Vision Grants Program (Research)

The Spencer Foundation is inviting applications for its Vision Grants Program to support the field in producing research that disrupts long-standing inequities toward more just and equitable systems.

There is a critical need for innovative, methodologically and disciplinarily diverse, large-scale research projects to transform education systems for equity. Importantly, they believe that ambitious research must begin with the challenges, problems, and opportunities in education systems. To stimulate research that addresses this need, the Spencer Foundation seeks to provide scholars and collaborators with the time, space, resources, and support to plan a large-scale study or program of research: geared toward real-world impact on equity; drawing on research across disciplines and methods; reliant on meaningful and equitable collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, communities, and other partners; and focused on transforming educational systems.

Vision Grants are research planning grants to bring together a team, for 6 to 12 months, to collaboratively develop ambitious, large-scale research projects focused on transforming educational systems toward greater equity. Proposals should also explicitly identify:

• a research topic and initial thoughts about scope and methodological appreach of the study;
• the plan for impact, identifying the levers for systems change that will likely be engaged;
• the collaboration process; and
• a team that will lead to a fully fleshed out research plan by the end of the grant period.

Vision Grants are not meant to outline or plan the next step in a scholar’s research agenda. Instead, Vision Grants will provide planning funds for teams to develop proposals for research projects that:

• Are focused on key challenges and opportunities that have the potential for increasing equity in education
• Engage multiple PIs across distinct disciplinary and/or research methods approaches towards the planning of a large-scale, rigorous research study
• Collaborate equitably with practitioners, policymakers, and communities (and other partners)
• Have clear sightlines to transformational change at a systemic level.

Focus Areas

They are field-initiated and invite proposals on a wide range of topics and issues. With that said, they also want to especially encourage Vision Grant proposals that focus on three key areas:

• Youth civic engagement and youth organizing toward systems transformation for equity;
• New avenues of research about teaching, educator preparation, and learning for equity and thriving; and
• How they better measure and assess the full range of skills, capacities, and experiences that lead to robust learning.

• Proposals to the Vision Grant program must be for planning research projects that study education and/or learning, broadly conceived, though they will more than likely include scholars and partners in other sectors and fields. Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Vision Grant must have appropriate experience or an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or terminal degree in a professional field. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.
• The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Examples include non-profit private or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS (or equivalent non-profit status if the organization is outside of the United States).
• PIs and Co-PIs may apply for a Vision Grant if they have another active research grant from the Spencer Foundation or if they have another Spencer grant proposal in review.
• Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally. All proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars.