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.

Supporting research
to improve the lives
of young people
Recent Updates
Focus Areas

Our Work • Focus Area
Reducing inequality in youth outcomes
We believe that it is time to build stronger bodies of knowledge on how to reduce inequality in the United States and to move beyond the mounting research evidence about the scope, causes, and consequences of inequality.

Our Work • Focus Area
Improving the use of research evidence in decisions affecting young people
We want to know what it takes to produce useful research evidence, what it takes to get research used, and what happens when research is used.
Funding
Opportunities
Grant Programs
The Institutional Challenge Grant supports university-based research institutes, schools, and centers in building sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes.
Status:
Closed
Next Deadline:
TBD
2026 application dates will be published in Spring 2026.

This program funds research 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 ages 5-25 in the United States
Status:
Closed
Next Deadline:
TBD
2026 application dates will be published in November 2025.

This program funds studies that examine ways to improve the use of research evidence by policymakers, agency leaders, organizational managers, intermediaries, and other decision-makers that shape youth-serving systems in the United States.
Status:
Closed
Next Deadline:
TBD
2026 application dates will be published in November 2025.

The Youth Service Capacity-Building Grants (YSCG) 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 YSCG program is aligned …
Status:
Closed
Next Deadline:
TBD

This program supports activities to improve the quality of existing youth services by helping nonprofit organizations in New York City address challenges or remedy problems at the point of service, where staff and youth interact.
Status:
Closed
Next Deadline:
TBD
The 2025 application cycle is now closed. The next cycle will open in January 2026.

The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The program funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas.
Status:
Closed
Next Deadline:
TBD
The 2025 application cycle is now closed. The next cycle will open in Spring 2026.


“Effective programs and policies can enhance young people’s lives, and social science research can help us understand, build, and improve those that work best.”
Adam Gamoran, President

From our
Grantees
What We’re Learning
From the Field
Foundation Microsite
Whether you are looking to form, grow, or support a research-practice partnership, you need to know where to start and what to expect. We’ve gathered guiding tips, work samples, and resources from successful partnerships that can help you on your way. Think of it as a one-stop shop.

Latest
Research
Journal Articles
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education
Pandemic Resource Allocation and the Spending Priorities of School LeadersOctober 1, 2025
Authors: Christopher A. Candelaria (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA) | Sam Angileri (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA) | Clare Chen (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA) | Angelique N. Crutchfield (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA) | Kenton K. Shimozaki (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA)
AERA Open
From Voices to Validity: Leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) for Textual Analysis of Policy Stakeholder InterviewsOctober 1, 2025
Authors: Alex Liu (College of Education, University of Washington) | Min Sun (College of Education, University of Washington)
Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work
Benevolent Childhood Experiences and Afrocentric Norms: Pathways to Flourishing Among Urban Black Young AdultsSeptember 30, 2025
Authors: Husain Lateef (Washington University in St. Louis) | Solomon Achulo (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) | Dennis Boyd (Washington University in St. Louis) | Benjamin Leach (Washington University in St. Louis) | Judith Mwobobia (Washington University in St. Louis) | Sarah Narcisse (Washington University in St. Louis) | Portia Nartey (Washington University in St. Louis)
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