Pipeline Grants Competition

Overview:

The Pipeline Grants Competition seeks to support early-career scholars (Assistant Professors, Lecturers and Adjunct Assistant Professors) and promote diversity by prioritizing applications from scholars who are underrepresented in the social sciences and/or employed at under-resourced colleges and universities. This includes racial, ethnic, gender, disciplinary, institutional, and geographic diversity.

The primary goal of the Pipeline Grants Competition is to support innovative research on economic mobility and access to opportunity in the United States. We are also interested in research focused on structural barriers to educational attainment, economic mobility, political and civic engagement, and how individuals, communities and state entities understand, navigate and challenge systemic inequalities.

Below we provide some examples of topics and questions that are relevant to this competition. This list is not all-encompassing. Short descriptions of previously funded projects are available on our website.

Our priorities generally exclude research focused on health​ or mental health outcomes or health behaviors, ​as these are priorities for other funders. ​For the same reason, RSF seldom supports research focused on educational processes or curricular issues. It does prioritize analyses of the causes and consequences of inequities in student achievement or educational attainment.

RSF has a long-standing goal of encouraging methodological diversity and inter-disciplinary collaboration. We are interested in novel uses of new or under-utilized data, and creative uses of administrative data or new data linkages across systems (e.g., in and across criminal justice, safety net, labor markets). Applicants might propose exploratory fieldwork, a pilot study, field or survey experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, ethnographies, and/or pilot or exploratory studies which support the development of a randomized evaluation (randomized controlled trial).

Areas of Interest: 

• Income & Wealth
• Policy Impacts and Interventions
• Neighborhood Characteristics, Gentrification and Segregation
• Climate Change & Natural Disasters
• Criminal Justice & the Legal System
• Young Adults of Color, Social Movements, and Democracy
• Accessing the Safety Net
• Labor Markets
• Immigrants, Immigration, and Immigrant Integration Policies
• Education
• Gender, Work and Public Policies

Solicitation limitations:

Only faculty who have not previously received a research grant or a visiting fellowship from RSF are eligible to apply. 

Other information:

Applicants can apply for either the Pipeline Grants Competition or the October LOI deadline for presidential and trustee grants, but not both.

RSF expects to fund about 20 one-year projects by assistant professors, lecturers, and adjunct assistant professors. Individual applicants can apply for grants of up to $35,000; teams of two or more eligible applicants can apply for grants of up to $50,000. RSF will pair grantees with mentors conducting research on related issues and provide an honorarium for the mentors. On occasion, RSF will deem a project or applicant more appropriate for its Presidential Grants Competition and review a Pipeline Grants proposal as a letter of inquiry for that competition instead.

Grantees are expected to present their findings at a conference at the end of the one-year grant, where other grantees, mentors, and other senior scholars will participate.

2025 Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Grant

Overview:

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world. We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

See website for more information and previous grants. 

Solicitation limitations:

ASU may submit only one (1) application to the sponsoring organization. After the posted internal deadline, this opportunity will be first come, first served.

Other information:

Award: Not specified. [Historically, sponsor has funded educational programs up to $40K.]

Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood: Request for LOIs

Overview:

The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood is an incubator of promising research and development projects that appear likely to improve the welfare of young children, from infancy through 7 years, in the United States.

Welfare is broadly defined to support, acculturation, societal integration and childcare. Grants are only made if a successful project outcome will likely be of significant interest to other professionals, within the grantee’s field of endeavor, and would have a direct benefit and potential national application.

The Foundation’s goal is to provide seed money to implement those imaginative proposals that exhibit the greatest chance of improving the lives of young children, on a national scale. Because of the Foundation’s limited funding capability, it seeks to maximize a grant's potential impact. 

The Foundation provides funding in the following areas:

• Early Childhood Welfare: Providing a safe and nurturing environment is essential as is imparting the skills of social living in a culturally diverse world. Therefore, the Foundation supports projects that seek to perfect child rearing practices and to identify models that can provide creative, caring environments in which all young children thrive.
• Early Childhood Education and Play: We seek to improve the quality of both early childhood teaching and learning, through the development of innovative curricula and research based pedagogical standards, as well as the design of imaginative play materials and learning environments.
• Parenting Education: To help parents create nurturing environments for their children, we support programs that teach parents about developmental psychology, cultural child rearing differences, pedagogy, issues of health, prenatal care and diet, as well as programs which provide both cognitive and emotional support to parents.

