Extramural Funding in the Social Sciences and Education Wisconsin Center for Education Research, UW-Madison

Finding funding for your work I will talk about two federal agencies (National Science Foundation and the U.S. Dept of Ed), private foundations, & other options for grad funding of research

Federal Funding Sources UW-Madison is a national leader Over $500 million in federal research support in (5 th most in the nation) Over $400 million in non-federal research support (most in the nation)

National Science Foundation Supports basic research on fundamental discipline-based and interdisciplinary problems Key program areas for social scientists Social and Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Education and Human Resources (EHR)

National Science Foundation Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Discipline-based programs E.g., anthropology, political science, sociology Interdisciplinary programs Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation Human and Social Dynamics Science of Learning Centers …and many others See

National Science Foundation Most NSF programs have small and large awards Smaller awards for pilots, conferences, syntheses, applications, dissemination Large awards for full projects Most NSF awards are for basic research, but some span basic and applied research

National Science Foundation Disciplinary programs generally have two deadlines each year, e.g. January and August Interdisciplinary programs have ad hoc deadlines, usually once per year Disciplinary programs are relatively permanent, interdisciplinary programs seem to come and go as funding and interests wax and wane

National Science Foundation Whether in SBE or EHR, NSF reviewers are looking for Clear, concise statements of purpose Relevant literature and theoretical framework Valid and reliable measurement Effective dissemination Two key elements of NSF proposals Intellectual merit: Contribute to knowledge Broader impact: Enhance diversity and benefit society

National Science Foundation Education and Human Resources Divisions Undergraduate Education Graduate Education Human Resource Development Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings NSF-supported education research at UW-Madison mostly falls within this program Note: NSF’s interest in education is limited to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education

NSF Research on Learning

National Science Foundation NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Social Sciences is one of the program areas For beginning or first-year graduate students Must be US citizen or permanent resident Applied fields are excluded, specifically including social work and education (except science education)

Institute of Education Sciences The U.S. Department of Education’s research division is the Institute of Education Sciences Four centers: research, statistics, evaluation, and special education research Research is supported by the research and special education research centers

Institute of Education Sciences IES supports research in a variety of programs, such as: Math and science education/teacher quality Reading and writing education/teacher quality Education policy, finance, and systems Cognition and student learning …and many more See

Institute of Education Sciences IES supports research that tests the impact of educational interventions on student outcomes, generally test scores IES privileges randomized controlled trials, because that is the best methodology for testing causal effects Other methodologies are suited to other questions, but IES is interested in impact assessments

Institute of Education Sciences All IES program areas support research that addresses one of five goals Goal 1: Analyze large-scale data sets to develop hypotheses that could later be tested in randomized trials Goal 2: Develop interventions that could later be tested in randomized trials Goal 3: Small-scale efficacy trials Goal 4: Large-scale randomized trials Goal 5: Develop instruments/assessments

Institute of Education Sciences IES proposals require less emphasis on theory and more emphasis on application IES proposals tend to be tightly scripted Specific elements depend on the goal Application is preceded by (optional) letter of intent Full proposals always include the following sections: significance, methods, personnel, resources

Institute of Education Sciences IES also has a graduate fellowship program, but it is provided to universities rather than to students directly UW-Madison has an interdisciplinary training program in education sciences Enables social science doctoral students to apply rigorous methods that permit causal inference to pressing problems of education policy and practice Students in economics, political science, psycology, sociology, and social welfare are eligible

Private Foundations Private foundations are nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations that operate from a principle fund or endowment and are governed by their own trustees and board of directors. Often able to focus on more long term research initiatives, specific local concerns, or more esoteric issues

Foundation 101 Often fund small studies, requiring less extensive review, Shorter timeframes allows bundling of research funding

Independent Foundations Established by families Spencer Foundation Annenberg Foundation Rockefeller Brothers Carnegie Gates Foundation

Company Sponsored Foundations Aka corperate foundations funded by businesses Best Buy Foundation Sprint Foundation Verizon Foundation

Operating Foundations Combined focus on research, social welfare, other charitable programs Johnson Foundation - Wingspread

Community Foundations Supported by & operated for benefit of specific community/region Helen Bader Foundation Greater Milwaukee Foundation

Spencer Foundation The relation between education & social opportunity Organizational learning in schools, school systems & higher education institutions Teaching, learning & instructional resources Purposes & values in education

Funding opportunities Dissertation year fellowship Exemplary dissertation award The National Academy of Education / Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowships “Small grants” - <$50,000 “Large grants” - >$50,000

AERA Dissertation Grants To stimulate research on U.S. education policy- and practice-related issues using NCES and NSF data sets; To improve the educational research community's firsthand knowledge of the range of data available at the two agencies and how to use them; and To increase the number of educational researchers using the data sets Evaluation criteria : Importance of the proposed policy issue, the strength of the methodological model and proposed statistical analysis of the study, and relevant experience and research record of the applicant. Reviews: January, February & August

Local funding opportunities Department fellowships/scholarships University fellowships superior academic achievement, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and an effective statement of purpose/reasons for graduate study Annual Fellowships, Prize Fellowships, Two- year Recruitment Fellowships, and Dissertator Fellowships

Other sources for information