Fellowship Awards

Fellowship Awards

The Foundation's Fellowship Award Program supports clinically-relevant, student-initiated research in orthotics and prosthetics (O&P). Fellowship Award funding is designated for graduate students who are currently enrolled in a master's and/or PhD educational programs. One-year fellowships of up to $5,000 are given on an annual basis. Fellowship funds are intended to be used for expenses related directly to the conduct of the proposed research project and are not to be used for tuition, books, or supplies required for the student's coursework. The Foundation reserves the right to reduce the terms of the award, both in time and in funds, as deemed appropriate by the scope of the proposed research. 

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for award consideration, applicants must be be currently enrolled in a Master's or PhD educational program in the United States. Fellowships will be reviewed and scored by scientific and/or clinical experts selected by the Foundation's Research Committee. All Fellowship Award applications are scored based on criteria in three main areas: (1) Relevance of the research topic; (2) Merit of the research design; and (3) Appropriateness of the personnel and environment. Details of the review criteria can be found in the Technical Review Form. 

How to Apply 

1. Prepare a letter of intent (LOI)

   • The LOI should briefly describe the proposed research and name the applicant's advisor(s).

   • The LOI is used to verify eligibility and to assemble a review committee with appropriate topic area expertise; feedback is not generally provided.

   • Applicants do not need to await an invitation to submit an application; however, applications will not be reviewed if an LOI is not submitted.

2. Email the LOI to the Foundation at submissions@oandpfoundation.org. 

3. Complete the Application Cover Page

4. Draft the proposal

   • Applicants are responsible for ensuring the proposal adheres to all Fellowship Award Program guidelines; proposals that do not adhere to the stated guidelines will not be reviewed.

5. Email the proposal and cover page to the Foundation at submissions@oandpfoundation.org. 

   • The subject of your email should read "Fellowship Award".

6. Confirm that application materials have been received

   • The Foundation will email applicants when LOIs and proposals are received (typically within 48 business hours).

   • Applicants are encouraged to save copies of outgoing emails to verify materials were submitted by the posted deadlines.

   • Contact the Foundation at submissions@oandpfoundation.org if you do not receive a confirmation email within 1 week of the deadline.

Award Cycle Information

The following are key dates and deadlines for the Foundation's Fellowship Award Program. Fellowship Award application materials must be received by 5:00pm Eastern Time on the posted deadline.Applicants are responsible for ensuring all materials are received by the Foundation by the dates listed below. 

• Letter of intent due December 15

• Proposal due January 15

• Award notification* on or about April 1

• Funding disbursed* on or about June 1

* Note: award notification and funding disbursement dates may be affected by the number of applications.  

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions about Fellowship Awards, please contact Manisha Bhaskar at (202) 380-3663 or info@oandpfoundation.org.