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FEATURED WORK

Fostering Equitable and Effective Use of Digital Tools in K-12 Classrooms

As students and families await word on what school will look like this fall, it is likely that online instruction and digital learning will play some part in state and district plans to maintain social distancing. But what does effective integration of educational technology look like, and how might schools support and advance the learning of all students? In this post, Carolyn Heinrich and colleagues offer lessons from over a decade of research, highlight leverage points for increasing equitable student learning, and share resources and guidance for implementation.

APPLYING FOR GRANTS

One Day Left to Register: Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Public Policy

One of our Foundation's primary goals is to improve the use of research evidence in policy decisions that affect youth. To accomplish this goal, and ultimately to improve youth outcomes, we seek to support studies that build and test robust strategies for getting evidence used.

Join us on June 30 for a webinar that will illustrate what studies on robust strategies for improving evidence use look like at different stages of development and in different levels of public policy. Foundation President Adam Gamoran will be joined by research grantees Max Crowley and Itzhak Yanovitzky, each of whom will share details of the specific issues their respective studies aim to address, the strategies they are examining, and ways they have approached the question of how to evaluate impact and assess change.

Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Public Policy
Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 12:00pm-1:00pm EST

Recent Updates

STAFF WRITING

Vivian's Voice: Meeting this Moment

By Vivian Tseng

At our recent William T. Grant Scholars retreat, I had the opportunity to share my reflections with early- and mid-career academics about ways they might meet this social and political moment. In this post I expand on three recommendations: 1) act now but plan for the long game, 2) build your relationships with change partners and your understanding of change processes, and 3) know yourself and care for yourself.

APPLYING FOR GRANTS

Video: Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence

In this webinar, recorded on June 30, 2020, Adam Gamoran is joined by research grantees Max Crowley and Itzhak Yanovitzky, each of whom share details of the specific issues their respective studies aim to address, the strategies they are examining, and ways they have approached the question of how to evaluate impact and assess change.

Upcoming Deadlines

Institutional Challenge Grant: 9/10/20 at 3:00 PM EST.

Building the capacity of nonprofits and community agencies to use evidence has never been more vital. The Institutional Challenge Grant encourages research institutions to build sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. Applications are welcome from partnerships in youth-serving areas such as education, justice, child welfare, mental health, immigration, and workforce development.

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality: 8/4/20 at 3:00 PM EST.

We seek studies that aim to build, test, or increase understanding of programs, policies, or practices to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people. We prioritize studies about reducing inequality on the basis of race, ethnicity, economic standing, language minority status, or immigrant origins.

Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence: 8/4/20 at 3:00 PM EST.

We seek studies that identify, build, and test strategies to enhance the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth. We are particularly interested in research on improving the use of research evidence by state and local decision makers, mid-level managers, and intermediaries.

Recent Updates

WEBINAR

Building the capacity of nonprofits and community agencies to use evidence has never been more vital.

Join us at 11am EST for a webinar on applying to the Institutional Challenge Grant, which encourages university-based research institutes, schools, and centers to build sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. 

Register Now

One of the goals of the program is to develop the capacity of partners on both sides to collaborate on producing and using research evidence. Because the success of the partnership and its research is dependent on the capacity of the partners to collaborate, the grant provides funds to support one full-time fellow (or two half-time fellows) per year for two years and requires the research institution to contribute a match of a mid-career research fellow for the equivalent of a one-year, full-time term.

To the extent that fellows will be instrumental in carrying out the partnership's research agenda, applicants must consider a range of questions at the outset. What role will the fellows play in producing, interpreting, or using the partnership's research? What learning objectives will the fellows pursue? How will they be recruited, selected, and trained? What skills and inclinations are most important for partnership work? 

Today at 11am EST, join us for a webinar that will delve into these questions and more. Senior Program Officer Kim DuMont and President Adam Gamoran will be joined by Laura Tach and Juliana Garcia, research and practice fellows on the Foundation's first-ever Institutional Challenge Grant, who will speak about their work as part of the partnership between the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins Count.

