Deadline: 13-Oct-21
The Spencer Foundation is seeking applications for the Conference Grants to provide support to scholars to organize small research conferences, focused symposia, or other forms of convenings around important issues in education research.
This program is intended to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other important collaborators whose expertise, substantive knowledge and practice, theoretical insight, or methodological expertise can be engaged in ways that help to build upon and advance education research. They encourage applicants to think creatively about how convenings can expand the substantive work and impact of educational research on advancing racial equity.
The Foundation rotates the area of focus for this program annually to generate fresh ideas and perspectives on pressing educational challenges. For this funding cycle Spencer will support conferences related to the topic of critical issues in advancing racial equity in education research.
Program Statement
The Conference Grant program provides support for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to develop small research conferences, focused symposia, or other convenings to explore critical issues in advancing racial equity in education research with budgets up to $50,000. They intend for applicants to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, or other important collaborators whose expertise, substantive knowledge and practice, theoretical insight, or methodological expertise can be engaged in ways that help to build upon and advance racial equity in education research. They invite proposals that aim to grow the current scope of research on racial equity, develop new knowledge through interdisciplinary scholarly engagement, or as a way to collaborate to increase the impact of educational research on practice, or policy. Importantly, they welcome proposals that advance conceptualizations of strength-based and systems transformation perspectives. Finally, they encourage applicants to carefully and innovatively think about the format and pedagogy of their proposed conference or convenings.
Funding Information
This grant program supports proposals with budgets of $50,000 or less.
Eligibility Criteria
- Proposals to the Conference Grant program must be for small research conferences, focused symposia, or convenings that will explore critical issues in advancing racial equity in education research as specified in the Program Statement.
- Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Conference grant must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in an education research-related profession. While graduate students may be part of the proposal, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI.
- The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Examples include non-profit or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS (or equivalent non-profit status if the organization is outside of the United States).
- 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.
Restrictions
- Proposals to support annual ongoing conferences or meetings are not eligible for this program. Relatedly, requests to fund travel to existing annual conferences or meetings are also not eligible.
- Proposed budgets for this program are limited to $50,000 total and may not include indirect cost charges per Spencer’s policy.
- PIs and Co-PIs may not submit more than one application for a given deadline in this program.
For more information, visit https://www.spencer.org/grant_types/conference-grants