The fully funded Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants Program supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets up to $50,000 for projects ranging from one to five years.

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. The goal of 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.

Fully Funded Spencer Foundation Research Grants

Fully Funded Spencer Foundation Conference Grants support conference proposals with budgets of up to 50,000 or less. The grant covers:

• Salaries (PI, Co-PI, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Graduate Student, Researcher, Undergraduate Researcher, Other Research Staff, Other Staff)
• Likewise, benefits (PI Benefits, Co-PI Benefits, Researcher Benefits, Other Staff Benefits, Tuition/Fees)
• Other Collaborator (Independent Consultant, Advisor)
• Travel (Project Travel, Conference or Dissemination Travel)
• Equipment as well as Software Expenses
• Project Expenses (Supplies, Participant Stipends/Costs, Communication, Transcription)
• Also, other Expenses
• Subcontracts

Eligibility for the Spencer Foundation Research Grants

Proposals to the fully funded Research Grants on Education program must be for academic research projects that aim to study education. Proposals for activities other than research are not eligible (e.g., program evaluations, professional development, curriculum development, scholarships, capital projects). Additionally, proposals for research studies focused on areas other than education, are not eligible.

Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Small Research Grants on Education must have a doctorate degree in an academic discipline or professional field. Further, they should have appropriate experience in an education research-related profession. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they are not eligible to become a PI or Co-PI.

The PI must have affiliation with a non-profit organization that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. However, the Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals.

The US, as well as international candidates, are welcome to submit the proposal. However, all proposals must be in English and budgets must be in U.S. Dollars.

How to apply for the Spencer Foundation Research Grants

In order to apply for the Fully Funded Small Research Grants at the Spencer Foundation, the applicants must the guidelines below.

Registration: The Principal Investigator (PI) will register the project and submit the form.

Completing Profile: After logging in, follow the directions to complete the information requested on the My Profile page and upload your current CV (10-page limit).

Start a Proposal: To fill out the application, apply for the small research grants on education from the Workbench. In the application, the PI must submit:

• Project Personnel
• Proposal Summary
• Budget as well as Budget Justification
• Proposal Narrative
• Project Timeline
• Project Team
• Appendices
• Data

Deadline

Spencer Foundation accepts the application for the fully funded Small Research Grants on Education until 01 November 2019. Applications after the deadline are ineligible for the grants.