This Giving Tuesday, the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) invites you to join us in shaping the future of occupational therapy. For nearly 60 years, AOTF has championed the profession by providing scholarships, fellowships, and research grants that empower OT students, researchers, and practitioners to transform lives and communities.

Why Your Support Matters

Your generosity fuels programs that:

• Award Research Grants: From intervention studies to implementation science, our grants are building new evidence in demand and advancing evidence-based practices that improve care and outcomes.
• Fund Fellowships: Postdoctoral researchers and doctoral students are the future thought leaders OT needs. Through AOTF, these emerging scientists receive vital funding to explore innovative ideas and push the boundaries of occupational therapy.
• Provide Scholarships: Invest in the next class of OTPs by providing financial aid to dozens of students with scholarships that make their dreams of helping others a reality.

These programs are unique to AOTF and ensure that occupational therapy continues to evolve, addressing pressing healthcare challenges and improving the lives of individuals across the lifespan.

These programs ensure that occupational therapy continues to evolve, address pressing healthcare challenges, and improve the lives of individuals across the lifespan.

When you give to AOTF, you’re not just donating—you’re investing in the future of healthcare. Your contribution directly supports the people and projects that ensure occupational therapy remains a leading force for positive change.

How You Can Help

• Donate Today: Your gift provides scholarships for students, fellowships for researchers, and grants that drive impactful OT innovation.
• Spread the Word: Share your support for AOTF on social media using #GivingTuesday and inspire others to contribute.
• Follow Our Campaign: Stay connected throughout the day to see how your support is making a difference.

Together, We Can Build a Brighter Future

This Giving Tuesday, let’s celebrate the power of giving by supporting the scholars, fellows, and researchers shaping the future of occupational therapy.

Your gift today helps AOTF support research, empower practice, and improve lives. Donate now and be a part of this transformative mission.

This Giving Tuesday, we want to recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication of the students participating in the St. Catherine Challenge from 47 universities nationwide! Your passion and hard work are at the heart of this campaign’s success, and we are genuinely inspired by the difference you’re making.

From organizing creative fundraising events to rallying your communities, your efforts are a testament to the power of collective action. Through your support, you’re helping advance occupational therapy research, empower practitioners, and improve lives for individuals of all ages.

Thank You for Being Change-Makers

Every dollar raised in this challenge contributes to vital programs that drive the future of occupational therapy. Your commitment ensures that:

• Scholarships are available for OT students pursuing their dreams.
• Fellowships empower researchers to explore groundbreaking ideas.
• Research grants advance evidence-based practices that improve care and outcomes.

Share Your Efforts with Us!

We’d love to showcase the fantastic work you’re doing. Don’t forget to:

• Use our #AOTFGivingTuesday banners in your emails and on social media. Select the right size for each platform to make your posts shine!

📥LinkedIn 

📥Facebook

📥Email Signature

• Tag @AOTFoundation and use #AOTFSCC and #AOTFGivingTuesday when sharing pictures of your challenge activities and events to help us track and amplify your posts! Share photos of your team in action to inspire others to join the movement!

Thank You for Making a Difference

Your contributions to the St. Catherine Challenge show the strength and generosity of the OT student community. Together, we’re achieving our goals and paving the way for a brighter future in occupational therapy.

Let’s continue to make this Giving Tuesday a celebration of what we can achieve together!

We are thrilled to share the success of the first-ever AOTF Engage Summit, held on October 10-11, 2024, in Alexandria, Va. This groundbreaking event brought together passionate occupational therapy researchers and community partners to elevate and build capacity in community-engaged OT research.

Event Highlights:

• Engaging Panels and Discussions- Attendees participated in three dynamic panels, fostering small-group discussions on:
• Understanding The Spectrum of Community Engagement: From Conceptualization Through Dissemination 
• Building An Infrastructure to Support Community-Engaged Research 
• Measuring And Documenting the Process and Outcomes of Engagement
• Partnership Showcases and Poster Viewings: Breakout sessions featured successful teams sharing their experiences, while two poster viewings provided ample opportunities for conversation and connection.
• Keynote Speakers:
  • Karriem Watson, DHSc, MS, MPH, Chief Engagement Officer, NIH All of Us Research Program, discussed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) program's potential for occupational therapy and addressing disability health disparities.
  • Angel Love Miles, PhD: Presented the benefits of community participatory research in occupational therapy.
• The event showcased the depth and breadth of high-quality community-engaged research within occupational therapy. It also identified and evaluated systematic approaches to community engagement, including evaluation, measurement, outcomes, and dissemination. It also built capacity among individuals with lived experience to actively engage in OT-informed community-engaged research as full and equal partners.

Commitment to DEI: All panels and sessions intentionally integrated diversity, equity, and inclusion, addressing the engagement of underrepresented and minoritized communities.

Future Planning: The summit concluded with a World Café moderated with the help of representatives from local and federal agencies with plans to create a white paper and an Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (OTJR)  manuscript to synthesize discussions across world café questions, ensuring the momentum continues.

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to this summit's success. We look forward to continuing this journey together, advancing occupational therapy research that makes a difference in people's lives and communities.

Watch the recap video here ▶

The American Occupational Therapy Foundation proudly announces the 2024-2025  STRIDE Mentored Research Scholarship (SMRS) recipients.

This scholarship, offered by the Research Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE) committee, provides research funds to occupational therapy (OT) graduates and clinicians from under-represented backgrounds, with disabilities, and/or from under-resourced backgrounds.

The goal is to broaden their representation in OT research by supporting their participation in a mentored research experience at an institution other than their own.

During this time, a mentor will guide each recipient through a comprehensive research experience. Before the research begins, the mentor will collaborate with the recipient to create an individualized development plan, ensuring a tailored and impactful learning journey.

Meet the recipients of the STRIDE scholarship for the 2024-2025 period, a group of occupational therapy (OT) graduates and clinicians, and their mentors, who play a crucial role in guiding them through this transformative journey.

Congratulations to these outstanding individuals whose diverse perspectives and innovative research promise to significantly contribute to the OT community and beyond.

The OT Summit 2024 in Florida, held June 6-8, 2024, served as a collaborative hub for occupational therapy research. This successful annual event is a collaboration among leading academic departments from the University of Florida (host), the University of Washington, Washington University at St. Louis, and Ohio State University.

AOTF, a sponsor of the event, was well-represented at the Summit. Our CEO, Scott Campbell, PhD (pictured), underscored the significance of introducing students to research careers and facilitating their connections with mentors and role models.

Our Chief Scientific Officer, Satvika Garg, PhD, OTR/L, highlighted that for nearly 60 years, the AOTF has been a leading force in funding occupational therapy research to improve practice and health outcomes.

Melanie M. Tkach, PhD, MSOT, OTR/L, and Rachel Proffitt, OTD, OTR/L, AOTF Board Member, spoke on behalf of OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. They’ll be collaborating with the rest of our OTJR editorial team to publish the Summit abstracts in an upcoming issue.

Stay tuned for further details regarding the OT Summit 2025 (date and location to be determined).

Learn More About the OT Summit at UF