The William T. Grant Scholars Program is for early-career researchers in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. We encourage Scholars to tackle important questions that will advance theory, policy, and practice for youth. Applicants identify new methods, disciplines, or content they want to learn, and propose five-year research plans that foster their growth in those areas. The foundation recognizes that early-career researchers are rarely given incentives or support to take such risks, so this award includes a mentoring component. Potential Scholars should have a promising track record of conducting high-quality research, but want to pursue a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers. Award recipients are designated as William T. Grant Scholars. Each year, four to six Scholars are selected and each receives up to $350,000, distributed over five years. Awards begin July 1 and are made to the applicant’s institution. The award must not replace the institution’s current support of the applicant’s research.
The foundation is focused on youth ages 5 to 25 in the United States. The foundation funds research that increases our understanding of:
- programs, policies, and practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes, and
- strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth.
The foundation seeks research that builds stronger theory and empirical evidence in these two areas. The foundation intends for the research it supports to inform change. While it is not expected that any one study will create that change, the research should contribute to a body of useful knowledge to improve the lives of young people.
Additional details can be found in the foundation's Application Guide.
$350,000, payable over five years
Eligibility
Applicants are encouraged to consult with their Associate Deans for Research prior to internal submission to assure they meet eligibility criteria and their projects meet stated program objectives.
- Applicants must have received their terminal degree within seven years of submitting their application. This is calculated by adding seven years to the date the doctoral degree was conferred. In medicine, the seven-year maximum is dated from the completion of the first residency.
- Applicants must be employed in career-ladder positions at nonprofit institutions. For many applicants, this means holding a tenure-track position in a university. Applicants in other types of organizations should be in positions in which there is a pathway to advancement in a research career at the organization and the organization is fiscally responsible for the applicant's position. The award may not be used as a post-doctoral fellowship.
- Applicants outside the United States are eligible. As with U.S. applicants, they must pursue research that has compelling policy or practice implications for the settings of youth in the United States.
- Applicants of any discipline are eligible.
Submission Process
For consideration as a finalist, investigators must submit the following proposal materials as a single PDF email attachment to Stephanie Endy at stephanie.endy@case.edu no later than 5:00pm on March 20, 2018:
- A one-page, 12-point font, one-inch margin cover letter, including PI name, department/division, school/college, project title and brief summary of the project, and
- A federal-grant-style biosketch (typically NIH or NSF).
Final nominees will be notified of their selection by Friday, March 30, 2018.
Final proposal must be received by the Office of Research Administration by Friday, June 29, 2018 at 5:00pm EST.
Final proposal must be received by the sponsor by Friday, July 6, 2018 at 3:00pm EST.