Deadline: 2-Mar-22
The Mind & Life Institute is pleased to launch the Prosociality, Empathy, Altruism, Compassion, and Ethics (PEACE) Grant Program to support projects that advance the understanding of wholesome mental qualities and positive interpersonal and social action related to Prosociality, Empathy, Altruism, Compassion, and Ethics (PEACE).
With this program, they invite rigorous interdisciplinary research proposals that examine one or more of the following:
- practices, methods, or interventions that may cultivate PEACE qualities,
- basic mechanisms (psychological, physiological, social, developmental, etc.) underlying PEACE qualities and their growth, and
- the development of measures to rigorously assess PEACE qualities in various contexts (both in the laboratory and in the real world).
Focus Areas
While projects do not need to have an immediate applied component, applicants should make clear how the proposed research could support positive action in the world. In addition, they have a special interest in funding PEACE projects within the following focus areas:
- Personal Well-being— Examining how to nurture positive emotions, including love, compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness, and the impact of negative emotions such as fear, anger, and anxiety in the lives.
- Compassionate Communities— Examining how the inner workings of the mind influence the formation of the views, behaviors, and social systems that separate them, and the role of contemplative practice in creating more compassionate communities.
- Human-Earth Connection— Investigating how the union of contemplative wisdom and science can lead to greater awareness of the interconnectedness of all life—and action—to support and sustain both individuals and the earth’s living systems.
The PEACE Grants program is a natural extension of Mind & Life’s mission and reflects the commitment to leading the way in integrating rigorous investigation while also addressing larger societal issues with a focus in anti-racism. In line with the desire to expand the scope of the collective inquiry and begin to address existing imbalances, they encourage applicants to:
- practice sampling transparency by clearly describing participant demographics (including but not limited to age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education level);
- consider demographics of research staff, those delivering interventions, as well as participant populations;
- design ethical research protocols that take into account accessibility, cultural norms, and values of all involved;
- investigate research questions relevant to understudied populations—when care is taken to do so in a culturally responsive manner, and preferably with a community participatory design;
- consider the limits of generalization to other populations, and interpret any conclusions within the specific context of the study.
Funding Information
- Two levels of funding are available through this program: up to $25,000 and up to $100,000 (USD). Grants will be awarded through a competitive application and selection process.
- Proposed research should be completed within a 2-year period, and annual progress reports are required for grantees to remain in good standing.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible to a PEACE Grant, the Principal Investigator (and Co-Principal Investigator, if there is one) must have completed a research doctorate (e.g., PhD, EdD) and have sufficient training, experience and institutional resources to accomplish the proposed work.
- Mind & Life aims to maximize the benefits of diversity, and to use diversity as a tool for enriching the field of contemplative research. They warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds and identities; they are especially committed to supporting applicants from groups that are underrepresented in contemplative research.
- Applicants to a PEACE Grant may not be actively funded through any Mind & Life research grant.
- Current Mind & Life research grantees must submit a final report and budget reconciliation for existing grants before applying for a new grant.
- Note that they do not allow two separate proposals in a given cycle from the same applicant (whether as PI or co-PI), or from different applicants for two aspects of the same project.
Criteria
Applications are reviewed by an external committee of experienced contemplative researchers and selected based on the following criteria:
- Significance and Impact: The project addresses an important issue related to mechanisms, cultivation, or assessment of PEACE qualities, and has potential to lead to advancement of contemplative research and positive action in the world;
- Innovation: The project offers something new or challenges existing paradigms, either conceptually or methodologically, or both;
- Methodological Approach/Design: Design, methods, and analyses are adequately developed, rigorous, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project;
- Investigator(s) / Grant applicant(s): The principal investigator(s) are appropriately trained and capable of coordinating and managing the proposed research, supported by a research team with complementary expertise, with high likelihood of success and future contribution to the field;
- Research Environment: The team has documented access to sufficient resources to carry out the research; , the project is supported by the host institution and community.
For more information, visit https://www.mindandlife.org/grants/peace-grants/