Call for Applications
The Institute for Diversity Science distributes Graduate Research Grants on an ongoing basis. The awards are limited to $3,000. All Graduate Fellows of the Institute for Diversity Science can apply (at most one application per Graduate Fellow per academic year).
There is no deadline. Proposals will be evaluated on an ongoing basis until the available budget of the fiscal year ($30k) is depleted.
Projects should be submitted electronically at this link. Applicants can expect to receive an answer within two weeks, and the money will typically be available four weeks after the funding decision.
The Graduate Research Grants aim to support innovative research in the field of diversity science. The proposed research can be fundamental or applied, and it can advance knowledge on diversity, equity, and inclusion over the short or long term. The goal of the Institute for Diversity Science is to generate knowledge that will help us develop concrete solutions to diversity-related problems that our society faces. A definition of diversity science can be found on the website of the Institute for Diversity Science (see tab What is Diversity Science?).
The Graduate Research Grants can be used for all research-related activities: participant payments, equipment (e.g., laptop, experience sampling devices), software, student hourlies (e.g., paid undergraduate research assistants over the summer), services (e.g., UW Survey Center, consulting for AI-assisted coding of interview transcripts or open-ended answers), editing services for manuscripts, publication fees for open-access journals, and expenditures related to field research. Under certain circumstances, part of the Graduate Research Grant can be used for the applicant’s salary (e.g., summer salary for the Graduate Fellow) or for conference travel. These expenditures need to be appropriately justified, and proposals that budget money for salary and conference travel are ranked lower in terms of priority.
Please be aware that diversity science examines the barriers of numerous groups in our society. These groups are defined by dimensions such as gender identity, ethnic/racial identity, religious identity, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, age, socio-economic status, being a first-generation college student or not, being from a rural vs. urban background, political affiliation, weight, appearance, and physical and mental health. In case of a tie, preference will be given to projects on groups that have historically been the target of the most severe discrimination and for which the greatest disparities exist in the United States.
Please complete the on-line submission at this link. You will be asked to provide the information listed below.
PI’s first and last name [only one PI is possible, and that PI needs to be an IDS Graduate Fellow]
PI’s affiliation and contact information
First and last name of the PI’s academic advisor [the academic advisor needs to be an IDS affiliate]
Title of project (max. 40 words)
Abstract of project (max. 250, preferred: around 150 words): Your abstract should contain a summary of your research project including a description of the research question you plan to examine. It should be comprehensible for non-specialized audiences.
Project description (max. 900 words, preferred: around 600 words): Why is it important to study the research question you are proposing to address? What is the theoretical and/or applied interest of the planned research? Describe in some detail what you are proposing to do. What data will you collect? How? From whom? Or are you going to use secondary data? Which ones? Describe how your project will provide an answer to the research question mentioned above.
Relevance to diversity science (max. 300 words, preferred: around 200 words): Explain why your project qualifies as diversity science. See this link for a definition of diversity science. Note that diversity science usually involves data or information that can be quantified (e.g., 30 semi-structured interviews with individuals who do and do not belong to marginalized groups that are later content-coded). Diversity science also goes beyond the mere demonstration of bias or of disparities. It does so by either identifying factors that causally affect discrimination or group-based inequalities or by suggesting methods to reduce discrimination, promote inclusion, increase the success and well-being of members of marginalized groups, or remove systemic forms of injustice.
Societal problem being addressed (one sentence): The goal of the Institute for Diversity Science is to generate knowledge that will help us develop concrete solutions to diversity-related problems that our society faces. Summarize in one sentence how the research funded by the Graduate Research Grant contributes to this goal. ____
References (no word limit): List all references cited in the proposal.
Budget: Enter the total amount of money you are applying for in dollars [no decimals, no periods or commas]
Budget justification (max. 200 words, preferred: around 100 words): Provide a breakdown how you are going to use the money. Bullet points are OK.
Timeline: (max. 100 words, preferred: around 50 words): Describe a few milestones of your project and by when you plan on completing these milestones. Bullet points are OK.
Please choose one answer: I hereby confirm that there is no substantial overlap between the current project and another project for which I have already obtained funding. Yes – No.
Please choose one answer: I understand that after having obtained funding from IDS I cannot apply for money from a different funding agency for the same project. Yes – No.
Please upload a recent CV or Biosketch for the PI.