Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity.

Program Summary听

The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The program funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers鈥� expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas.

Applicants should have a track record of conducting high-quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers. The foundation recognizes that early-career researchers are rarely given incentives or support to take measured risks in their work, so this award includes a mentoring component, as well as a supportive academic community.

Awards are based on applicants鈥� potential to become influential researchers, as well as their plans to expand their expertise in new and significant ways. The application should make a cohesive argument for how the applicant will expand their expertise. The research plan should evolve in conjunction with the development of new expertise, and the mentoring plan should describe how the proposed mentors will support applicants in acquiring that expertise.

The Foundation supports research in two distinct focus areas: 1) Reducing Inequality and 2) Improving the Use of Research Evidence. Proposed research must address questions that align with one of these areas.

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST April 29, 2024

Sponsor Mentor and Reference Letter Deadline: 1:00pm MST June 12, 2024

Sponsor Application Deadline: 1:00pm MST July 3, 2024

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • College/School
  • Research Plan (3 pages maximum): The plan should describe the fit with one of the Foundation鈥檚 current focus areas; demonstrate your mastery of relevant theory and empirical findings and clearly state the theoretical and empirical contributions to the existing research base; relevance to policy or practice; research questions/design/methods/analysis plan; demonstrate consideration of gender, ethnic, and cultural appropriateness of concepts, methods, and measures; research plan feasibility; and demonstrate how the research will expand your expertise in new and significant ways.
  • Mentoring Plan (2 pages maximum): The plan should include the proposed mentor(s) for first two years of program and specific mentoring activities (interaction description, frequency, etc.). Two mentors are recommended by the foundation.
  • Curriculum Vitae: The CV needs to demonstrate prior training and a promising track record of first authored, high-quality empirical publications in peer-reviewed outlets. The quality of publications is more important than the quantity.
  • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

Applicants must be nominated by their institutions. Major divisions (e.g., colleges, schools) of an institution may nominate only one applicant each year. Applicants of any discipline are eligible.

At least half of the Scholar鈥檚 paid time must be spent conducting research. 鈥淎t least half time for research鈥� means that the institution demonstrates a willingness to allow the Scholar to engage in their own program of research at least 50 percent of the time for each year of the award. This does not require the Scholar to spend 50 percent of their time on the Scholars project, but on their research, broadly speaking.

Applicants must have received their terminal degree within seven years of submitting their application. We calculate this by adding seven years to the date the doctoral degree was conferred. In medicine, the seven-year maximum is dated from the completion of the first residency.

Applicants must be employed in career-ladder positions. For many applicants, this means holding a tenure-track position in a university. Applicants in other types of organizations should be in positions in which there is a pathway to advancement in a research career at the organization and the organization is fiscally responsible for the applicant鈥檚 position. The award may not be used as a post-doctoral fellowship.

Applicants outside the United States are eligible. As with U.S. applicants, they must pursue research that has compelling policy or practice implications for youth in the United States.

The foundation strives to support a diverse group of researchers in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and seniority, and we encourage research projects led by Black or African American, Indigenous, Latinx, and/or Asian or Pacific Islander American researchers.

Limited Submission Guidelines

Only one application per major division (e.g., college, school) may be nominated.

Award Information

Award Amount: $350,000

Award Duration: 5 years beginning July 1

Expected Number of Awards: 4-6 Scholars are selected annually.

Review Criteria and Process

Selection is based on applicants鈥� potential to become influential researchers, as well as their plans to expand their expertise in new and significant ways. The application should make a cohesive argument for how the applicant will expand their expertise. The research plan should evolve in conjunction with the development of new expertise, and the mentoring plan should describe how the proposed mentors will support applicants in acquiring that expertise.

See the full solicitation for complete evaluation details.

Review occurs in the following stages: Foundation staff screen abstracts, brief CVs, and, if warranted, full applications to determine whether they fit our research focus areas and potentially meet other Selection Criteria. Next, the Scholars Selection Committee reviews the remaining applications. Each application receives detailed reviews by two Committee members. The Committee then chooses approximately 10 finalists, who will be invited to New York City for an interview in February 2025. Prior to the interview, finalists鈥� proposals are reviewed by two external reviewers. During the interview, finalists have the opportunity to respond to Committee members鈥� and external experts鈥� reviews.