Institutional Challenge Grant for research on youth outcomes – Sep 14

Posted by William T. Grant Foundation on June 14, 2022

William T. Grant Foundation invites applications for Institutional Challenge Grant

The William T. Grant Foundation invites applications for its Institutional Challenge Grant, which encourages university-based research institutes, schools, and centers to build sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations to reduce inequality in youth outcomes.

The award supports research institutions in building sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. The partnership leadership team includes the principal investigator from the research institution and the lead from the public agency or nonprofit organization. Applications are invited from partnerships in youth-serving areas such as education, justice, child welfare, mental health, immigration, and workforce development. In leadership roles, proposals from teams with African American, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American members are especially encouraged.

Research institutions will need to address four important goals, grow an existing institutional partnership with a public agency or nonprofit organization, pursue a joint research agenda to reduce inequality in youth outcomes, create institutional change to value research-practice partnerships within research institutions, and enhance the capacity of both partners to collaborate on producing and using research evidence.

The award will provide $650,000 over three years, which includes: up to $50,000 for up to nine months of joint planning activities (e.g., refining protocols for partnering, selecting fellows, finalizing partnership and data sharing agreements, etc.); and funding for two years of a full-time equivalent fellowship. In addition, universities are required to fund one additional year of a full-time equivalent fellowship. Fellowships may be allocated in different ways, for example, by appointing one individual fellow for three years, or three different fellows each for one year, or six half-time fellows for one year each, etc. The minimum appointment level for a fellow is half-time for half of one year; up to three years of support for the partnership to conduct and use research to reduce inequality in youth outcomes; resources to advance the proposed institutional shifts and capacities of both partners; and indirect cost allowance of up to 15 percent of total direct costs.

To be eligible, applicants must be from tax-exempt organizations, including university-based research institutes, schools, or centers. Institutions that sit outside of the academy, such as research organizations and think tanks, are not eligible. Proposals are encouraged from organizations that are under-represented among grantee institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and Universities (TCUs), Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the William T. Grant Foundation website.

Deadline: September 14, 2022 3:00 p.m. ET