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Intent to Apply due May 4, 2026 (12:00 PM CT); Full Proposal due July 1, 2026 (12:00 PM CT). Applications open March 16, 2026.
Racial Equity Program is a grant from the Spencer Foundation that funds academic research projects aimed at understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education. The program supports field-initiated research with no restrictions on topic, discipline, methodology, or geography—researchers are encouraged to envision new forms of equitable education across diverse settings and developmental ranges.
Projects may run one to five years. Principal Investigators and Co-PIs must hold an earned doctorate and be affiliated with a nonprofit or public institution. Proposals are accepted internationally in English with budgets in U.S. dollars.
Awards are up to $75,000 total with no indirect cost charges. Intent to Apply forms are accepted once annually, with the 2026 deadline July 1, 2026.
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Racial Equity Research Grants | The Spencer Foundation Transformative Grants Program AI and Education Initiative Racial Equity Research Grants Racial Equity Research Grants racial-equity@spencer. org The Racial Equity Research Grants program supports education research projects that will contribute to understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education.
We are interested in funding studies that aim to understand and disrupt the reproduction and deepening of inequality in education, and which seek to (re)imagine and make new forms of equitable education.
Thus, we are interested in research projects that seek to envision educational opportunities in a multiplicity of education systems, levels, settings, and developmental ranges and that reach beyond documenting conditions and paradigms that contribute to persistent racial inequalities.
As with other Spencer grant programs, this program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not required to be developed around a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or geographic location. We accept Intent to Apply forms once a year. We will be accepting applications for projects ranging from one to five years with budgets up to $75,000.
Eligibility and Restrictions Proposals to the Racial Equity Research Grants program must be for academic research projects that will contribute to understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education, broadly conceived. Proposals for activities other than research are not eligible (e.g., program evaluations, professional development, curriculum development, scholarships, capital projects).
Additionally, proposals for research studies focused on areas other than education are not eligible. Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Racial Equity Research Grant must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or 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.
Examples include non-profit 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). The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals.
Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally, however, all proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars. Proposed budgets for this program are limited to $75,000 total and may not include indirect cost charges per Spencer’s policy . Projects proposed may not be longer than 5 years in duration.
PIs and Co-PIs may only hold one active research grant from the Spencer Foundation at a time. This restriction does not apply to the administering organization; organizations may submit as many proposals as they like as long as they are for different projects and have different research teams. PIs and Co-PIs may not submit more than one research proposal to the Spencer Foundation at a time.
This restriction applies to the Small Grants Program, Large Grants Program, Racial Equity Research Grants Program, and Research-Practice Partnership Program. If the PI or any of the Co-PIs currently have a research proposal under consideration in any of these programs, they are required to wait until a final decision has been made on the pending proposal before they can submit a new proposal.
Note that an exception to both of these restrictions is the Spencer Vision Grants program. 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. However, the projects proposed in a Vision Grant proposal and in another Spencer grant program proposal must be distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions Q : Does this program support research in settings other than PreK-12 and higher education institutions? A : Yes, Spencer funds research projects that span the life-course (i.e., from early childhood to adult learning) as well as those that focus on contexts outside of school. Q : Do you have a preference for certain research methodologies?
A : No, we are open to whatever qualitative and quantitative methods make sense for answering the questions at hand. Historically, Spencer has supported research across a range of methods and academic disciplines, and we expect this to continue in this program. Q : Do you have a preference for research teams vs. individual researchers?
A : No, we do not have a preference. The important thing is to plan the staffing around the aims of the project. Q : Can a graduate student serve as a Co-PI on a proposal submission?
A : No, the PI and any Co-PIs named on the proposal are expected to have earned doctorate degrees prior to proposal submission. While graduate students may be included in the budget as research assistants, they cannot serve as a PI or a Co-PI and this program is not meant to support student research projects. Q : Do you accept proposals from outside the United States?
A : Yes, we accept proposals from outside the U.S. Application materials must be submitted in English and project budgets must be in U.S. dollars. Q : Do you have a preference for regional, national, or international projects? A : No, we do not have a preference.
Q : What is the expected duration of projects in this program? A : We leave the duration of the project up to the PI/research team to determine, but limit it to no more than 5 years. Q: Can my organization submit more than one proposal at a time?
A: Yes, as long as the proposals are for different projects and the research teams are different, it is fine for an organization to submit multiple applications at one time. Q : If I am turned down, is it possible to revise my proposal and reapply in a later cycle? A : Spencer does not have a policy against accepting uninvited revised proposals.
However, many factors go into the final decision on each proposal, including our limited budget. Even if you receive feedback on your proposal and are able to address all of the reviewer concerns in the submission, we can offer no guarantees as to the likelihood of funding due to the fact that we currently fund less than 10% of the submissions we receive.
Please note, resubmissions are considered among all of the other newly submitted proposals and are not given special status or consideration in the review process. Q : I have an idea for a project and would like feedback. Is it possible to contact someone?
