The Spencer Foundation, a stalwart in the advancement of educational research, has announced its Vision Grants Program for 2024, offering researchers worldwide the opportunity to secure funding of up to $75,000.
This initiative seeks to ignite innovative, interdisciplinary, and large-scale research projects aimed at transforming educational systems for equity.
Purpose and Vision of the Grants
Recognizing the critical need for comprehensive and transformative research in education, the Spencer Foundation aims to address pressing challenges and seize opportunities within educational systems.
The Vision Grants are designed to support scholars and their collaborators in planning and developing ambitious research projects throughout 6 to 12 months.
These projects should be oriented toward real-world impact on equity, integrating diverse methodologies and disciplinary perspectives, and fostering meaningful collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, communities, and other stakeholders.
Core Objectives
The Vision Grants Program is anchored in the belief that transformative educational research requires time, space, and thoughtful planning. The primary goals of the program include:
- Facilitating Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Encouraging teams to draw on a broad range of disciplines and methods.
- Promoting Equity: Focusing on research that aims to transform educational systems to promote equity.
- Building Strong Partnerships: Nurturing collaborations with various stakeholders including practitioners, policymakers, and communities.
- Providing Comprehensive Support: Offering resources and support to plan large-scale, impactful research projects.
Benefits of the Vision Grants Program
Each Vision Grant provides $75,000, with two cycles of the program being held annually.
This funding is intended to cover various aspects of research planning, such as convening meetings, conducting preliminary studies, and developing comprehensive research proposals.
Eligibility and Requirements
To be eligible for a Vision Grant, proposals must adhere to the following criteria:
- Scope of Research: Projects must focus on education and/or learning, broadly conceived, and may include scholars and partners from other sectors and fields.
- Principal Investigators: PIs and Co-PIs must have appropriate experience or an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or a terminal degree in a professional field. Graduate students can be part of the research team but cannot be named as PI or Co-PI.
- Affiliation: The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. This includes non-profit colleges, universities, school districts, research facilities, and other organizations with equivalent non-profit status outside the U.S.
- Previous Grants: PIs and Co-PIs can apply even if they have another active research grant from the Spencer Foundation or another Spencer grant proposal in review.
- International Applications: Proposals are accepted from both the U.S. and internationally, and must be submitted in English with budgets proposed in U.S. Dollars.
Application Process
- Interested and qualified researchers can apply through the Spencer Foundation’s application portal at https://spencer.smartsimple.us/s_Login.jsp
For more details, applicants are encouraged to visit the Spencer Foundation’s website on https://www.spencer.org/grant_types/vision-grants
Application Deadline
The application deadline for the Vision Grants Program is August 14, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
Can a PI or Co-PI be eligible for a Vision Grant if they already have another active Spencer grant?
Yes, PIs and/or Co-PIs can be involved with another Spencer funded grant or proposal while being named on a Vision Grant proposal.
Can the same person be part of multiple Vision Grant proposals as a PI or Co-PI?
No, the same individual cannot be the PI or Co-PI on multiple Vision Grant proposals. This is a policy change from previous cycles.
How large should Vision Grant teams be?
Teams should be between 4 and 10 members, interdisciplinary, and include collaborators across sectors who have agreed to participate.
Are indirect costs allowed for Vision Grants?
No, indirect costs are not permitted for budgets that are $75,000 or less.
How are Vision Grants different from other Spencer grant programs?
Vision Grants are planning grants designed to support the planning of large-scale studies for systems transformation towards equity, unlike other grants which may fund fully fleshed out research projects.
