Deadline: 14-Mar-22
The Nuffield Foundation’s Research, Development and Analysis fund is now open for projects to inform the design and operation of social policy and practice across their three core domains of Education, Welfare and Justice.
Priorities
Their core interests focus on three broad public policy domains that they have long identified as underpinning a well-functioning society: Education, Welfare and Justice. The priorities within each of these domains are set out in the next sections. They encourage the involvement of a range of disciplines to issues in these three domains. These disciplines include, but are not limited to, law, psychology, economics, sociology, geography, and data and computer sciences. They welcome cross-disciplinary approaches and also proposals that cut across their domains of interest.
Funding Information
- Applications for grants costing up to £750,000 will be considered twice a year, with deadlines for submission of outline applications in March and September. For applications at the upper end of that range they recommend that applicants contact them to discuss in advance of submitting an application. Most of the grants they award are below £300,000.
- They also welcome applications between £750,000 and £3 million for more strategic projects, which will be considered once a year, with an outline application submitted in March. This distinction is not purely a financial threshold; they expect applications for grants over £750,000 to address the most significant themes and developments that will shape the UK public policy agenda and wider society over the next decade and beyond.
What they fund?
The Nuffield Foundation’s research, development and analysis portfolio is central to the delivery of their mission to advance educational opportunity and social well-being across the UK. They expect the work they fund to improve the design and operation of social policy, especially in those domains that they have always identified as underpinning a wellfunctioning society: Education, Welfare, and Justice.
What they look for?
- Is the research question relevant?
- Is there a clear conceptual framework?
- Is the question researchable and the methodology appropriate and rigorous?
- Does the team possess appropriate experience, expertise and potential?
- Is the budget requested appropriate and does it offer good value for money?
- Is there a clear route to use the output to positively influence future outcomes?
Eligibility Criteria
- In general, they award grants to a wide range of organisations including, but not confined to, universities based in the UK and for projects focused on the UK context. They do however, welcome applications from UK-based organisations to carry out collaborative projects, possibly involving overseas partners (and/or exploiting data relating to other countries), for example where:
- These provide useful comparators for UK experience in their areas of substantive interest.
- There are lessons to be learned from international experiences.
- Policy or practice overseas might be adapted for the UK.
- There is a capacity building dimension that might benefit the UK.
- In exceptional circumstances, they might consider an application from an overseas organisation along the lines where there is no workable arrangement whereby a UK-based organisation can host the grant. In these cases, the applicant must convince them that there are adequate arrangements for dissemination, engagement and impact in the UK context.
Ineligible
- Individuals without a formal employment or other relationship with the institution hosting the grant.
- Projects led by individuals unaffiliated to any particular organisation.
- Projects led by schools or further education colleges.
- Projects led by undergraduates or masters students.
- PhD fees or projects where the main purpose is to support a PhD.
- The establishment of academic posts.
- Ongoing costs or the costs of ‘rolling out’ existing work or services.
- ‘Dissemination-only’ projects, including campaigning work, which are not connected to their funded work.
- Local charities, replacement for statutory funding, or local social services or social welfare provision.
- Requests for financial help or educational fees from or on behalf of individuals.
For more information, visit https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/funding/research-development-and-analysis-fund