Sociological Initiatives Foundation Research Grants

About this program

Sociological Initiatives Foundation (SIF) funds U.S.-focused sociological and linguistic research that connects scholarship to social action to improve equality and social conditions, prioritizing institutional analyses of laws, policies, regulations and normative practices that perpetuate racism, xenophobia, classism, gender bias, exploitation and human-rights violations. Projects should have explicit research designs tied to concrete public or community impact (e.g., policy development, advocacy capacity, changing public sentiment), typically run about two years, and are usually funded at $15,000–$25,000; short concept applications are due Aug 14, full proposals are invited in November, and grants are disbursed in February. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits (not private foundations), academic institutions or other organizations sponsoring research, community‑academic partnerships, advocacy or community groups, and academics allied with constituencies; SIF does not fund individuals directly. The foundation does not support dissertation research, honoraria, political purposes, operating or capital support, proposals led solely by lone academics or government agencies, program-evaluation–only projects, or projects that only produce reports/events/films/conferences without a broader social-change strategy.