Core Research Grants
Russell Sage Foundation Core Research Grants fund rigorous, innovative social science research that advances understanding of U.S. social and living conditions.
Funder: Russell Sage Foundation
Due Dates: October 29, 2025 (LOI) | February 18, 2026 (Full Proposal, by invitation) | March 11, 2026 (LOI) | June 18, 2026 (Full Proposal, by invitation) | July 15, 2026 (LOI) | October 26, 2026 (Full Proposal, by invitation) | October 28, 2026 (LOI) | February 22, 2027 (Full Proposal, by invitation)
Funding Amounts: Trustee Grants up to $200,000 (max 2 years); Presidential Grants up to $50,000–$75,000 for special cases; indirect costs allowed only on grants >$75,000 (max 15%).
Summary: Supports rigorous, well-developed social science research projects aligned with the foundation’s mission and priorities.
Key Information: LOI required; only invited proposals are considered; highly competitive (8–9% funding rate).
Description
The Russell Sage Foundation Core Research Grants program funds high-quality, investigator-initiated social science research projects that closely align with the foundation’s mission to improve social and living conditions in the United States. Grants support projects with fully developed research designs, robust sample frameworks, and secured data access. The foundation prioritizes research that uses novel or newly available data, original data collection (including field and survey experiments, qualitative interviews, and ethnographies), or innovative uses of existing datasets. Routine analyses of publicly available data are typically not funded unless the approach is highly innovative.
Grants are intended for projects that advance understanding in RSF’s core program areas and special initiatives, and proposals are subject to a rigorous multi-stage peer review process.
