Office of Research & Innovation Newsletter - Summer 2023

Deadline: August 1, 2023 (Stage 1 Application)

Funding: Average $50,000-$200,000 over 3 years

Purpose: The Foundation is currently accepting Research Project and Existing Program Evaluation proposals that have the potential to provide data that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and family income. The primary aim of Existing Program Evaluation proposals must concern evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to promote positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years) with the goal of informing ways to close the educational opportunity gaps associated with race, ethnicity, and income. Research Proposals must concern obtaining information that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and/or family income.

Eligibility: Proposals that include individuals that identify as belonging to one or more communities of color in the study sample must have at least one researcher of color on the leadership team (at the PI / co-PI level) of the project (the leadership team can also include researchers who identify as white: co-PI leadership structures are permitted).

Learn more about the Brady Education Foundation

Deadline: August 1, 2023

Funding: $15,000-$45,000 over 1-2 years

Purpose: The Harry Frank Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar Awards (formerly the Harry Frank Guggenheim Research Grants) recognize leading researchers proposing to make a significant contribution to illuminating an issue of violence. The Foundation welcomes proposals from any of the natural and social sciences and aligned disciplines that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations, and control of violence and aggression. Highest priority is given to research that addresses urgent, present-day problems of violence—what produces it, how it operates, and what prevents or reduces it.  The Foundation supports research that investigates the basic mechanisms in the production of violence, but primacy is given to proposals that make a compelling case for the relevance of potential findings for policies intended to reduce these ills.

Eligibility: Applicants for an award may be citizens of any country. While almost all recipients of these awards possess a Ph.D., M.D., J.D., or equivalent degree, there are no formal degree requirements for the award. The award, however, may not be used to support research undertaken as part of the requirements for a graduate degree.

Learn more about the Harry Frank Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar Award

Deadline: August 2, 2023 (LOI)

Funding: $100,000-$1M

Purpose: The Foundation’s mission is to support research to improve the lives of young people ages 5-25 in the United States. The Research Grants on Reducing Inequality initiative seeks studies that aim to build, test, or increase understanding of programs, policies, or practices to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people. We prioritize studies about reducing inequality on the basis of race, ethnicity, economic standing, language minority status, or immigrant origins. The Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence program seeks studies that identify, build, and test strategies to enhance the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth.  We welcome descriptive studies that reveal the strategies, mechanisms, or conditions for improving research use, as well as evaluations of deliberate efforts to increase routine and beneficial uses of research in decision-making.

Eligibility: Grants are made to organizations, not individuals. Please consult with your institution about their eligibility criteria regarding who can act as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator on a grant.

Learn more about the William T. Grant Foundation

Deadline: August 9, 2023

Funding: up to $50,000 over 1-5 years

Purpose: The Small Research Grants Program supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived. This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. Our goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Eligibility: Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Small Research Grant on Education must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in an education research-related profession. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal. The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. Proposals for activities other than research are not eligible.

Learn more about Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants

Deadline: August 10, 2023 at 3pm (LOI)

Funding: average $30,000-$450,000

Purpose: For this P4A call for proposals, the goal is to build the evidence base investigating how preemption policies at the state level may affect racial justice and health equity. Research should focus on how state-level preemption impacts local authority; apply a racial equity lens to the policy research processes and outcomes; and include community groups and/or members, especially those from historically marginalized communities, as leaders or partners in all stages of the research. Research findings are intended to inform and guide legislators; public agencies; public policy advocates; racial and other justice organizations; community organizers; and others who are developing and implementing policies to create thriving, healthy, equitable communities.

Eligibility: Preference will be given to applicants that are either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private or Type III supporting organizations. Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories. Awards will be made to organizations, not to individuals. We strive to support a diverse group of researchers in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and seniority. Applicants who are current principal investigators or co-principal investigators of P4A grants OR who have finished their P4A funding within the past two years are not eligible to apply. (If your P4A grant was extended, the end of the extension period is considered the end of the award.) This does not prevent other researchers at the home institution of a P4A grantee from applying.

