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
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
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
Open date:
June 11, 2025
Next Deadline:
August 6, 2025 3:00 pm EST

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
Open date:
June 11, 2025
Next Deadline:
August 6, 2025 3:00 pm EST

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:
Open
Open date:
March 26, 2025
Next Deadline:
July 1, 2025 3:00 pm EST

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
Open date:
May 15, 2025
Next Deadline:
September 15, 2025 3:00 pm EST

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
Dates for the 2025 competition will be announced in summer 2025.


“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 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
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
Climbing the ladder: Subjective social status in a sample of youth from LGBTQ+ parent families.April 7, 2025
Authors: Kay A. Simon | Greyson Arnold | Madi T. Diomede | Rachel H. Farr
Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
Stability and change in the academic qualifications of recent men and women college entrantsApril 6, 2025
Authors: Natasha Quadlin | Tom VanHeuvelen
Children and Youth Services Review
Narrative development among emerging adults who aged out of foster care: Patterns and implications for adaptationApril 6, 2025
Authors: AnnaMaria Boullion | Linnea B. Linde-Krieger | Efrat Sher-Censor | Tuppett M. Yates
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