RSF Programs and Initiatives Currently Accepting Letters of Inquiry (Deadline: November 10, 2021 at 2 PM ET): 

Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context, Future of Work, & Social, Political and Economic Inequality

The Russell Sage Foundation was established by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” The foundation now focuses exclusively on supporting social science research in its core program areas as a means of examining social issues and improving policies. Grants are available for research assistance, data acquisition, data analysis, and investigator time for conducting research and writing up results. Budget requests are limited to a maximum of $175,000 (including overhead) per project (max. 2 years).

In addition, RSF will also accept LOIs relevant to any of its core programs that address at least one of the following issues:

1. Research on the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting recession in the U.S. 
2. Research focused on systemic racial inequality and/or the recent mass protests in the U.S.

A detailed letter of inquiry must precede a full proposal. About 15% of investigators who submit LOIs are invited based on external reviews to submit proposals. 

See http://www.russellsage.org/how-to-apply for more details. Questions should be sent to programs@rsage.org.

RSF Pipeline Grants Competition (Deadline: November 4^th, 2022 at 2 PM EDT)

RSF has recently launched a new pipeline grants competition for early- and mid-career researchers in collaboration with the Economic Mobility and Opportunity program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The competition seeks to promote diversity in the social sciences broadly, including racial, ethnic, gender, disciplinary, institutional, and geographic diversity. Early and mid-career faculty who have not previously received support from RSF in the form of a Trustee or Presidential research grant or a visiting fellowship from RSF are eligible to apply.

Tenure track assistant professors can apply for grants of up to $30,000, and associate professors who have been in the rank for less than seven years can apply for grants of up to $50,000. Full professors, associate professors in that rank for more than seven years, and those who have previously received RSF funding are eligible to be co-PI’s but cannot receive funding. Grants can be used for investigator salary, course buyouts, research assistance, data access, data collection, conference travel, and other research costs on a case by case basis.

See https://www.russellsage.org/research/funding/pipeline-grants-competition for more details. Questions should be sent to programs@rsage.org. 
 

2022 RSF Summer Institute on Integrating Biology into the Social Sciences

Evanston, IL | June 6 – 10, 2022
Application Deadline: January 15^th, 2022 at 2 PM ET

Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in biology among social scientists.  Despite the promise this new research holds, there are significant obstacles to its implementation. Among the most pressing is the shortage of scholars who are adequately trained to undertake it. To address this gap, The Russell Sage Foundation is sponsoring a summer workshop on Integrating Biology Into The Social Sciences.

It will consist of a week-long series of didactic lectures, small-group breakout sessions, and hands-on laboratory exercises. Attendees will (1) develop an understanding of the conceptual basis for integrating the social and biological sciences, (2) become acquainted with the basic units of biology – genes, cells, and organs – and how they function, (3) learn the basic physiology of key organ systems, (4) gain familiarity with methods used to measure human biological processes, and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and (5) wrestle with the social, ethical, and political implications of conducting work in this area. The target audience is post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty members in the social sciences, although we are open to applications from advanced graduate students.

The workshop will be hosted by Northwestern University’s Cells to Society group and Institute for Policy Research (IPR). The co-directors are Greg Miller, Emma Adam and Thom McDade, and participating faculty include Edith Chen, Bridget Goosby, Claudia Haase, Michael Kobor, Chris Kuzawa, Robin Nusslock, and Michael Yudell. The workshop will be held in-person in Evanston, IL from June 6-10. Travel, housing, and workshop registration fees will be covered by a generous grant from the Russell Sage Foundation.

Admission is competitive and will be restricted to 30 trainees. To apply, visit https://www.russellsage.org/summer-institute-biological-approaches-social-sciences-sibass Any questions about the program or application process can be addressed to programs@rsage.org.