Mini-grant awards of up to $10,000 are intended to help launch joint academic/practitioner research projects on issues related to poverty, inequality, or economic security. Funds may be used to pay for research expenses (e.g., research assistant or other staff time, research related travel, access to data sets, statistical consulting). Funds are not intended to be used for faculty salaries. However, untenured faculty may allocate up to half of requested funds for salary.
Eligibility: Applicants for mini-grant funds must be WCPC faculty affiliates at the University of Washington. The proposed research project must include at least one external practitioner or agency/organization as a member of the research team. The external partner must be substantively involved in the research, via co-developing the research questions, advising analysis, and/or using and disseminating project results.
Application Process: Proposals should be sent to wcpc@uw.edu by 12:00 p.m. on May 15, 2015, with the subject “Mini-grant proposal.” The following elements are required:
- A proposal of no more than 4 single-spaced pages which includes:
- a list of the members of the research team along with their organizational affiliations;
- the research area/question that is being explored along with a brief context and justification;
- a research plan including methods to be used and potential hurdles the researchers might encounter;
- a description of the role each member will play in the project;
- a timeline for completing the work, including seeking/receiving IRB approval, if needed;
- a plan for disseminating and/or using results of the research; and
- a brief discussion of whether/how additional funding will be sought for this research (including whether applicants have start-up funds or other funding they could be using for the research).
- A 1-page budget and budget narrative
- A letter of support for/acknowledgement of the partnership from the external collaborator (via email)
Proposals will be scored by the WCPC Executive Committee based on the following factors:
- Scientific merit
- Potential contribution to policy and practice
- Strength of the collaboration/partnership
- Probability of receiving additional funding
Awards will be announced by the end of May and funds will be distributed by June 15, 2015.
Terms: Grants will be made for between 9 and 12 months. Funds will be paid via a sub-budget. No funds will be provided for overhead or research administrative costs. Researchers must submit a brief report describing the results of the practitioner-researcher collaboration within four weeks of the end of the grant period, as well as any final products from the research. Researchers may be asked to share their research with a WCPC audience, either as part of a Roundtable presentation or a Dialogue project.