Applying for the Institutional Challenge Grant-Identifying and Supporting the Mid-Career Fellows
Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 11:00am-12:00pm EST

AWARDED GRANTS

Three New Institutional Challenge Grants to Encourage Partnerships Between Universities, School Districts, and and Community Organizations

The newest grants are jointly funded by the William T. Grant, Spencer, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundations, with a total of nearly $2,000,000 being awarded to Boston College, Northwestern University, and the University of California, Berkeley, all of which will work in partnership with local nonprofits or school districts to address challenges such as chronic absenteeism, racial gaps in school discipline, and youth homelessness. Read more about the newest Institutional Challenge Grantees >

The next online application for the Institutional Challenge Grant will open in early June, and all applications are due by September 10, 2020 at 3pm EST. Learn more about the program, including eligibility and selection criteria, in the newest application guidelines, now available on our website >

UPCOMING EVENT

Register Now: Applying for the Institutional Challenge Grant-Identifying and Supporting the Mid-Career Fellows

One of the goals of the Institutional Challenge Grant program is to develop the capacity of partners on both sides to collaborate on producing and using research evidence. To the extent that mid-career fellows will be instrumental in carrying out the partnership's research agenda, applicants must consider a range of questions at the outset. What role will the fellows play in producing, interpreting, or using the partnership's research? What learning objectives will the fellows pursue? 

On April 28, join us for a webinar that will delve into these questions and more. Senior Program Officer Kim DuMont and President Adam Gamoran will be joined by Laura Tach and Juliana Garcia, research and practice fellows on the Foundation's first-ever Institutional Challenge Grant, who will speak about their work as part of the partnership between the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins Count.

Applying for the Institutional Challenge Grant-Identifying and Supporting the Mid-Career Fellows
Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 11:00am-12:00pm EST

Recent Posts

Upcoming Deadlines

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality

The next deadline for letters of inquiry is May 6, 2020 at 3:00 pm EST.

Selected resources for applicants

• Letters of Inquiry to Propose Research on Reducing Inequality: Identifying the Lever for Change
• Changing the Conversation About Inequality-The First Step: Writing the Letter of Inquiry

Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence

The next deadline for letters of inquiry is May 6, 2020 at 3:00 pm EST.

Selected resource for applicants

• Reframing Evidence-Based Policy to Align with the Evidence

NEW RESOURCES

Just Released: 2021 Application Guidelines for Research Grants

New for 2021, our updated application guidelines for research grants on reducing inequality and research grants on improving the use of research evidence provide details about eligibility, selection criteria, and application requirements, as well as tips from our program officers and summaries of recent awards.

2021 application deadlines:

• January 13, 2021, 3PM EST
• May 5, 2021, 3PM EST
• August 4, 2021, 3PM EST

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality ?

Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence ?

Recent Updates

WEBINAR

Join us at 2pm EST for a webinar on applying for research grants on reducing inequality, with a specific focus on studies of strategies to address structural roots of inequality. 

Register Now

Recognizing that findings about programs and practices that reduce inequality will have limited societal impact until the structures that create inequality in the first place have been overturned, we are particularly interested in research to combat systemic racism and the structural foundations of inequality that limit the life chances of young people. Such research shifts the focal point of change from individuals to social institutions and examines how institutions might be altered to dislodge the deep roots of inequality and develop a way forward toward greater equity.

Join us today as Program Officer Jenny Irons will discuss the Foundation''s focus on reducing inequality and share guidance for prospective applicants interested in studying strategies to address inequality''s structural roots. Irons will be joined by grantees Matthew Desmond (Princeton University) and Cecilia Ay?n (University of California, Riverside), who will expound on the different system-level factors at the center of their respective studies, their methodological approaches, and challenges and opportunities for the field.

Proposing Studies of Strategies to Address Structural Roots of Inequality
Monday, November 9, 2020, 2:00pm EST

AWARDED GRANTS

Six New Research Grants to Build Theory and Evidence in our Focus Areas

We are proud to announce six new research grants, including five to support studies on reducing inequality in youth outcomes and one to support a study on improving the use of research evidence. Approved at the Foundation's March board meeting, these grants will build theory and empirical evidence in our two focus areas.

Three New York City Nonprofit Organizations Awarded Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants

Part of a new program, these grants provide up to $60,000 in unrestricted general operating support over three years, with the express purpose of strengthening the infrastructure of promising organizations that provide direct services to young people ages 5 to 25 in New York City. The three organizations receiving grants are: Behind the Book, Dare to Revitalize Education through Arts and Mediation, and I Challenge Myself.

