LOIs for research on the SCOTUS decision – Oct 29

Posted by Russell Sage Foundation on October 7, 2025

Russell Sage Foundation invites LOIs for research on the SCOTUS decision striking down race-conscious college admission policies

The Russel Sage Foundation was established in 1907 by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” To that end, the foundation funds social science research that extends the methods, data, and theories of the social sciences as a means of better documenting and understanding the nation’s most pressing social, political, and economic problems.

The foundation, in collaboration with the Hewlett, Spencer, and William T. Grant foundations, aims to support innovative research on the aftermath of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down race-conscious college and university admissions policies. The initiative is focused on ways to promote educational attainment and economic mobility among racially, ethnically, and economically diverse groups following the court’s ruling, which declared that use of race-conscious admissions policies violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and was, therefore, unconstitutional.

The foundation is especially interested in proposals that will advance social science research on the social, political, and economic effects of the Supreme Court decision and the future of race-conscious policies more generally. Interests extend beyond the effects on applications, admissions, enrollment, and degree completion and include the downstream effects, including whether and how the decision alters the college-to-career pipeline that many employers rely on to diversify their workforce, and the factors associated with public opposition to and support for race-conscious policies. The foundation is particularly interested in analyses that use newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data. It also will support original data collection and encourage methodological variety and inter-disciplinary collaboration.

Letters of intent are due October 29, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. ET. LOIs must include specific information about the proposed data and research design. After peer review, about 15 percent of those who submit an LOI will receive an invitation to submit a proposal, with proposals due February 18, 2026.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Russell Sage Foundation website.

Deadline: October 29, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. ET (Letters of Intent)