Your Letter of Inquiry must follow the number format listed on sponsor website. Failure to follow the specified format will disqualify your LOI from review by the Board of Directors. Please note LOI and the name of your organization in the subject line of your email.

There are many proposals that we do not consider because they do not meet the criteria stated in our website. We strive to fund ideas that are adventurous, thoughtful and challenge the status quo. They should have a fresh concept (not rehash an older idea) and a defined method of implementation that promotes new approaches and understanding of early childhood and pushes the boundaries of academic, social and cultural studies and practices.

Other information:

Application Process: The Foundation employs a two-step grant application process that includes the submission of both a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and a Full Proposal–the latter only by those applicants requested to do so. This ensures that consideration of Full Proposals is limited to those applications that strictly comply with the Foundation’s programmatic guidelines.

Award: Prior awards have ranged between $25,000 and $100,000.

FY25 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) Education and Workforce Program

Overview:

This NOFO is for STEM education programs and activities, which is formal or informal education that is primarily focused on physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, social sciences, and mathematics disciplines, topics, or issues (including environmental science education or stewardship). 

STEM education programs and activities that could be supported by this NOFO include one or more of the following as the primary objective: 

• Develop learners’ knowledge, skill, or interest in STEM.
• Attract students to pursue certifications, licenses, or degrees (two-year degrees through post-doctoral degrees) or careers in STEM fields.
• Provide growth and research opportunities for post-secondary, college and graduate students inSTEM fields, such as working with researchers or conducting research that is primarily intended tofurther education.
• Improve mentor/educator (K-12 pre-service or in-service, post-secondary, and informal) quality inSTEM areas.
• Improve or expand the capacity of institutions to promote or foster STEM fields.

This NOFO will not consider applications for research, with the exception of those whose primary purpose is intended to further education (as described in third bullet above) and that are not expected to generate intellectual property. Efforts for research, including those supporting STEM, should be submitted under the current fiscal year Long Range BAA.

Other information:

Anticipated award based on previous years: up to $600,000 ($200,000 per year for no more than 3 years)

NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship

Overview:

The NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship supports early career scholars working in critical areas of education research. Through professional development, funding, and mentorship from senior scholars, the fellowship enhances the career and research opportunities of the fellow.

As a highly competitive initiative, this fellowship annually identifies and supports 25 of the most exceptional researchers conducting postdoctoral studies relevant to education.

The award

This non-residential fellowship supports scholars who promise to make significant contributions to the field of education and advances the careers of the recipients. Scholars may conduct their research at their home institution or at another research site that they have arranged. The fellowship comprises three key components:

1. Fellows receive $70,000 for one academic year, distributed in two installments.
2. Fellows participate in three professional development retreats facilitated by NAEd members and other distinguished scholars. These retreats offer general and specialized discussions to enhance the fellows’ research capabilities and academic growth.
3. Fellows choose an NAEd member or another esteemed scholar as a mentor, providing guidance and support throughout the academic year.

Solicitation limitations:

To receive the fellowship, applicants must:

1. Have received their PhD, EdD, or equivalent research degree between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024. These dates are accurate for the upcoming application cycle. If you will complete your doctorate this year (2025), you are eligible to apply next year.
2. Not hold tenure status at the time of the application deadline.
3. Have a demonstrated record of research experience in education and the project must be in education research.
4. Submit an individual application as we will not accept group applications.

Other information:

Earliest start date: Sept. 1, 2026

Duration of award: Varies (generally two years)

Research Project & Existing Program Evaluation Proposals

Overview:

The Brady Education Foundation seeks to improve educational outcomes for children, including those living in low-income communities. The Foundation pursues its mission by promoting collaboration among researchers, educators, and other stakeholders via the funding of Research Projects and Program Evaluations.

