Please check back regularly to learn of new funding opportunities from federal agencies, and foundations dedicated to social science research. Internal (BU) funding sources are provided on the Faculty Opportunities page. If you would like to announce a funding opportunity, please share with CISS using the Contact form here.
Ongoing
Call for Collaborative Research Proposals in Sociology: NSF-BSF The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization — societies, institutions, groups and demography — and processes of individual and institutional change. The program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Full proposals are accepted throughout the year in all programs. For more details please see here.
Overview of Federal Funding Opportunities for Behavioral and Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. BU in collaboration with Lewis Burke Associates has produced a compendium of potential funding sources. Access the PDF here.
Sawyer Seminars, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sawyer seminars bring together faculty, foreign visitors, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from a variety of fields for intensive study of subjects chosen by the participants. Each seminar normally meets for one year. Seminar leaders are encouraged also to invite participants from nearby institutions, such as community colleges, liberal arts colleges, museums, research institutes, etc. Awards provide support for one postdoctoral fellow to be recruited through a national (or international) competition, and for the dissertation research of two graduate students. Learn more about the program here.
Spencer Foundation. The Spencer Foundation, a leading funder of education research since 1971, seeks to improve education, make education systems more equitable, and increase opportunities to learn across the lifespan. The Foundation’s programs provide funding for education-focused research projects, research training fellowships, and additional field-building initiatives. Learn more about the foundation’s funding programs here.
NIH Common Fund’s Transformative Health Disparities Research Initiative Community. To stimulate transformative research to address health disparities and advance health equity, the NIH Common Fund is developing a new program planned to launch in fiscal year 2023. Through a series of facilitated listening sessions with the community, the NIH Common Fund’s Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity working group seeks your input on new, innovative research into health disparities, minority health, and health equity. Click here for further information.
National Science Foundation (NSF) Accelerator Program. NSF has announced its 2022 topical areas for its accelerator funding programs. This year’s focal areas include: Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities; Sustainable Materials for Global Challenges; and Food & Nutrition Security. Further information on applying for funding is here.
Boston University’s Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the return of assessment mini grants, intended to help faculty and staff develop strategies for reflecting on student learning and success. Grants of up to $5,000 each will be awarded to BU faculty and staff members to conduct program assessment-related projects that directly support student learning and success at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Although all proposals will be considered, preference will be given to proposals that align with the 2030 Strategic Plan. Grant awardees will be expected to present their projects at a newly reinstituted Assessment Symposium. For further information, including the application template, click here, or contact crstone@bu.edu with any questions about the grants and the application process.
February 2023 Deadlines
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). The Luce/ACLS Program in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs Collaborative Programming Grants aims to deepen public understanding of religion by advancing innovative scholarship on religion in international contexts, equipping individual scholars and institutions of higher education with the capacities to connect their work to journalism and the media, and engaging audiences beyond the academy. Project’s PI must be a scholar in a field of the humanities or social sciences or journalism. Projects must be hosted by a US-based accredited institution of higher education. Funding: up to $45,000 over 12-18 months, applications due February 15, 2023. Visit here for more information.
IPUMS Research Awards These awards honor the best research using IPUMS data to advance or deepen our understanding of social and demographic processes. They are looking for papers that use innovative approaches, comparative analyses, and showcase the power of the IPUMS data collections. Cash prizes will be awarded for best published work and best graduate student work (published or unpublished) in eight categories. The deadline is Friday, February 17, 2023. For more information, visit here.
The Open Technology Fund (OTF) Information Controls Fellowship Program supports examination into how governments in countries, regions, or areas of OTF’s core focus are restricting the free flow of information, cutting access to the open Internet, and implementing censorship mechanisms, thereby threatening the ability of global citizens to exercise basic human rights and democracy; work focused on mitigation of such threats is also supported. The 2023 application window will be open until February 20, 2023. For more information visit here.
The LACMA Art + Technology Lab is accepting proposals for artist projects with awards of up to $50,000 as well as in-kind support from the museum and private partners in technology and science. The program supports projects that explore artistic applications of emerging technologies and ideas related to technology and culture. Preference is given to: (i) projects that explore emerging technologies; (ii) proposals that include some aspect of public demonstration and engagement with the museum’s audience; (iii) exploratory ideas that leave room for refinement in collaboration with technologists and the museum; and (iv) projects that are publicly accessible, consistent with LACMA’s mission, and produce models, prototypes, data, code, or other material that can be shared broadly. Applications are due Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Click here for more information.
Princeton University Press Book Proposal Development Grants. Prospective grantees are welcome to submit projects in the social sciences in the fields of anthropology, economics, politics and international relations, and sociology. Princeton University Press is particularly interested in projects that aim to reach a wider audience of non-academic readers. They welcome applications from scholars around the world and the opportunity is open to previously published authors and first-time authors alike. Applications for the fifth cycle of the Supporting Diverse Voices will be accepted from February 1-February 22, 12:00 PM EDT, and decisions will be shared by the end of April. Eligible authors will be able to learn more and apply directly here.
National Academy of Medicine (NAM)’s Healthy Longevity Global Competition aims to accelerate research, innovation, and entrepreneurism by seeking innovative ideas from any discipline or sector. The NAM Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award offers $50,000 USD to individuals or teams with bold, new, and potentially transformative ideas that aim to improve the physical, mental, or social well-being and health of people as they age, in a measurable and equitable way. This is a unique opportunity that only requires a 2-page narrative submission. In 2023, up to 20 awardees will receive a $50,000 award, unlock exclusive access to future funding opportunities, and become part of a global interdisciplinary network. The application period opens January 23, 2023 and closes February 27, 2023, at 11:59 pm EST. Individuals and teams may learn more and apply here.
