Social, Political and Economic Inequality (SPEI)

Overview

The Russell Sage Foundation’s (RSF) program on Social, Political, and Economic Inequality supports original research on the factors that contribute to social, political, and economic inequalities in the U.S., and the extent to which those inequalities affect social, political, psychological, and economic outcomes, including educational and labor market opportunities and consequences, social and economic mobility within and across generations, and civic participation and representation. 

We seek innovative investigator-initiated research that will expand our understanding of social, political, and economic inequalities and the mechanisms by which these inequalities influence the lives of individuals, families, communities, and the country. We welcome projects that explore the relevance of socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses for the distribution of social, political, and economic outcomes within and across different status groups. 

RSF prioritizes analyses that make use of newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data. We support original data collection when a project is focused on important program priorities and conducts surveys, survey experiments, field experiments or qualitative studies. RSF encourages methodological variety and inter-disciplinary collaboration. Proposed projects must have well-developed conceptual frameworks and rigorous research designs. Analytical models must be well-specified and research methods must be appropriate. 

RSF priorities do not include analyses of health or mental health outcomes or health behaviors as these are priorities for other funders. For the same reason, RSF seldom supports studies focused on educational processes or curricular issues. RSF does however, support research that examines the causes and consequences of inequalities in student achievement or educational attainment. 

The kinds of questions that are of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 
•    Economic Wellbeing, Equality of Opportunity, and Intergenerational Mobility 
•    Inequality and Policymaking 
•    Political Institutions and the Democratic Process 
•    Climate Change and Natural Disasters
•    Neighborhoods and Communities
•    Crime, Criminal Justice & the Legal System 
•    Psychological and/or Cultural Changes 
•    Educational Achievement and Attainmen

All applicants (both PIs and Co-PIs) must have a doctorate. In rare circumstances, RSF may consider applications from scholars who do not hold a doctorate but can demonstrate a strong career background that establishes their ability to conduct high-level, peer-reviewed scholarly research.

A brief letter of inquiry (LOI; four-page maximum excluding references) must precede a full proposal to determine whether the proposed project is in line with the Foundation's program priorities and available funds. All applications must be submitted through the Foundation's online submission system, Fluxx. 

Funding can be used for research assistance, data acquisition, data analysis, and investigator time for conducting research and writing up results for publication. Trustee Grants are capped at $200,000, including 15% indirect costs, over a two-year period. Presidential Awards are capped at $50,000 (no indirect costs) over a two-year period. However, when research projects have special needs for gathering data (e.g., qualitative research or survey experiments), gaining access to proprietary or restricted-use data, or when the proposal budget includes salary support for multiple assistant professor PIs, applicants may request up to $75,000 (no indirect costs).