Research Grants on Education: Large
Forecasted
Research Grants on Education: Large supports research teams studying education, funding rigorous academic inquiry to build foundational knowledge that can shape discourse and improve education.
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Funder: Spencer Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Annual preproposal deadline)
Funding Amounts: $125,000–$500,000 for projects lasting 1–5 years
Summary: Supports rigorous education research that develops foundational knowledge and contributes to the improvement of education, broadly conceived.
Key Information: PIs and Co-PIs must hold earned doctorates, and a nonprofit or public/governmental institution must administer the award.
Description
The Spencer Foundation’s Large Research Grants on Education program supports rigorous, intellectually ambitious, technically sound academic research addressing pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. This field-initiated program does not prescribe a topic, discipline, research design, method, or location. Its goal is to develop new foundational knowledge with lasting potential to shape educational discourse.
The program welcomes domestic and international research across career stages and disciplinary perspectives. Learning may be studied across the life course and in classrooms, workplaces, families, communities, or playing fields. Supported approaches include quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, ethnographic, design-based, participatory, and historical research. Spencer welcomes multidisciplinary and multigenerational teams, collaboration with practitioners or communities, and thoughtful plans for sharing findings with practice, policymaking, and broader publics.
