Minority Fellowship Program

The NBCC Foundation and NAADAC are pleased to announce the 2022 application period for the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Minority Fellowship Program for Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC) is now open. This program is made possible by a grant awarded to the NBCC Foundation in collaboration with NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The program will administer up to 40 Master’s degree-level counseling fellowships of $15,000 for addictions counseling students, plus the travel expenses to participate in other program-related trainings.

The NBCC MFP-AC helps ensure that the behavioral health needs of all Americans are met, regardless of language or culture, thereby reducing health disparities and improving overall community health and well-being. Minorities include but are not limited to racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, rural, or military groups. By strategically promoting and providing fellowships to Master’s degree-level counseling students, the NBCC MFP-AC strengthens the infrastructure that engages diverse individuals in counseling and increases the number of substance use disorder professional counselors who provide direct substance use disorder services to minority populations.

Eligible applicants must demonstrate knowledge of and experience in addictions/substance use disorder services to one or more of the following: underserved minority communities, child/adolescent and geriatric groups, minority communities in inner cities and rural areas, minority persons (including LGBTQIA2S+), or those who are veterans or are from military families.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status.
• Applicants must not already possess a master’s degree in a behavioral health field.
• Applicants must not receive any other federal funds (except for federal loans or work-study). 
• Applicants must be enrolled and be in good standing in one of the following programs.
  1. A Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited master’s-level addictions counseling program or other master’s-level counseling program with a concentration in addictions.
  2. A regionally accredited master’s-level addictions counseling program or other master’s-level counseling program with a concentration in addictions.
  3. An addictions program accredited by the National Addictions Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC).
• Applicants must be currently taking courses at the time of application. Applicants may not have a pending status, deferred status, or other future start date for coursework.
• Applicants must commit to obtaining an addictions counseling credential, as evidenced by showing proof of applying for a state addictions certification before the end of the fellowship year. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine their eligibility to obtain an addictions counseling credential prior to applying for the fellowship.
• Applicants are expected to graduate by May 31, 2025 (within three years of the date of the fellowship funding).
• Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated academic program completion date before December 31, 2022, which will be verified in writing by their academic department prior to the awarding of funds.
• Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of and experience with addressing the substance use disorder needs of one or more of the following: underserved minority communities, child/adolescent and geriatric groups, minority communities in inner cities and rural areas, minority persons (including LGBTQIA2S+), or those who are veterans or are from military families.
• Applicants must commit to providing substance use disorder services to one of the above-named populations within one year of graduation and must commit to providing such services for the duration of two years post-graduation.
• Applicants must commit to securing a substance use services-related internship that provides experience with one or more of the minority populations listed above.
• Applicants must commit to becoming board certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification or applying for certification from the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP) prior to graduation and to completing the application process. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine their eligibility to obtain these certifications prior to applying for the fellowship.
• Applicants must be able to attend the 2022 NBCC Foundation’s Bridging the Gap Symposium to open their fellowship year the week of May 23–27, 2022, and to close their fellowship year at the 2023 Symposium during the week of May 22–26, 2023, and up to two other training events during their fellowship year.
• African Americans, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are especially encouraged to apply.*

To check the CACREP status of a program, search the CACREP website. To check the NASAC status of a program, search the NASAC website.

NOTE: Applicants are strongly advised to verify their eligibility for the NCC or NCC AP prior to applying. Requirements of the NCC certification can be found on NBCC’s website at www.nbcc.org/Certification/NCC. Requirements of the NCC AP certification can be found on NAADAC’s website at www.naadac.org/types-eligibility.

The application opens August 23, 2021, and the deadline is December 15, 2021, at 11:59pm ET. Fellowship awardees will be announced by the end of March 2022.

For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If after reviewing our FAQ document you still have questions, please email Foundation [at] nbcc [dot] org (Foundation[at]nbcc[dot]org) or call 336.232.0376.