The William T. Grant Foundation invests in high-quality research focused on reducing inequality in youth outcomes and improving the use of research evidence in decisions that affect young people in the United States.

Focus Areas

We are focused on programs, policies, and practices that can reduce inequality in youth outcomes, and strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth.

Grant Programs

Our grant programs support research that builds stronger theory and empirical evidence in our focus areas. Funding opportunities include grants for mid-career researchers and career-development awards for promising early-career scholars.

About Us

We begin with a set of questions, not preconceptions. And we focus our support on learning more about long-term, fundamental challenges. This means looking beyond the front page, asking big questions, and being open to unexpected answers.

Our History

Since our founding in 1936, the William T. Grant Foundation has worked to further the understanding of human behavior through research.

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

Research Grants

The online application is now open. The next deadline for Letters of Inquiry is May 1, 2019, at 3:00 PM EST.

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Institutional Challenge Grant

The online application is now closed. The next deadline for applications is TBD.

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William T. Grant Scholars Program

The online application is now closed. The next deadline for applications is July 2, 2019, at 3:00 PM EST.

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Featured Updates

New Resource

Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods

Available for download and in print, this new monograph outlines core methodological issues in the study of the use of research evidence, reviews recent studies that illustrate specific data collection and study design methodologies, and discusses the affordances and limitations of each.
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Insight and Analysis

Building the Policy Wave: The Power of Data-based Storytelling

Ideas matter because policy decision making is not an isolated event: it happens over a long period of time.

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Featured Work

How Summer Jobs Programs Can Help Reduce Inequality Among Youth

Alicia Modestino has been engaged in a multi-year evaluation with the Boston Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development to assess the impact of the city’s summer jobs program on criminal justice, academic, and employment outcomes.

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Our Work

Introducing a Redesigned Youth Service Improvement Grants Program

The redesigned Youth Service Improvement Grants program capitalizes on insights gleaned from a recent stock-taking by aligning its priorities more closely with the Foundation’s broader focus on reducing inequality in youth outcomes.

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Reducing Inequality

Letters of Inquiry to Propose Research on Reducing Inequality: Identifying the Lever for Change

By Jenny Irons
As you prepare your LOI, ask yourself: what strategy will I test, build, improve, or identify through this project that might reduce unequal outcomes among youth ages 5-25 in the United States?
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Scholars Program

2019 William T. Grant Scholars Application Guide

Just released, the 2019 Scholars Program Application Guide details our research focus areas, as well as the eligibility requirements, application procedures, submission instructions, and selection criteria for Scholars awards. The online application will open on April 30, 2019, and applications are due by July 2, 2019 at 3:00 PM EST.

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Featured Resources

Research-Practice Partnerships Microsite

Guiding tips, work samples, and resources from successful research-practice partnerships.

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Grants Archive

Our historical archive, spanning nearly ten years of grantmaking across programs and focus areas.

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