Learn more about this Policies for Action call for proposals

Deadline: August 15, 2023 at 1pm (Intent to Apply)

Funding: $75,000 for 6-12 months

Purpose: The Spencer Foundation has identified a critical need for innovative, methodologically and disciplinarily diverse, large-scale research projects to transform education systems for equity. To stimulate research that addresses this need, the Spencer Foundation is investing in a new program designed to provide scholars with the time, space, resources, and support to plan a large-scale study or program of research: geared toward real-world impact on equity; based on research across disciplines and methods; reliant on meaningful collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, and communities; and focused on transforming educational systems. Toward this end, the Vision Grants program funds the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity. Vision Grants are research planning grants to bring together a team, for 6 to 12 months, to collaboratively develop ambitious, large-scale research projects focused on transforming educational systems toward greater equity.

Eligibility: Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Vision Grant must have appropriate experience or an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or terminal degree in a professional field. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal. PIs and Co-PIs may apply for a Vision Grant if they have another active research grant from the Spencer Foundation or if they have another Spencer grant proposal in review.

Learn more about Spencer Foundation Vision Grants

Deadline: September 1, 2023 at 5pm (LOI)

Funding: average $25,00-$50,000

Purpose: The Digital Art History Grants program is intended to foster new forms of research and collaboration as well as new approaches to teaching and learning. Support may also be offered for the digitization of important visual resources (especially essential art history photographic archives) in the area of pre-modern European art history; of primary textual sources (especially the literary and documentary sources of European art history); for promising initiatives in online publishing; and for innovative experiments in the field of digital art history.

Eligibility: Grants are awarded to non-profit institutions that have 501(c)3 status in the United States, which includes supporting foundations of European institutions and foreign institutions that have obtained recognition of exemption from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The project being pursued can be the work of a single individual or a team affiliated with the organization applying for support, but the Foundation does not pay grants directly to individuals. This grant program does not typically support the digitization of museum object collections.

Learn more about Samuel H. Kress Foundation Digital Art History Grants

Deadline: September 1, 2023 at 5pm (LOI)

Funding: average $25,00-$50,000

Purpose: The History of Art Grants program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the appreciation and understanding of European works of art and architecture from antiquity to the early 19th century. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, museum exhibitions and publications, photographic campaigns, scholarly catalogues and publications, and technical and scientific studies. Grants are also awarded for activities that permit art historians to share their expertise through international exchanges, professional meetings, conferences, symposia, consultations, the presentation of research, and other professional events.

Eligibility: Grants are awarded to non-profit institutions that have 501(c)3 status in the United States, which includes supporting foundations of European institutions and foreign institutions that have obtained recognition of exemption from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The project being pursued can be the work of a single individual or a team affiliated with the organization applying for support, but the Foundation does not pay grants directly to individuals. This grant program does not typically support the documentation (cataloging, photography, research and publication) of the object collections of individual art museums.

Learn more about Samuel H. Kress Foundation History of Art Grants

Deadline: September 1, 2023 at 5pm (LOI)

Funding: average $25,000-$50,000

Purpose: The Conservation Grants program supports the professional practice of art conservation, especially as it relates to European works of art from antiquity to the early 19th century. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, exhibitions and publications focusing on art conservation, scholarly publications, and technical and scientific studies.  Grants are also awarded for activities that permit conservators and conservation scientists to share their expertise with both professional colleagues and a broad audience through international exchanges, professional meetings, conferences, symposia, consultations, the presentation of research, exhibitions that include a prominent focus on materials and techniques, and other professional events.

Eligibility: Grants are awarded to non-profit institutions that have 501(c)3 status in the United States, which includes supporting foundations of European institutions and foreign institutions that have obtained recognition of exemption from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The project being pursued can be the work of a single individual or a team affiliated with the organization applying for support, but the Foundation does not pay grants directly to individuals. Support for conservation treatments is generally limited to works from the distributed Kress Collection, and is typically coordinated through the Kress Program in Paintings Conservation at the Conservation Center of the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.