A : If you have reviewed our program statement and application guidelines and still have questions about whether your idea for a research project falls within this program, feel free to email us at racial-equity@spencer. org for guidance. While we are not able to provide feedback on proposal drafts, we are happy to answer questions by email.
Q: How do I determine my start date and when should I expect payment if my proposal is selected for funding? A: We recommend proposing a start date that is at least 7-8 months after the full proposal deadline.
The review process for this program takes approximately 5-6 months, and once notified of the funding decision, it can take an additional 1-2 months for the official approval process, which entails reviewing the budget, processing award letters, and issuing the grant payment. NOTE: Grant payments are issued on the third week of each month.
If Spencer has not received your signed award letters by your start date, your payment will not be issued. Q : Are budgets expected to include in-kind giving or cost sharing? If not expected, is it allowed?
A : In-kind giving or cost sharing is not expected or required as part of your proposal budget. However, if you plan to include in-kind giving or cost sharing as part of your project budget, you should indicate this in the online budget form in the narrative section. If your proposal is chosen for funding, the grant award may be contingent upon receiving documentation confirming the additional support.
The Spencer Foundation invests in education research that cultivates learning and transforms lives. Learn about Opportunities to Join our Staff Find Out More About Our Legacy Lyle M. Spencer established the Spencer Foundation in 1962 to investigate ways education, broadly conceived, might be improved.
Find Out More About Funding Opportunities We support high-quality, innovative research on education, broadly conceived. Field-Initiated Research Grant Programs Fellowships for Scholars and Journalists Meeting the Moment Together Spencer Releases Report on Preparing Scholars to Conduct Transformative Research in Education Browse Our Resources and Tools Resources and Tools For Applicants © 2026 The Spencer Foundation
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: PI/Co-PI must hold an earned doctorate and be affiliated with a nonprofit or public institution; research must focus on understanding and disrupting racial inequality in education; proposals accepted internationally in English with USD budgets. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates Up to $75,000 Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is July 1, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
Yes — AI tools like Granted can help research funders, draft proposal sections, and check compliance. However, always review and customize AI-generated content to reflect your organization's unique strengths and the specific requirements of the solicitation.
Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.
Note: Each funding opportunity description is a synopsis of information in the Federal Register application notice. For specific information about eligibility, please see the official application notice. The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html. Please review the official application notice for pre-application and application requirements, application submission information, performance measures, priorities and program contact information. For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2021. Purpose of Program: The NASNTI Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to enable them to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native Americans and low-income individuals. Institutions may use the grants to plan, develop, undertake, and carry out activities to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native American and low-income students. Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.031X. Funding Opportunity Number: ED-GRANTS-051022-001. Assistance Listing: 84.031. Funding Instrument: CA,G. Category: ED. Award Amount: Up to $550K per award.
The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L) supports projects that address critical needs of the library and archives fields and have the potential to advance practice and strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Successful proposals will generate results such as new models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and leverage the benefits of federal investment. Applications to IMLS should both advance knowledge and understanding and ensure that the federal investment made generates benefits to society. Specifically, the goals for this program are to generate projects of far-reaching impact that: • Build the workforce and institutional capacity for managing the national information infrastructure and serving the information and education needs of the public. • Build the capacity of libraries and archives to lead and contribute to efforts that improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement. • Improve the ability of libraries and archives to provide broad access to and use of information and collections with emphasis on collaboration to avoid duplication and maximize reach. • Strengthen the ability of libraries to provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster. • Strengthen the ability of libraries, archives, and museums to work collaboratively for the benefit of the communities they serve. Throughout its work, IMLS places importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may be reflected in an IMLS-funded project in a wide range of ways, including efforts to serve individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals with disabilities; individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills; individuals having difficulty using a library or museum; and underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line. Application Process: The application process for the NLG-L program has two phases; applicants must begin by applying for Phase I. For Phase I, all applicants must submit Preliminary Proposals by the September 20th deadline listed for this Notice of Funding Opportunity. For Phase II, only selected applicants will be invited to submit Full Proposals, and only those Invited Full Proposals will be considered for funding. Invited Full Proposals will be due March 20, 2024. Funding Opportunity Number: NLG-LIBRARIES-FY24. Assistance Listing: 45.312. Funding Instrument: G. Category: AR,HU. Award Amount: $50K – $1M per award.
The California Department of Education (CDE) Early Education Division is making approximately .7 million available to expand California State Preschool Program (CSPP) services statewide, appropriated under the 2021 Budget Act. Eligible applicants are local educational agencies (LEAs), including school districts, county offices of education, community college districts, and direct-funded charter schools—both current CSPP contractors and new applicants. Funding supports full-day/full-year or part-day/part-year preschool services for income-eligible children beginning in FY 2024–25. Awards are allocated by county based on Local Planning Council priority areas and application scores, with redistribution provisions if county allocations are underutilized.