Research Projects
The Foundation supports research projects that have the potential to inform how to improve educational outcomes for children from birth through age 18. The Foundation is particularly focused on supporting research that is consistent with a strength-based perspective and has the potential to inform future educational research, practice, major philanthropic giving, and/or public policy.

Existing Program Evaluations
The Foundation supports the evaluation of programs that are feasible and sustainable (i.e., can work and be maintained in the real world of educational settings and systems), accessible (i.e., are available to and attainable by the families that need them), and strength-based (i.e., recognize the strengths that children and families bring to the learning environment that can be capitalized upon to promote strong academic outcomes). The Foundation also supports cost-benefit analyses of existing programs whose goals are to promote improved educational outcomes.

The Foundation is currently accepting Research Project (RP) proposals and Existing Program Evaluation (EPE) proposals. The Foundation is particularly focused on supporting projects that are consistent with a strength-based perspective and have the potential to inform future educational research, practice, major philanthropic giving, and/or public policy.

The proposed project may span up to three years (this applies to both Existing Program Evaluations and to Research Project proposals). Projects that would only analyze existing data sets (i.e., secondary data analyses; no new data collected) are expected to be conducted within 1.5 years.

Aims for Existing Program Evaluation (EPE proposals):

• Primary aim:
  • What works: The primary aim must concern evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to promote positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years).
• Secondary aims may also focus on one or more of the following:
  • What works for whom, under what conditions: Investigate variations in program effects; that is, test for moderation effects that inform whether effects are stronger for certain groups and/or under certain conditions than other groups or conditions.
  • Reasons for effects: Investigate mechanisms through which effects occur; that is, test for mediation effects that inform why the program is effective.
  • Cost-benefit analyses: Compare the total costs of the program (start-up and ongoing operational costs) with its estimated monetary benefits to determine the net cost or benefit associated with the program.
• Primary and secondary aims:

  • The Primary and any secondary aims must focus on educational research that will inform future education research, practice, philanthropic funding, and/or public policy.
    
     

Aims for Research Project (RP) proposals:

• Primary and secondary aims:
  • The Primary and any secondary aims must focus on developmental or educational research that will inform future education research, practice, philanthropic funding, and/or public policy.
  • Examples of this type of grant include (but are not limited to): measurement development, studies investigating factors associated with achievement outcomes, studies investigating strength families bring to the learning environment and how those can be capitalized upon to promote children’s learning and achievement outcomes, and policy studies.

Solicitation limitations:

Funding must be through the Principal Investigator’s home institution (i.e., the home institution of the PI of the team conducting the evaluation). Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations only.

We do not limit the number of research grant applications by organization. We will accept Letters of Inquiry from multiple principal investigators at the same organization.

Other information:

The application process for all grants begins with the submission of an LOI. If the LOI is approved, the applicant will be invited to submit a Stage 1 application. Stage 1 applications are accepted by invitation only.

LOI Submission* deadlines (submission windows for LOIs):

• 6/1/25 – 7/31/25
• 9/15/25 – 10/30/25
• 1/15/26 – 2/28/26
• 5/15/26 – 6/30/26
• 9/15-26 – 10/30/26
• 1/15/27 – 2/28/27

*LOIs are accepted during these dates. If invited to submit a Stage 1 application, applicant can submit for this cycle or any future cycle (i.e., an applicant can submit for this cycle or wait to submit their Stage 1 application in a later cycle). If they choose to wait and submit for a later cycle, they are NOT required to resubmit their LOI.

Prior to submitting an LOI, all applicants are strongly encouraged to read through the criteria used to disqualify and review Stage 1 proposals. Download the complete guidelines concerning:

• Factors that cause applications to be disqualified
• Review criteria for EPE applications
• Review criteria for RP applications
• FAQs

Duration: The proposed project may span up to three years (this applies to both Existing Program Evaluations and to Research Project proposals).

Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics

Overview:

The Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics (MMS) Program is a standing, interdisciplinary program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). MMS supports the development of innovative analytical and statistical methods and models for those sciences. The Program interacts with the other programs in SBE as well as other programs in the Foundation. The Program also partners with a consortium of federal statistical agencies to support research proposals that further the production and use of official statistics.

