual competitive scholarship process for Alliant University students across all campuses and programs. As of the close of the application window in late May, hundreds of applications were received from well-deserving students. In total, nearly $115K in competitive scholarships from donor-restricted funds and another $350K in AEF Fellowships funds will be awarded this coming fall for the 2026 – 2027 school year. Notably, the Foundation has just approved an additional $625K in block grant scholarship funding to be granted directly by Alliant University for the upcoming year. That brings the Foundation’s total support to nearly $1.1M for 2026 – 2027.
Board Retreat & Strategic Planning Kickoff
In conjunction with the Foundation’s plans for healthy growth and impact within the spheres of higher education and mental health, we were delighted to welcome our newest board members to join their colleagues for our annual board retreat just two weeks ago.
- Stephanie Byers-Bell
- Laura Hernandez, PsyD
- Jo Linder-Crow, PhD
- Natalie Porter, PhD
- Ray Verin
- Alan Vitolo, PhD
A very special thanks to our veteran board members whose terms will end June 30th, including:
- Ron Longinotti
- Kris Mohandie, PhD ABPP
- Don Wing, PhD
Over the course of two productive days, the retreat included a chance for board and staff to “dream big” about their hopes for the Foundation’s next three years—including in the areas of key programs impacting students, faculty and staff, and the broader communities where we work and live. Stay tuned as this work continues through the fall.
Regional Children’s Mental Health Consortium
Working closely with Alliant’s California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, the Alliant Educational Foundation has built new bridges in support of children’s mental health. At present, we’re partnering with a variety of non-profit organizations and schools who work with under-resourced infants, children, and young adults and their families.
By placing CSPP clinical psychology graduate students at these youth-serving agencies, we’re bolstering their capacity to provide high-quality mental health support to some of the populations who most desperately need it, while also providing invaluable training opportunities for CSPP students.
In addition, we’ve begun working on the third regional consortium to support CSPP-Los Angeles students in expanding their practicum opportunities with the goal of launching the new program in 2027!
New Scholarships for Alliant Students
If you would like to become a founding member of our new “Alliant Pathways Scholarship Fund” to benefit second-year CSPP students with financial need who are often the first in their family to attend college, please consider joining the new Alliant Giving Circle today!
Even small gifts can add up to make a big impact.
In late-April, the Foundation hosted the Salon titled “A.I. and Therapists: The Highs and Lows of Emerging Use,” with a panel moderated by Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden, providing expert perspectives from Drs. Milena Esherick, Anatasia Kim, and Steven Thorp.
Stay tuned for information coming soon about our July Salon building off of some great feedback from the April session.
Save the Date: CSPP Alumni & Friends Reception at APA
Join us in Washington D.C. on Thursday, August 6th from 6-8 pm (EDT) for APA’s annual convention and this year’s CSPP Alumni & Friends Reception (you can RSVP here). This year’s reception will be hosted at the Westin DC Downtown Hotel.
The Foundation celebrated quite a milestone as 2025 marked the 10-year anniversary of our founding. Our newest annual report offered the perfect place to highlight a few of the most important accomplishments during our first decade, including having…
- Funded nearly $11M in scholarships and fellowships to well-deserving Alliant University students across all campuses in the Alliant system
- Launched the AEF Fellows program, currently supporting 70 graduate students in clinical psychology as they work towards their dreams of improving their communities
- Supported over 30 faculty- and staff-led Innovation/Seed Grants in a wide variety of research and training initiatives
- Provided thousands of therapy sessions for hundreds of under-resourced children, youth, and their families over the past six years in both the San Diego and San Francisco Bay Area through our Regional Children’s Mental Health Consortia
- Benefited from five selfless Board Chairs who have given of their time and treasure to shepherd us through much of our work, including three distinct Strategic Plans
- Managed and invested nearly $10M in donor-restricted funds aimed at supporting a vast array of students and programs at Alliant University