Learn more about Samuel H. Kress Foundation Conservation Grants

Deadline: September 1, 2023

Funding: $50,000 (Curatorial Research Fellowships); $60,000-$100,000 (Exhibition and Multi-year Program Support)

Purpose: The Foundation offers three types of grants—Curatorial Research Fellowships, Exhibition Support, and Multiyear Program Grants. Curatorial Research Fellowship Proposals are accepted from 501c3 arts organizations on behalf of curators at any stage of their careers, with or without institutional affiliation, working towards projects that will manifest at least two years after a grant is made. Exhibition Support Proposals are accepted for solo or two person shows and thematic group exhibitions taking place between 6 months and 2 years after the grant notification date (July 1st and January 1st). We are interested in supporting artists whose work has been less celebrated than that of their peers, whose commitment to their practice has been under recognized yet has had a significant impact on the current (and upcoming) generation of artists. Multi-year Program Support Proposals are accepted for two years of visual arts programming. This can include exhibitions, residencies, public art works, screenings, performances, lectures, publications, mentorships and other professional development opportunities for artists.

Eligibility: See above

Learn more about the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Deadline: September 10, 2023 (LOI)

Funding: average $10,000-$25,000

Purpose: For over 70 years, the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation, Inc. has supported efforts to raise the nation’s level of economic literacy. Foundation’s current funding interest includes but not limited to: Efficient and innovative solutions to reach and serve more people

• Behavioral economics with a focus on environmental issues
• Economic education initiatives to under-served communities in the local states
• On-line competitions
• Offering future college scholarship to high school students demonstrating financial, economic, and entrepreneurship achievements
• Marketing capabilities to serve more population in economic education
• Programs to generate more excitement for economic and financial education
• Economic education programs in a recently mandated state

Eligibility: Only 501(C ) (3) nonprofit organizations with at least 5 years of history may be eligible to submit a letter of interest. The Foundation will look most favorably at programs that match grants of support with funds from other organizations learned institutions, universities, colleges, and government sources.

Learn more about the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economic Foundation

Deadline: September 28, 2023 at 9pm

Funding: up to $60,000

Purpose: ACLS invites research proposals from scholars in all disciplines of the humanities and interpretive social sciences.  ACLS aims to select fellows who are broadly representative of the variety of humanistic scholarship across all fields of study. The ultimate goal of the project should be a major piece of scholarly work by the applicant, which can take the form of a monograph, articles, publicly-engaged humanities project, digital research project, critical edition, or other scholarly resources. The fellowships support projects at any stage of development – beginning, middle, or end. This program does not fund works of fiction (e.g., novels or films), textbooks, straightforward translation, or pedagogical projects.

Eligibility: Applicants must be US citizens, permanent residents, Indigenous individuals residing in the United States through rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794, DACA recipients, asylees, refugees, or individuals granted Temporary Protected Status in the United States (foreign nationals who have been living in the United States or US territories for three or more years before the application deadline are also eligible, provided that they do not establish permanent residence outside the United States during the period of the fellowship); have a PhD officially conferred between September 29, 2015 and September 28, 2023; not hold a tenured faculty position.

Learn more about American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowships

Deadline: September 28, 2023 at 5pm (LOI)

Funding: $100,000 (Stakeholder Convening); $250,000 (Capacity Building and Dissemination)

Purpose: The Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program supports projects that encourage active, meaningful involvement of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders as integral members of the patient-centered outcomes research/comparative clinical effectiveness research (PCOR/CER) enterprise. There are three categories:

• Stakeholder Convening Support provides support to organizations and communities to hold multi-stakeholder convenings, meetings, and conferences that include a combination of patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians, purchasers, payers, health system leaders, and/or other stakeholders.
• Capacity Building funds projects that build communities prepared to participate in PCOR/CER. These awards support organizations with strong ties to patients, caregivers, clinicians and other stakeholders who have a connection to a research focus area and seek to better equip stakeholders to engage as partners in PCOR/CER. 
• Dissemination supports projects that help organizations and communities plan for or actively communicate pertinent PCORI-funded research findings to their specific audiences, including patients, clinicians, communities, and others, in ways that will command their attention and interest and encourage use of this information in their healthcare decision making.

