2023 Request for Proposals

One of the Center’s goals is to support interdisciplinary research and policy teams (R&P Teams) to figure out novel and practical ways to understand, explain, and solve seemingly intractable problems of racial inequity and injustice. 

Proposed each year and led by BU faculty, R&P Teams that are selected to receive funding from the Center consist of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners of policy, narrative (e.g., journalism, art), and community-driven advocacy. These teams exhaustively study a critical racial inequity or injustice, ascertain the policies leading to the inequity, develop policy correctives, narrate the problems and solutions through journalism and/or art, and organize a campaign for change by working with community members and policymakers to test the policy correctives.

As a mission-driven university-based research center, we aim to transcend distinct academic disciplines by bringing together scholars, policymakers, journalists, artists, and advocates to research how best to dismantle racist structures, practices, and institutions that reproduce racial inequities. R&P Teams play an important role in this process by confronting a variety of issues such as education, economy, environment, health, politics, and mass criminalization and incarceration to research how best to dismantle racist structures, practices, and institutions that reproduce racial inequities.

Applications for the 2023 R&P Teams will be accepted beginning January 3, 2022.

The principal investigator (PI), or at least one co-PI, must be BU faculty. We will allow a maximum of two co-PIs. We will accept research proposals from any academic discipline, as long as the proposal addresses the core of the Center’s vision. Proposed R&P Teams must be comprised of an interdisciplinary team, including at least one researcher, policy expert, journalist or artist, and advocate. Teams drawn from diverse fields of study are strongly preferred. From grants and gifts, the Center will make funding available for research infrastructure, key personnel time, education, research dissemination, advocacy support, or towards policy reform. The funding is not intended to support conferences, seminars, or symposia. Applications for up to $50,000 of funding will be considered for these 1-year awards.

Proposal Deadline: April 3, 2023.

Please submit the entire application as one single-spaced PDF to  carrfp@bu.edu.Please include the following in the application:

• Cover sheet with project title; name, affiliation, and contact information of one contact PI; and names, affiliations, and email addresses of all team members
• Current CV of PI (or CVs of two co-PIs)
• Research and Policy Proposal (5 pages maximum, references do not count towards page limit), which must include the following:
  • Research question(s) and background, hypotheses, and methodology/approach;
  • Connection to antiracism and the Center’s vision;
  • Proposed research team (comprised of at least one BU faculty as PI or co-PI; maximum of 2 co-PIs);
  • Proposed (1) educational component (or integration of research project into courses), (2) communications strategy, and (3) plan for advocacy and community engagement;
  • A detailed plan (up to 1 page) explaining how you will address policy reform and create tangible policy products. Policy products can include, but are not limited to, a white paper, policy report, or a model policy or legislation. Identify the specific policy issue(s) you plan to address and the audience for your policy product(s). Include a timeline and key indicators that you will use to measure the policy impact of your research. Describe how your policy reform efforts will be based in antiracism; and
• Budget outline (maximum 1 page, does not count towards 5-page limit of Research and Policy Proposal). Budget must include a percentage effort (at least 1%) from one PI. The funding may not be used to support conferences, seminars, or symposia. The budget may cover items related to research materials or infrastructure, key personnel time, education, research dissemination, advocacy support, or resources directed towards policy reform.

Please submit the entire application as one single-spaced PDF to carrfp@bu.edu

Important Dates

• January 3, 2023: Applications open for the 2023 RFP
• April 3, 2023: Application deadline
• April 2023: Peer review
• May 2023: Notification of awardees
• July 1, 2023: Award start date

For questions about the program or application process, please refer to the virtual information session and FAQ section below or contact the R&P Teams Program at carrfp@bu.edu

What is Antiracist Research?

The Research and Policy Teams at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research held a virtual event in December 2021 to discuss the question, “What is Antiracist Research?” During this event we previewed our 2022 and 2023 Request for Proposals and provided a space for BU faculty and co-investigators to network, with the goal of forming interdisciplinary research & policy teams across schools, colleges, advocacy groups, and external community organizations.

Featured panelists:
Hugo J. Aparicio, MD, MPH
Katherine L. Einstein, PhD
Neda A. Khoshkhoo, JD
Sanaz Mobasseri, MPP, PhD

We invite interested researchers to click the link below to view the event:

VIEW EVENT RECORDING

Research team members applying for this 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP) are strongly encouraged to apply to the Center’s Affiliates Program (current application period ends January 31, 2023 at 11:59pm EST).

The BU Center for Antiracist Research is seeking to build a network of faculty and graduate students who are engaged in antiracist research across BU and New England, known as our Affiliates Program. This interdisciplinary group will bring their expertise and unique disciplinary perspectives towards the goal of investigating and dismantling racism. The Affiliates Program will also be a key resource to convene Research & Policy Teams, generate interdisciplinary research collaborations, and support research groups applying to the annual Request for Proposals. Applicants for the Research & Policy Teams Program do not have to be Affiliates at the time of submission, but joining this network when applications are open is strongly encouraged. 

FAQ

For additional questions about the program or application process, please contact the R&P Team Program at carrfp@bu.edu