In order to support the clarity and cohesiveness of education standards for counselor training, NBCC continues to offer support for programs in obtaining Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation by awarding grants to assist with the associated costs of accreditation pursuit. Grant funds are awarded in three phases, $2,500 for the preapplication phase, $2,500 for the application phase, and $4,000 for the site visit phase. The application period for the 2021–2022 grant will be available until April 17, 2021, with funds being awarded in the summer of 2021.

Sara Martino, PhD, Director of Counseling at Stockton University, a recent grant recipient, writes, “Receiving the grant from NBCC was such an amazing gift to our program! Between the circumstances of being a small program and the pandemic’s impact on higher education, NBCC has provided us the opportunity to apply for CACREP accreditation with a great deal of support! I highly encourage others to apply. This grant funding has been instrumental for Stockton University!”

The funds from these grants are intended to assist programs throughout the process of applying for CACREP accreditation. Interested programs are encouraged to apply today. Questions about the grant process, program availability, or materials can be submitted to campusinquiry@nbcc.org.

“As a small program at a private university, it felt so empowering to walk our financial support from the NBCC CACREP Grant to our business office to cover our application fee,” says Becky Meidinger, PhD, NCC, Chair of the graduate counseling program at the University of Mary, another recent grant recipient. “A huge hurdle of applying (financial support for application fee) was removed with this grant money, allowing us to focus on submitting a well-organized self-study to CACREP. We appreciate the support we have felt from NBCC and cannot wait to continue the process for accreditation for our students!”

Touro College School of Health Sciences also received an NBCC grant recently. Faye Walkenfeld, PhD, Chair and associate professor at the Department of Behavioral Science states, “We are grateful to NBCC for recognizing our efforts and supporting us in our quest to uphold standards in the field of counseling. The award has helped us financially, in these difficult times, to submit our application in a timely manner, and it has helped us gain respect from the administration in that they see that our efforts are recognized by our accrediting organization. Thank you, NBCC for this great opportunity!”

Since its inception in July 2014, the NBCC and Affiliates Grant for Initial CACREP Accreditation has assisted 34 graduate counseling programs by providing funds throughout the accreditation process. Of those 34 programs, 16 have obtained CACREP accreditation, and several others have submitted applications or have planned site visits.