Vision Grants

Overview

The Spencer Foundation invests in research to improve education, broadly conceived. We know that rigorous research can play a critical role in identifying systemic inequities, evaluating what actually works, and guiding evidence-based changes that make education systems fairer and more inclusive. The Vision Grant program provides scholars and collaborators with the time, space, resources, and support to plan a large-scale study or program of research: geared toward real-world impact to make education systems more equitable; drawing on research across disciplines and methods; and developed through meaningful and equitable collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, communities, and other partners; and focused on transforming educational systems. 

Vision Grants are research planning grants to bring together a team, for 12 to 18 months, to collaboratively develop ambitious, large-scale research projects focused on transforming educational systems toward greater equity. This program takes as core that the development of these kinds of research projects require time, space, and thoughtfulness to incubate and plan. Vision Grants are $75,000 total. 

The Vision Grants allow teams to generate ideas for collaborative scholarship that develops a new vision of what equitable educational systems can look like, consider which disciplines have taken up these issues previously (and why they have fallen short or encountered limitations), and foreground important ideas that will allow new and ambitious research to emerge. For example, previously funded Vision Grants have proposed research projects that:

• Develop a new policy, pedagogical approach, practice, or intervention, (e.g. implementing a competency-based assessment system across distinct district contexts)
• Work with communities, practitioners, and policymakers to co-design approaches that improve educational equity (e.g., building a coalition of legal and policy scholars, families, and district leaders to change school enrollment policies to address racial segregation).
• Build upon educational approaches or policies that have worked well in one setting, with the goal of studying them in a range of settings to better understand how, where, and with whom they work and why (e.g., developing a national network of community-based curriculum development projects in collaboration with community organizations, school districts, and educators to understand and build capacity for teaching about local history)

These are just examples. We welcome proposals that consider creative ways to understand and solve complex problems with the goal of reimagining and transforming education systems for equity.

Unlike many of Spencer’s other programs, the Vision Grant proposal should not be a fully fleshed out research plan. Instead, this is an invitation to think forward about what research we need to transform education systems toward equity and then to envision how that systems-change will happen, utilizing research evidence. Vision Grant proposals should identify the system(s) targeted for transformation, and the specific levers the team thinks need to be engaged.

Note: While the Vision Grant program stands on its own to spark research ideas and collaborations, being awarded a Vision Grant is also a prerequisite for applying to our Transformative Research Grant program (TRG, $3.5 million), which funds large-scale research projects that transform education systems for equity.  However, there is no guarantee that funded Vision Grants will be awarded a TRG.

Vision Grant Cohort Learning Program  
Once teams are awarded, we will bring together the cohort of Vision grantee teams to support their collaborative planning process and project development. The learning series, held in person in Chicago, is designed to engage participants in collective learning within and across teams and alongside Spencer Program staff.

PIs and Co-PIs may not be part of more than one Vision Grant proposal (funded and/or in review).

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. 

Proposed budgets for this program are limited to $75,000 total and may not include indirect cost charges per Spencer’s policy.

The Vision Grant may not be longer than 18 months in duration.

The Intent to Apply is required to submit a proposal to the Vision Grants program.  
Intent to Apply Form Deadline: August 12, 2026, 12:00 PM Noon (Central/Chicago Time)
Full Proposal Deadline: September 16, 2026, 12:00 PM Noon (Central/Chicago Time)

Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally. All proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars.