Spencer Foundation: Racial Equity Research Grant

Award: $75,000, over 1 - 5 years
Deadline: May 4, 2026
Interested? Notify [email protected] for more information. All LOI documents will be due to our office by April 27, 2026

Link to full Request for Proposal

Overview

Funder seeks to support education research projects that will contribute to understanding and disrupting racial inequality in education and work to reimagine generative possibilities to advance educational equity, with budgets up to $75,000 for projects ranging from one to five years.

The goal is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious, and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in relation to racial equity in education. In this cycle of funding, we will continue to fund scholarship focused on a range of communities and issues with respect to equity. We encourage proposals from across the methodological spectrum, including qualitative methods, mixed-methods, and quantitative methods. We want to especially encourage Racial Equity proposals that focus on the following areas: (1) youth and educator mental health that explores possibilities that promote resilience, center healing, and foster well-being; (2) innovative and community-based approaches to workforce development; and 3) innovative approaches at the intersections of quantitative methods and racial equity.

Important Information

Proposed budgets may not include indirect cost charges per funder’s policy. 
They accept LOIs for this program once a year.

Process

This is a two-step application process.

• The Letter of Intent (LOI/step 1) is managed by the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
• If you would like to apply, email [email protected] for more details and an LOI worksheet.
• Submit the completed LOI worksheet by April 27.
• If invited to submit a full proposal (step 2), it will be managed by the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA).