Seven New Research Grants to Build Theory and Evidence in our Focus Areas

We are proud to announce seven new research grants, including six to support studies on reducing inequality in youth outcomes and one to support a study on improving the use of research evidence in ways that benefit young people in the U.S.
Approved at the Foundation’s June Board meeting, these grants will build theory and empirical evidence in our two focus areas.
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Research Grants: Reducing Inequality
Improving Access & Equity in Private Scholarships
Can private scholarships reduce economic and racial inequalities in college enrollment and persistence?
Joshua Angrist and Raymond Han, Dept. of Economics, MIT; Jack Mountjoy, Dept. of Economics, University of Chicago
7/1/2023–6/30/2026, $537,914
Child Poverty Impacts of Safety Net Responses to COVID-19
Do policies that reduce administrative burden in social safety net programs reduce child poverty rates and narrow racial and ethnic disparities in benefit participation?
Jeremy Barofsky and Kelli García, Behavioral Ideas Lab, Inc.
7/1/2023–12/31/2024, $326,708
A Networked Improvement Community Approach to Equitable Literacy in Urban Schools
How can a networked improvement community facilitate the creation of school-based solutions to improve literacy outcomes for Black and Latinx students?
Hardin Coleman and Ariel Tichnor-Wagner, Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University
8/1/2023–7/31/2025, $600,000
An Online Family-based Program to Reduce Inequity among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth of Color
To what extent does an online family-based intervention promote positive youth development and reduce negative behavioral, social, and emotional outcomes among sexual and gender minority youth of color?
Katie Edwards and Lorey Wheeler, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Heather Littleton, Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs
7/1/2023–6/30/2026, $600,000
Representation Matters: Compiling the Data to Measure the Effect of Teacher Workforce Diversity Policies on Reducing Ethnoracial Inequalities in Academic Outcomes
How do state teacher diversity policies vary and what is the potential of teacher diversity to reduce ethnoracial inequalities in district academic outcomes?
Faiza M. Jamil, College of Education, Clemson University; Luke C. Miller, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
8/1/2023–7/31/2025, $199,193
Reducing Structural Barriers in a School-based System of Food Assistance to Reduce Inequality in Food Security and Child Outcomes
Can reducing administrative barriers increase participation in a school-based food assistance program, thereby reducing food insecurity and improving outcomes among low-income and Latinx families?
Rebecca Ryan, Dept. of Psychology, and Pamela Herd, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University; Anna Gassman-Pines and Carolyn Barnes, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University; Ariel Kalil, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
1/1/2024–12/31/2026, $599,869
Research Grants: Improving the Use of Research Evidence
Embedding Research into Organizational Routines to Deepen the Use of Evidence
In what ways does an intentional approach to routinize the use of research evidence become embedded within data-driven practices in school districts to better support science instruction?
Annie Allen, William Penuel, and Tamara Sumner, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder
1/1/2024–12/31/2026, $599,869
Read more about funding criteria, eligibility, required documents, and applying online for research grants in both of the Foundation’s focus areas: