Immigration and Immigrant Integration

Overview

For over 25 years, RSF has supported immigration research that has contributed to our understanding of (1) immigrant integration and intergenerational mobility, (2) political incorporation, and (3) the causes and consequences of immigration to new areas of settlement. Funded studies have shown the progress made by immigrants and their children, with immigrants becoming more like the U.S.-born over time, and with second and later generations becoming more like other U.S.-born citizens than their parents were. 

A 2016 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report confirms that, for education, income, residential integration, English language fluency, and living above the poverty line, the children of immigrants do better than their parents and reach parity with other U.S.-born citizens, often within a generation. Nevertheless, the reports notes the continuing importance of legal status, race, and political culture, suggesting that immigrant incorporation into our society remains incomplete.

This initiative also seeks proposals regarding federal policy changes and the resurgence of nativism and anti-immigrant sentiment—from hate crimes to executive orders limiting refugee resettlement to barriers to access asylum protection and due process. And it invites studies of the extent to which social and political institutions reinforce (or prevent) the goals of immigrant progress and integration.

Areas of Interest
RSF and the Carnegie Corporation invite proposals that will strengthen the theory, methods, and empirical knowledge about the effects of race, citizenship, legal status, and the interplay of politics and policy on immigrant outcomes. Because of limitations in government statistics, researchers are curating and analyzing data from both public and private sources (e.g., specialized surveys, administrative sources from tax, social security and citizenship and immigration services, and social media data), and collecting their own data to measure the integration of the foreign-born and their children.

Many of the questions listed below are difficult to answer because of data limitations (Blau & Mackie, 2016; Duncan & Trejo, 2016; Massey, 2010; Waters & Pineau, 2015) regarding age and time of arrival, time spent in the U.S., legal status at present and upon entry, visa type, parents’ and grandparents’ place of birth. Thus, we welcome proposals to improve the measurement of immigrant integration over time and across generations. We are especially interested in creative uses of administrative and other data sources that enhance our ability to identify immigrants by generation and legal status. We are open to the study of historical events which give insight into contemporary immigrant integration. Examples of the kinds of topics and questions that are of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Examples of the kinds of topics and questions that are of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Legal Status
• Naturalization, Citizenship, and Civic Engagement
• Mixed-Ancestry, Ethnic Identity, and Integration
• Race, Religion, Legacies of Exclusion, and Inequality
• Politics, Political Culture, and Public Policy

We are particularly interested in analyses that make use of newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data. We also support original data collection, such as field experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, and ethnographies. RSF encourages methodological variety and inter-disciplinary collaboration. All proposals must have well-developed conceptual frameworks and research designs. Analytical models must be specified, and research questions and hypotheses (where applicable) must be clearly stated.

Additional Considerations
RSF rarely considers projects for which the investigators have not already fully-developed the research design, the sample framework, access to data, etc. Investigators are encouraged to submit an LOI after they have developed and pre-tested survey instruments, completed preliminary data analyses if the data are publicly available or conducted some preliminary interviews for qualitative studies.

RSF encourages methodological variety and inter-disciplinary collaboration, but all LOIs and proposals must have well-developed conceptual frameworks and research designs. Analytical models must be well-specified and research questions and hypotheses (where applicable) must be clearly stated.

Grants are available for research assistance, data acquisition, data analysis, and investigator time for conducting research and writing up results.

We are particularly interested in analyses that make use of newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data, to answer emerging or long-standing questions of interest in the foundation’s program areas and special initiatives. We also support original data collection. Proposals to conduct field experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, and ethnographies are also encouraged.

Funding
There are two levels of funding for core grants, Trustee-approved grants and Presidential-Authority grants.  The maximum grant amount for a Trustee grant is $200,000, including 15% indirect costs.  Grants up to $75,000 are considered Presidential-Authority grants.  RSF has 3 funding cycles per year and only considers proposals that are invited following review of an initial letter of inquiry. After peer review, about 15% of those who submit an LOI will receive an invitation to submit a full proposal. The final funding rate for core research grants is approximately 6-10% of submitted LOIs.