2024 NBCC Minority Fellowship Program for Addictions Counselors (Master’s)

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The NBCC Foundation is pleased to announce the 2024 application period for the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Minority Fellowship Program for Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC). 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 43 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 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-level counseling students, the NBCC MFP 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 abuse 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 LGBTQI+); 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. An institutionally 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 have completed one semester between summer 2023 and summer 2024 in a master’s-level addictions counseling program or other master’s-level counseling program with a concentration in addictions that is CACREP-accredited, institutionally accredited, or NASAC-accredited. 
  • 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 must commit to 12 semester hours of substance abuse/addictions coursework, plus a full academic year of internship. (Note: The addictions coursework need not be completed at your home university. The 12 hours must be taken by the end of your academic program, not exclusively during the fellowship award year. On a case-by-case basis, the 12 semester hours may be waived if you apply for your state addiction counseling certification and agree to complete the process.) 
  • Applicants are expected to graduate by Dec. 31, 2027 (within 3 years of the date of the fellowship funding). 
  • Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated academic program completion date before Sept. 30, 2025, 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 LGBTQI+); 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 1 year of graduation and must commit to providing such services for the duration of 2 years postgraduation. 
  • 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 2025 NBCC Foundation’s Bridging the Gap Symposium to open their fellowship year the week of Feb. 27–March 1, 2025, and to close their fellowship MFP Training during the week of the 2025 NBCCF Fall Institute during the week of Sept. 9–13, 2025, 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 nbcc.org/Certification/NCC. Requirements of the NCC AP certification can be found on NAADAC’s website at naadac.org/types-eligibility. 

The application opens July 1, 2024, and the deadline is Sept. 30, 2024, at 11:59 pm EDT.

Fellowship awardees will be announced by the end of December 2024.

Disclaimer: Please be advised that all NBCCF MFP awards are subject to future funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA).
 

For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If after reviewing our FAQ document you still have questions, please email Foundation@nbcc.org or call 336-232-0376.

*Eligibility requirements for MFP awards are defined by SAMHSA. The program is not limited to individuals from minority populations; however, SAMHSA does prioritize individuals from the following communities: African American, Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander. SAMHSA’s priority population decision is based on the documentation of significant mental health disparities within these communities and the SAMHSA-identified strategy of increasing the number of individuals representing these communities in counselor education and leadership. This priority is considered when there are applicants with equivalently strong results to the review process. In that case, those applicants who meet the SAMHSA priority are chosen. 

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