The MMS Program seeks proposals that are methodologically innovative, grounded in theory, and have potential utility for multiple fields within the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Successful proposals often integrate across the following areas:

• The development, application, and extension of formal models and methodology for social, behavioral, and economic research, including methods for improving measurement. The proposed research must show promise for having value for multiple fields in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.
• The development of formal models that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, including research on statistical methodology or statistical modeling. The proposed research must show promise for having value for multiple social and behavioral science fields.
• Research on methodological aspects of new or existing procedures for data collection, including
  • methodological advances for survey research;
  • research to evaluate or compare existing databases and data collection procedures; and
  • research on methodological issues related to the use and analysis of new sources of data for the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.
• Infrastructure projects that facilitate the research activities of the MMS community.

The MMS Program provides support through a number of different types of proposals including:

• Regular Research Awards
• Awards for conferences and community-development activities
• Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (DDRI) Grants
• Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements

MMS also supports Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards. Please see the CAREER Program Web Site for more information about this activity.

Solicitation limitations:

Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards: DDRI proposals must be submitted with a principal investigator (PI) and a coprincipal investigator (co-PI). The PI must be the advisor of the doctoral student or another faculty member at the U.S. institution where the doctoral student is enrolled. The co-PI must be the doctoral student whose dissertation research will be supported.

Other information:

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitter's local time):
 August 29, 2019 Last Thursday in August, Annually Thereafter 
January 30, 2020 Last Thursday in January, Annually Thereafter

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant or Continuing Grant 
Estimated Number of Awards: 15 to 35 
Anticipated Funding Amount: $3,760,000 
Approximately $3.76 million will be awarded annually, contingent upon the availability of funds. Additional funds may be available from participating federal statistical agencies for competitive research proposals of interest to those agencies. Project budgets should be developed at scales appropriate for the work to be conducted.

Ball Foundation Grant

Overview:

THE BALL FOUNDATION FUNDING GUIDELINES 
The Ball Foundation funds programs that create a positive, measurable impact in three key areas linked to Ball Corporation’s business and strategy: education, recycling, and disaster preparedness and relief. Specifically, grants are awarded in the communities in which we operate in the United States. The Ball Foundation funds specific projects and programs rather than sponsorships (i.e., tables, golf tournaments, etc.). Funding to individual schools is limited to higher educational institutions, except when the Foundation matches qualifying contributions made to schools through manufacturing facilities.  Ball reserves the right to deny funding to organizations at any time. 

Funding priorities: Recycling, Education, Disaster Relief
The Ball Foundation is the philanthropic arm of our company, to build a better world. It awards grants to nonprofit organizations in U.S. communities where we operate. In 2024, we contributed 37% of our charitable resources to recycling efforts, 44% to advancing education in STEM, and 13% to helping communities prepare for disaster and rapid relief when it strikes. 

 Focus Areas:

1. Education – especially programs that increase access and equity. Aluminum manufacturing requires talented individuals with engineering, technology and other STEM-related backgrounds. Our education partners drive diversity within STEM fields, support access to STEM education, and foster interest in engineering and STEM-related careers.
2. Recycling – initiatives that enhance education and infrastructure. As a leading manufacturer of infinitely recyclable aluminum, we are dedicated to creating a more sustainable future through packaging. Our recycling partners bridge gaps in recycling education and provide tools, resources, and other necessary infrastructure to support more sustainable opportunities.
3. Community Engagement – efforts that build stronger, more resilient communities.

WHAT THE BALL FOUNDATION DOES NOT FUND
The Ball Foundation does not support organizations that discriminate against a person or a group on the basis of age, political affiliation, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. 

In order to maintain its focus and achieve a greater impact through the use of its funds, the Ball Foundation also will generally not support: 

• Individuals  
• Religious groups for religious purposes
• Programs targeted for people with specific physical, medical or psychological conditions 
• Medical research 
• Grant requests for production of audio, film or video 
• Grant request for capital campaigns or projects 
• Grant requests for museum exhibits or similar displays 
• Requests to support travel 
• Lobbying, political or fraternal activities
• Organizations not exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code or unaccredited public/private schools 
• Programs or organizations for which the Ball Foundation is asked to serve as the sole funding source If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. 

