Program Objectives
Since it was established in 1971, the Spencer Foundation has sought to support high-quality, innovative research with the potential to improve education. In pursuing that goal, they have always had broad ideas about the questions such research might ask, the methods it might use, and the ways in which it might be supported. The Foundation currently accepts proposals for small research grants, with a budget limit of $50,000. Small grant proposals covering any topic that falls within Spencer’s mission can be submitted through the general small grants program.
This program aims to fund academic work that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived. Historically, the work we have funded through these grants has spanned, a range of topics and disciplines, including education, psychology, sociology, economics, history, and anthropology, and they employ a wide range of research methods. The following examples of recently funded small grants illustrate the diversity of what we support: an experimental study of how college students use visual representations in solving math problems; a study exploring the process of racial and rural identity formation among African American high-school students who attend de facto segregated schools in the rural South; and a mixed-methods study focusing on the different types of knowledge novice and experienced teachers draw on in teaching for reading comprehension.
Eligibility Requirements
Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a research grant must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in an education research-related profession. The PI must be affiliated with a college, university, school district, non-profit research facility, or non-profit cultural institution that is willing to serve as the fiscal agent if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally, however all proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars.
Funding Guidelines
Proposals must have a budget of $50,000 or less. Small Research Grant budgets may not include indirect cost charges. (msw)
Sponsor Contact Information
Doris Fischer
Attn: (Primary Area of Inquiry)
625 North Michigan Avenue
Suite 1600
Chicago 60611
United States
Phone: 312-274-6511
E-Mail: smallgrants@spencer.org
Program URL: http://www.spencer.org/small-research-grants-program-statement