Deadline: 11 September 2024
Registration for the Spencer Foundation Small Education Research Grants Programme 2024 are now open. The Small Research Grants Programme supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets of up to US$ 50,000 for projects ranging from one to five years.
This programme is "field-initiated" in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific call for a particular research topic, discipline, project, method or location. The aim of this programme is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing issues and compelling opportunities in education. They seek to support studies that develop fundamental new knowledge that can have a lasting impact on educational discourse.
Financing
- The budgets proposed for this programme are limited to a total of US$ 50,000 and may not include indirect cost charges in accordance with Spencer's policy.
Eligibility
- Proposals for the Education Research Grants programme must be for academic research projects aimed at the study of education. Proposals for non-research activities are not eligible (e.g. programme evaluations, professional development, curriculum development, scholarships, capital projects). In addition, proposals for research studies centred on areas other than education are not eligible.
- Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Small Research Grant in Education must have a PhD obtained in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in a profession related to educational research. Although postgraduate students can be part of the research team, they cannot be named PI or Co-PI in the proposal.
- The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organisation that is willing to serve as the administering organisation if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Examples include colleges, universities, school districts and non-profit research facilities, as well as other non-profit organisations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS.
- Proposals are accepted from the US and internationally, however, all proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in US dollars.
Selection process
The Education Research Small Grants Programme uses a peer review process for all eligible submissions. Each proposal will be reviewed by external reviewers and internal staff. The review process for this programme takes approximately 5 to 6 months from the deadline.
The review panel for this programme is made up of academics from the field of education research with experience in various disciplines and methodological areas. The panel members must assess and comment on the following aspects of your proposal:
- Significance of the project: The reviewers will assess the centrality of education in the research, the importance of the topic to their field and the quality of the research question(s) and/or research direction.
- Connecting Research and Theory: The reviewers will assess the adequacy of the description of how other researchers have treated the same topic and how well the proposal responds to previous work and theories.
- Research project: The reviewers will assess the overall quality, sophistication and appropriateness of the research project, as well as its alignment with the research question(s) and/or conceptual framework.
- Budget and timetable: The reviewers will assess the adequacy of the budget and timetable.
- Project Team: The reviewers will comment on the potential of the investigator(s) to complete the study as described and will share the results or other findings.
Application
The application process begins with a full proposal; there is no requirement to send a letter of intent or application form. Complete proposals for a Small Education Research Grant must be submitted by 12 noon Central Time on the deadline date.