Other information:

Ball Foundation grantmaking focuses on programming that aligns strongly with our priority areas, including: Recycling, Education in STEM, and Disaster Relief and Preparedness. We focus on specific, measurable projects and programs rather than offering broad sponsorships. Our deadlines to apply for a grant are the third Friday in May and the third Friday in September, annually: in 2025, grant deadlines are May 16, 2025 and September 19, 2025 (Funding Guidelines). Grant applications are reviewed after the grant submission deadline rather than on a rolling basis.

Unsolicited Grant Applications

Overview:

The J.W. Couch Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in the United States in the areas of preservation, education, and wellness. For 2025, unsolicited grant applications are accepted in the following focus areas: animal well-being, including organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals; early childhood education, with a focus on schools that provide young children with a creative and balanced approach to education; teachers, with a focus on teams helping teachers succeed in educating future generations; and getting outside, including organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities.

2025 Annual Grant Focus
Each year, we seek to partner and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed below. We only accept unsolicited grant applications from select areas of focus that are highlighted in the list. 

We do not have any geographic restrictions on where any nonprofit is located or operates. Our foundation will prospect all other charitable programs and areas of focus that are not currently accepting unsolicited applications.

Focus areas include: 

1. Preservation:
   1. Historical Preservation
   2. Wildlife Conservation
   3. Food & Waste Management
   4. Animal Wellbeing (2025 focus)
      We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
2. Education: 
   1. Early Childhood Education (2025 focus) 
      We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:

• Life Skills

• Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers

• Having Fun

• Montessori Teachings

• Project Based Teachings

• Diversity

• More Time Outside

• Less Screen Time

  1. 21st-Century Education
     We are looking for schools that teach students the essential 21st-century skills needed for the future:
• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
• Agility and adaptability
• Effective oral and written communication
• Initiative and entrepreneurship
• Ability to access and analyze information
• Curiosity and imagination
  1. Teachers \ Teacher Support (2025 focus)
     Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations. 

1. Wellness: 
   1. Mental Health
   2. Digital Wellbeing
   3. Get Outside (2025 focus)
      Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 
   4. Mentorship

Other information:

We meet twice a year to review new grant applications. 
09.26.25 Grant Applications Due
10.17.25 3rd Quarter Review Deadline

How to apply: Complete and submit this application within one of the quarterly deadline windows. You will be contacted by a foundation representative should more information be needed and/or if the application has been approved.

Awards: While award amounts are not disclosed on the sponsor’s website, the foundation has awarded $2M–$2.4M annually, distributed among approximately 30 organizations, suggesting that individual grants often fall in the $50K–$100K+ range.

National Center to Improve Faculty Capacity to Use Educational Technology in Special Education Personnel and Leadership Preparation Programs

Overview:

This competition includes one absolute priority. This priority is: National Center to Improve Faculty Capacity to Use Educational Technology in Special Education Personnel and Leadership Preparation Programs.

The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a National Center to Improve Faculty Capacity to Use Educational Technology in Special Education Personnel and Leadership Preparation Programs. For the purposes of this priority, educational technology includes AT devices and AI. This project will support faculty at IHEs by improving their knowledge and use of educational technology, and their capacity to sustain its use in special education personnel and leadership preparation programs.

The project must achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes: 

(a) Increased knowledge of faculty at IHEs about the range of educational technologies that can be used within special education personnel and leadership preparation programs; 
(b) Increased capacity of faculty at IHEs to use a range of educational technologies within special education personnel and leadership preparation programs; 
(c) Increased capacity of faculty within and across IHEs to establish and sustain professional learning networks related to the use of educational technologies within special education personnel and leadership preparation programs to keep up with technological innovations; 
(d) Increased integration of educational technologies and practices throughout special education personnel and leadership preparation programs; and 
(e) Increased number of special education personnel and leadership preparation program graduates who enter the field well-prepared to integrate educational technologies and innovative technology practices, especially evidence-based technology and practices that improve literacy outcomes, to better serve children with disabilities and their families.

Other information:

Type of Award: Cooperative agreement. 
Estimated Available Funds: $700,000. 
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2026 from the list of unfunded applications from this competition. Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.