Eligibility: See website

Learn more about the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award

Deadline: September 30, 2023 (LOI)

Funding: average $35,000-$60,000

Purpose: The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood is an incubator of promising research and development projects that appear likely to improve the welfare of young children, from infancy through 7 years, in the United States. Welfare is broadly defined to include physical and mental health, safety, nutrition, education, play, familial support, acculturation, societal integration and childcare. Grants are only made if a successful project outcome will likely be of significant interest to other professionals, within the grantee’s field of endeavor, and would have a direct benefit and potential national application. The Foundation’s goal is to provide seed money to implement those imaginative proposals that exhibit the greatest chance of improving the lives of young children, on a national scale.

Eligibility: The Foundation will not fund programs outside of the U.S.; the operation or expansion of existing programs; programs to benefit children residing in foreign countries; and medical research applicable to both adults and children.

Learn more about the Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood

Deadline: Rolling

Funding: Average range $300,000 over 1 to 3 years

Purpose: Pioneering Ideas: Exploring the Future to Build a Culture of Health seeks proposals that are primed to influence health equity in the future. We are interested in ideas that address any of these four areas of focus: Future of Evidence; Future of Social Interaction; Future of Food; Future of Work. Additionally, we welcome ideas that might fall outside of these four focus areas, but which offer unique approaches to advancing health equity and our progress toward a Culture of Health.

Eligibility: Preference will be given to applicants that are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations. Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories. Submissions from teams that include both U.S. and international members are eligible, but the lead applicant must be based in the United States.

Learn more about Pioneering Ideas: Exploring the Future to Build a Culture of Health

Deadline: Rolling (LOI)

Funding: Varies

Purpose: Evidence for Action prioritizes research to evaluate specific interventions (e.g., policies, programs, practices) that have the potential to counteract the harms of structural and systemic racism and improve health, well-being, and equity outcomes. We are concerned both with the direct impacts of structural racism on the health and well-being of people and communities of color (e.g., Black, Latina/o/x, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander people, and other races and ethnicities)—as well as the ways in which racism intersects with other forms of marginalization, such as having low income, being an immigrant, having a disability, or identifying as LGBTQ+ or a gender minority. This funding is focused on studies about upstream causes of health inequities, such as the systems, structures, laws, policies, norms, and practices that determine the distribution of resources and opportunities, which in turn influence individuals’ options and behaviors. Research should center on the needs and experiences of communities exhibiting the greatest health burdens and be motivated by real-world priorities. It should be able to inform a specific course of action and/or establish beneficial practices, not stop at characterizing or documenting the extent of a problem.

Eligibility: Preference will be given to applicants that are either institutes of higher education, public entities, or nonprofit organizations that are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations.

Learn more about Evidence for Action: Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity

Deadline: Rolling (LOI)

Funding: Varies

Purpose: Arnold Ventures seeks grant applications to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of criminal justice programs and practices (“interventions”) that fall into one of three tiers: (i) The intervention is backed by promising prior evidence suggesting it could produce sizable impacts on important criminal justice outcomes (e.g., prevent violence, reduce recidivism, minimize injustice, improve health/employment of persons formerly involved in the justice system); (ii) The intervention is widely adopted in practice, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated and its impacts on key criminal justice outcomes are thus largely unknown; or (iii) The intervention is growing in use and likely to become widely adopted, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated.

