Funder’s website

The funder’s website can be found HERE.

Funding Value and Duration

Up to $75,000 USD for 1 – 5 years

Overview

The Racial Equity Research Grants program supports education research projects that will contribute to understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education. The Spence Foundation is interested in funding studies that aim to understand and disrupt the reproduction and deepening of inequality in education, and which seek to (re)imagine and make new forms of equitable education. Thus, they are interested in research projects that seek to envision educational opportunities in a multiplicity of education systems, levels, settings, and developmental ranges and that reach beyond documenting conditions and paradigms that contribute to persistent racial inequalities.

Their goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious, and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in relation to racial equity in education. In this cycle of funding, they will continue to fund scholarship focused on a range of communities and issues with respect to equity. The Spence Foundation encourages proposals from across the methodological spectrum, including qualitative methods, mixed-methods, and quantitative methods. They want to especially encourage proposals that utilize QuantCrit methods, social network analysis, geo-spatial mapping, and other quantitative methods that use critical lenses.

As with other Spencer grant programs, this program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not required to be developed around a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or geographic location. They will be accepting applications for projects ranging from one to five years with budgets up to $75,000 USD.

Eligibility Criteria

Proposals to the Racial Equity Research Grants program must be for academic research projects that will contribute to understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education, broadly conceived. Proposals for activities other than research are not eligible (e.g., program evaluations, professional development, curriculum development, scholarships, capital projects). Additionally, proposals for research studies focused on areas other than education are not eligible.

Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Racial Equity Research 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 research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.

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

Proposed budgets for this program are limited to $75,000 USD total and may not include indirect cost charges per Spencer’s policy.

Projects proposed may not be longer than 5 years in duration.

PIs and Co-PIs may not submit more than one application for a given deadline in this program.  Additionally, PIs or Co-PIs cannot have two projects under review in different programs.

Internal Contacts

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss this funding opportunity with their Faculty Research Facilitator.

VPRI Resource Contact: Heloise Emdon and Rachel Hirsch

Deadlines

Faculty Deadline Consult your Faculty Research Facilitator.
OVPRI Deadline (Approval Form and Application) June 7, 2023 (Application)
Submission to Sponsor May 16, 2023 1:00PM EST (LOI)

June 14, 2023 1:00PM EST (Application)

Submitting Your Application

  • Step 1) Submit an internal Carleton Approval Form
    Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database CUResearch:
    https://ovpri.research.carleton.ca/Romeo.Researcher/Administrator/Default.aspx
    For a user’s guide on submitting an Approval Form, click HERE.
  • Step 2) Submit an external application to the granting agency
    Submit an external application to the corresponding grant or award agency. To navigate to the funder’s website, click HERE