The JHC is accepting applications for the 2023 Genevieve Geller Wyner Research Fellowship. The application deadline is February 28, 2023. The Fellowship provides financial support for a scholar to conduct research in the JHC’s collections in Summer 2023. Past Fellows have used the JHC’s archives for such research topics as Jewish women’s travel in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the history of Passover in America. Visit the JHC’s website to learn more and apply!
March 2023 Deadlines
PRI’s New Visiting Scholars Program The Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute (PRI) is delighted to announce a new Visiting Scholars program. Candidates will receive support from PRI to prepare a grant for submission to the National Institute of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Visiting Scholars will come to Penn State’s campus for one week of intensive writing, grant-writing training, networking, and mentorship at the start of the first year of the program, May 15-19, 2023. The application deadline is March 1st, 2023. Visit here for more information.
MA Historical Society Short-Term Research Fellowships. The MHS will offer more than 15 short-term research fellowships in 2023. Most grants will provide a stipend of $3,000 for four weeks of research at the Society sometime between 1 July 2023, and 30 June 2024. Short-term awards are open to independent scholars, advanced graduate students, and holders of the Ph.D. or the equivalent. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on March 1, 2023. Click here for more information.
Fordham-New York Public Library Research Fellowships in Jewish Studies The program supports short-term, mid-term, and long-term fellowships for researchers looking to conduct on-site research in The New York Public Library, especially the Dorot Jewish Division. Fellows are expected to be in continuous residence for the duration of the fellowship award period as specified in the proposal. This joint fellowship program is open to scholars in all fields of Jewish Studies from outside the NYC metropolitan area seeking to conduct on-site research in The New York Public Library. The application deadline is March 3, 2023. Visit here for more information.
The Youth Service Improvement Grants (YSIG) program supports activities to improve the quality of direct services for young people ages 5 to 25 in the five boroughs of New York City. The goal is to strengthen existing services by helping youth-serving nonprofit organizations address challenges or remedy problems at the point of service, where staff and youth interact. Awards are $25,000 each and support projects lasting one year, starting on September 1 of the award year. The online application is now open. The deadline for applications is March 8, 2023, 3:00 pm ET. Visit here for more information.
2023 Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize The Jacobs Foundation is seeking nominations for the 2023 Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. The prize awards outstanding scientific contributions of individuals from all scholarly disciplines aiming at improving learning, development, and living conditions of children and youth. This includes, but is not limited to, educational sciences, psychology, economics, sociology, family studies, media studies, political sciences, linguistics, neurosciences, computer sciences, and medical sciences. The deadline for submission is March 15, 2023. For more information, please visit here.
NEA Arts Research Labs Program. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has released a notice inviting applications (NIA) for the NEA Arts Research Labs Program (NEA Research Labs) for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Through this program, NEA seeks to “support a series of transdisciplinary research partnerships, grounded in the social and behavioral sciences, to produce and report empirical insights about the arts for the benefit of arts and non-arts sectors alike.” NEA welcomes applications from diverse research fields outside of the humanities that include psychology, education, medicine, and health, among other fields that are listed in the solicitation. Awardees are expected to receive awards ranging from $100,000 to $150,000. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) and non-profit research organizations are eligible to apply. NEA will be holding a webinar on FY 2024 Research Award Application Guidelines for interested applicants on February 6, 2023 from 2 PM – 3 PM ET (register here). Applicants must first submit proposals to grants.gov on March 27, 2023. Once submitted, applicants will then submit their proposal to the NEA Applicant Portal starting March 30, 2023, with a deadline date of April 6, 2023. For more information visit here. Applicants must first submit proposals to grants.gov on March 27, 2023. Once submitted, applicants will then submit their proposal to the NEA Applicant Portal starting March 30, 2023, with a deadline date of April 6, 2023. Further details can be found attached and below.
April 2023 Deadlines
Call for Abstracts: The 2023 Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology Research and Policy Conference provides a forum for experts and practitioners from around the world to discuss and exchange current methodological knowledge and policy insights about topics of current and critical importance to federal agencies. We seek abstracts that address advances in credible and accurate survey and statistical methodologies from both research and policy perspectives. Abstracts should be limited to 200 words. The deadline is April 3, 2023. For more information, click here.
The Health and Aging Policy Fellows application is now open! The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program aims to create a cadre of leaders who will serve as change agents in health and aging policy to ultimately improve the health care of older adults. The year-long fellowship offers a rich and unique training and enrichment program that is focused on current policy issues, communication skills development, and professional networking opportunities to provide Fellows with the experience and skills necessary to help affect policy. The deadline for submissions is Monday, April 17, 2023. Click here for more information.
Further 2023 Deadlines
Research Grants on Reducing Inequality This program supports research 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 ages 5-25 in the United States. We prioritize studies that aim to reduce inequalities that exist along dimensions of race, ethnicity, economic standing, language minority status, or immigrant origins. $100,000 to $600,000 over 2-3 years, including up to 15% indirect costs. The online application is currently closed, but will re-open in March. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is May 3, 2023, 3:00 pm ET. Click here for more information.
Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence This program supports research on strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit young people ages 5-25 in the United States. We want to know what it takes to produce useful research evidence, what it takes to get research used, and what happens when research is used. We welcome letters of inquiry for studies that pursue one of these broad aims. $100,000 to $1,000,000 over 2-4 years, including up to 15% indirect costs. The online application is currently closed, but will re-open in March. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is May 3, 2023, 3:00 pm ET. Click here for more information.
The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The program funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas. Applicants should have a track record of conducting high-quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers. The online application is now open, and the application deadline is July 5, 2023 at 3:00 pm ET. Visit here for more information.