FOUNDATION NEWS

We''re Hiring!

The William T. Grant Foundation is seeking a researcher to join our staff as a Program Officer or Senior Program Officer. The position is a member of the Foundation's Senior Program Team, which is responsible for setting program directions, developing and implementing new program initiatives, reviewing grant applications, supporting grantee work, and representing the Foundation with external audiences.

Recent Updates

AWARDED GRANTS

Two New Grants Will Allow a Rapid Response to Youth Inequality Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

The William T. Grant Foundation and the Spencer Foundation today announced two new Rapid Response Research grants to support collaborations between researchers and policymakers, with the central goal of reducing inequality in youth outcomes in the United States. With resource shortfalls and shifting priorities expected to compound existing inequalities in a range of policy areas, the foundations have committed up to $900,000 in grants in the coming months to leverage research for smart public policy that can positively impact the lives of young people.

APPLYING FOR GRANTS

Register Now: Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Public Policy

One of our Foundation's primary goals is to improve the use of research evidence in policy decisions that affect youth. To accomplish this goal, and ultimately to improve youth outcomes, we seek to support studies that build and test robust strategies for getting evidence used.

Join us on June 30 for a webinar that will illustrate what studies on robust strategies for improving evidence use look like at different stages of development and in different levels of public policy. Foundation President Adam Gamoran will be joined by research grantees Max Crowley and Itzhak Yanovitzky, each of whom will share details of the specific issues their respective studies aim to address, the strategies they are examining, and ways they have approached the question of how to evaluate impact and assess change.

Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Public Policy
Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 12:00pm-1:00pm EST

Recent Updates

RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS

Webinar: Proposing Studies of Strategies to Address Structural Roots of Inequality

In this webinar, recorded on November 9, 2020, Program Officer Jenny Irons discusses the Foundation's focus on reducing inequality and shares guidance for prospective applicants interested in studying strategies to address inequality's structural roots. Irons is joined by grantees Matthew Desmond (Princeton University) and Cecilia Ay?n (University of California, Riverside), who expound on the different system-level factors at the center of their respective studies, their methodological approaches, and challenges and opportunities for the field.

Watch the full recording and download presentation slides >

Upcoming Deadlines

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality

The online application is now open. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is January 13, 2021, 3:00pm EST.

Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence

The online application is now open. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is January 13, 2021, 3:00pm EST.

Recent Updates

GRANTS

Announcing Three New Rapid Response Research Grants to Combat Youth Inequality Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, resource shortfalls and disruptions to education and social programs will compound existing inequalities among children and youth. To address the challenges this moment presents, the William T. Grant and Spencer Foundations today announced three new Rapid Response Research grants to support collaborations between researchers and policymakers that will synthesize existing research and inform smart public policy.

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Register Now: Proposing Studies of Strategies to Address Structural Roots of Inequality

Recognizing that findings about programs and practices that reduce inequality will have limited societal impact until the structures that create inequality in the first place have been overturned, the Foundation is particularly interested in research to combat systemic racism and the structural foundations of inequality that limit the life chances of young people. Such research shifts the focal point of change from individuals to social institutions and examines how institutions might be altered to dislodge the deep roots of inequality and develop a way forward toward greater equity.

Join us for a webinar on November 9 as Program Officer Jenny Irons will discuss the Foundation''s focus on reducing inequality and share guidance for prospective applicants interested in studying strategies to address inequality''s structural roots.

Irons will be joined by grantees Matthew Desmond (Princeton University) and Cecilia Ay?n (University of California, Riverside), who will expound on the different system-level factors at the center of their respective studies, their methodological approaches, and challenges and opportunities for the field.

