Core Research Grants
Russell Sage Foundation Core Research Grants fund rigorous, innovative social science research on U.S. social, political, or economic issues, emphasizing strong research design and interdisciplinary approaches.
Funder: Russell Sage Foundation
Due Dates: August 7, 2026 (Letter of Inquiry) | November 20, 2026 (Invited Full Proposal)
Funding Amounts: Up to $200,000 total (including max 15% indirects); typical project duration 12–24 months.
Summary: Supports innovative, rigorous social science research aligned with RSF priorities, emphasizing strong research design and interdisciplinary approaches.
Key Information: Letter of inquiry required before full proposal; projects must focus on U.S. social, political, or economic issues.
Description
The Russell Sage Foundation's Core Research Grants support investigator-initiated social science research projects that address the foundation’s core program areas: Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context, Future of Work, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, and Social, Political, and Economic Inequality. The program encourages proposals that demonstrate a tight connection between research questions and research design, with clear, transparent methodologies and interdisciplinary awareness. Projects should focus on U.S. social, political, or economic issues, and proposals must provide a balanced discussion of strengths and limitations of the design and methods.
The foundation welcomes original data collection (including field and survey experiments, qualitative interviews, and ethnographies), novel uses of existing data, and analyses that answer emerging or long-standing questions relevant to RSF’s mission. Routine analyses of publicly available data without novel use or linkage are generally not funded.
