Strategic Initiatives
The New Civics
Budgets less than $50,000
For proposals to the initiative on The New Civics with budgets of $50,000 or less, please see the information provided below regarding our submission process.
Eligibility and Restrictions:
- Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Research Grant must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in an education research-related profession.
- The PI must be affiliated with a college, university, research facility, school district, or cultural institution that is willing to serve as the fiscal agent if the grant is awarded. Research Grant proposals from individuals are not eligible.
- 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.
- PIs and Co-PIs may only hold one active research grant from the Spencer Foundation at a time. Simultaneous submissions to Spencer from PIs and Co-PIs are discouraged due to this policy.
Upcoming Deadlines
The next deadline for Small Grant proposals is 4:00pm CST, Thursday, May 16, 2013, and the following one will be July 23, 2013.
The review of complete proposal applications submitted on the deadline will take approximately 3 to 4 months. We recommend that your proposed start date be no sooner than 4 months following the deadline.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals must be submitted electronically using the Spencer Foundation’s online system. Below are the basic steps for submission.
Step 1 - Registration: The PI must register and create a profile by clicking on the link below and then clicking the “Register Here” button.
Step 2 - My Profile: After logging in, you must complete the information requested on the My Profile page (upper right corner of the screen) and upload your current CV.
Step 3 - New Proposal: Click the New Proposal tab and choose the Small Grant button for the New Civics Initiative. As you work on your proposal, consider the three following tips:
Tip #1: Remember to frequently click the “Save Draft” button at the bottom of the application page. Changes you make will not be recorded until you click the “Save Draft” button; click it often.
Tip #2: You will be required to upload PDF files during this process. If your file name has special characters within it (e.g. period, dash, etc), the file will not upload. Remove all special characters from your file names before attempting to upload them.
Tip #3: Your submission is required to have a signature from an authorized representative of the administering organization; consider the processing time for this as you prepare your application for the upcoming deadline.
DETAILED GUIDELINES, click here. We strongly recommend you print out these guidelines to refer to as you go through the online application.
ONLINE APPLICATION, click here.
Criteria for Review
The criteria we will use in evaluating proposals include:
- Likelihood that answers to the research questions will advance understanding about the civic action and learning-experience connections;
- Implications for educational improvement, including but not limited to curricula, classrooms, and schools;
- Methodological rigor and the appropriateness of the research design to the research questions;
- Generalizability of the study beyond the project’s specific populations and research sites.
Although individual projects are not required to address or include each of the priorities below, we will strive to include in the Initiative portfolio studies that attend to the following:
- Outcomes aligned with institutional or systemic change;
- Populations of interest, including non-college-bound youth, less economically privileged youth, members of diverse racial and ethnic groups, and immigrant youth;
- Attention to developmental patterns (age ranges that extend from childhood through age 30).
Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about applying for a research grant from the Spencer Foundation can be found by clicking on our Research FAQ page. Please direct any additional questions regarding the proposal submission process to Annie Brinkman, Grants Manager, at abrinkman@spencer.org or 312-274-6511.