Proposing Studies of Strategies to Address Structural Roots of Inequality
Monday, November 9, 2:00-3:00pm EST

Recent Updates

INSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE GRANT

President''s Comment: It's Time for Universities to Fulfill their Promise as Engines of Social Change

By Adam Gamoran

Collaboration between universities and community agencies is essential for developing and testing practical responses to persistent racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequalities that afflict our nation. Here, Adam Gamoran expands on how the Foundation's Institutional Challenge Grant can help support such collaboration and allow universities to fulfill their potential for leadership towards social justice.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Connection as Empowerment: How Social Bonds can Reduce the Effects of Poverty and Racism on Youth

By Joseph Allen

As part of their grant, "The Connection Project: A Social Intervention to Reduce Drivers of Disparity for Disadvantaged Youth," Joseph Allen and colleagues are examining whether and how a school-based, experiential program to enhance students' social supports could play a part in reducing racial and socioeconomic inequalities in academic, behavioral, and health outcomes. In this post, Allen shares initial findings, discusses the role of programs like the Connection Project in the context of broader structural reforms, and outlines next steps for the work.

Upcoming Deadline

Institutional Challenge Grant: 9/10/20 at 3:00 PM EST.

Building the capacity of nonprofits and community agencies to use evidence has never been more important. The Institutional Challenge Grant encourages research institutions to build sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. Applications are welcome from partnerships in youth-serving areas such as education, justice, child welfare, mental health, immigration, and workforce development.

Recent Updates

NEW GRANTS

Five Early-Career Researchers Selected for the 2020 William T. Grant Scholars Program

Each year, the Foundation selects a handful of new William T. Grant Scholars from a highly competitive pool of applicants who are nominated by their institutions. We are thrilled to welcome the five remarkable academics selected in 2020: Manasi Deshpande, Terrance L. Green, Sarah Ketchen Lipson, Jayanti Owens, and Valerie B. Shapiro.

Learn more about the newest Scholars and their projects ?

NEW RESOURCE

Applying for the Institutional Challenge Grant-Identifying and Supporting the Mid-Career Fellows

In this webinar, recorded earlier this week, Senior Program Officer Kim DuMont and President Adam Gamoran talk to Laura Tach and Juliana Garcia, research and practice fellows on the Foundation's first-ever Institutional Challenge Grant, about their work as part of the partnership between the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins County, with specific attention to their roles in producing, interpreting, and using the partnership's research.

Watch the video ?

Upcoming Deadlines

• Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence
  The online application is now open. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is May 6, 2020 at 3:00 pm EST.


• Research Grants on Reducing Inequality
  The online application is now open. The next deadline for letters of inquiry is May 6, 2020 at 3:00 pm EST.

Recent Updates

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants: Online Application Open Now

The Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants program supports activities to strengthen the organizational infrastructure of small nonprofit organizations in the five boroughs of New York City that provide direct services to young people ages 5 to 25.

The long-term goal of the program is to help build stronger, more stable youth-serving organizations that will reduce inequality in youth outcomes.

Awards are $60,000 each and provide general operating support to allow grantees the flexibility to allocate the funds for organizational capacity-building needs over a 3-year term that begins on March 1, 2021.

The online application is now open. All applications must be received by September 30, 2020, 3:00 pm EST. Visit our website for complete details about eligibility, application processes, and selection criteria.

Related Posts

FOUNDATION NEWS

Read the Foundation''s 2019 Annual Report

As Adam Gamoran writes in the 2019 annual report, "In the midst of a crisis, it's difficult to tear our eyes away from the present and cast our view back over to the preceding year. But looking backward, as we do every year in our annual report, reminds us that our work is not for naught, as the accomplishments of the past strengthen our resolve to forge ahead in the future." The most recent annual report, released today, compiles lists of all active grants, provides an overview of the Foundation''s assets and spending, and includes letters from our President and Board Chair.

APPLYING FOR GRANTS

Register Now: Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Public Policy

One of our Foundation's primary goals is to improve the use of research evidence in policy decisions that affect youth. To accomplish this goal, and ultimately to improve youth outcomes, we seek to support studies that build and test robust strategies for getting evidence used.

Join us on June 30 for a webinar that will illustrate what studies on robust strategies for improving evidence use look like at different stages of development and in different levels of public policy. Foundation President Adam Gamoran will be joined by research grantees Max Crowley and Itzhak Yanovitzky, each of whom will share details of the specific issues their respective studies aim to address, the strategies they are examining, and ways they have approached the question of how to evaluate impact and assess change.

Proposing Studies to Examine Robust Strategies for Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Public Policy
Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 12:00pm-1:00pm EST

Recent Updates