Eligibility: Not specified

Learn more about Arnold Ventures - Randomized Controlled Trials of Criminal Justice Programs and Practices [PDF]

Deadline: Rolling (LOI)

Funding: Varies

Purpose: Arnold Ventures’ (AV) Evidence-Based Policy team invites grant applications to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of social programs in any area of U.S. policy in which: (i) AV will fund the RCT, and government or another entity will fund the program’s delivery; and (ii) The RCT meets the additional selection criteria set out in the RFP. Our goal in funding such RCTs is to build the body of programs rigorously shown to produce sizable, sustained benefits to participants or society, and to do so in a cost-efficient manner by leveraging program funds contributed by government, philanthropic foundations, or other funders.

Eligibility: The applicant’s team include at least one researcher in a key substantive role who has previously carried out a well-conducted RCT.

Learn more about Arnold Ventures - Randomized Controlled Trials to Evaluate Social Programs Whose Delivery Will Be Funded by Government or Other Entities [PDF]

Deadline: Rolling (LOI)

Funding: Varies

Purpose: This Request for Proposals—a joint effort of AV’s Higher Education and Evidence-Based Policy initiatives— seeks grant applications to conduct rigorous impact evaluations of programs and practices (“interventions”) to promote college success in the United States that fall into one of three tiers: (i) The intervention is backed by promising prior evidence suggesting it could produce sizable impacts on important student success outcomes (e.g., student learning, persistence, degree or certificate completion, job placement, post-college earnings, and debt burden); (ii) The intervention is widely adopted in practice, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated and its impacts on key student success outcomes are thus largely unknown; or (iii) The intervention is growing in use and likely to become widely adopted, but has not yet been rigorously evaluated. Whenever possible, Arnold Ventures has a preference for funding randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We will also consider certain rigorous quasi-experimental designs that can credibly demonstrate a causal relationship when random assignment is not feasible.

Eligibility: The applicant’s team should include at least one researcher in a key substantive role who has previously carried out a well-conducted RCT or quasi-experimental study.

Learn more about Arnold Ventures - Rigorous Impact Evaluations of Student Success Programs and Practices in Higher Education [PDF]

Deadline: Rolling

Funding: Average grant size $20,000

Purpose: The Foundation intends to further the humanities along a broad front, supporting projects which address the concerns of the historical studia humanitatis: a humanistic education rooted in the great traditions of the past; the formation of human beings according to cultural, moral, and aesthetic ideals derived from that past; and the ongoing debate over how these ideals may best be conceived and realized. Programs in the following areas are eligible: history; archaeology; literature; languages, both classical and modern; philosophy; ethics; comparative religion; the history, criticism, and theory of the arts; and those aspects of the social sciences which share the content and methods of humanistic disciplines. The Foundation welcomes projects that cross the boundaries between humanistic disciplines and explore the connection between the humanities and other areas of scholarship.

Eligibility: The Foundation supports U.S. not-for-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and organizations utilizing a U.S. fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) status. The Foundation does not support capital campaigns and building projects or overhead and indirect costs.

Learn more about the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation

Deadline: Rolling (concept paper)

Funding: Average $100K-$150K

Purpose: The mission of the Smith Richardson Foundation is to contribute to important public debates and to address serious public policy challenges facing the United States. The Foundation seeks to help ensure the vitality of our social, economic, and governmental institutions. It also seeks to assist with the development of effective policies to compete internationally and to advance U.S. interests and values abroad. Programs include:

• International Security & Foreign Policy - The objective of the International Security and Foreign Policy Program is to assist the U.S. policy community in developing effective national security strategies and foreign policies. The Foundation is committed to supporting projects that help the policy community face the fundamental challenge of ensuring the security of the United States, protecting and promoting American interests and values abroad, and enhancing international order.
• Domestic Public Policy - The Domestic Public Policy Program supports projects that will help the public and policy makers understand and address critical challenges facing the United States.  To that end, the Foundation supports research on and evaluation of existing public policies and programs, as well as projects that inject new ideas into public debates. There is special interest in projects focused on economic opportunity, pre-and-post-secondary education, and the criminal justice system.

Eligibility: N/A

Learn more about the Smith Richardson Foundation