This page was last updated on February 10, 1998.
Practitioner Research Communication and Mentoring Grants
The Spencer Foundation was established by Lyle M. Spencer, the founder, and until his death in 1968, president of Science Research Associates, Inc., an educational publishing firm. The foundation is intended, by Mr. Spencer's direction, to investigate ways in which education, broadly conceived, can be improved around the world. The foundation received its major endowment in 1968. Since that time it has made grants totaling approximately $180 million. [Back to top]
The Foundation has as its primary mission, by the intent of its founder, "to investigate ways in which education can be improved, around the world." To achieve this goal, the Foundation is committed to supporting high quality investigation of education through its research programs and to strengthening and renewing the educational research community through fellowship programs and related activities. The Foundation defines education broadly to include all the situations and institutions in which education proceeds, across the entire life span. An important expectation of the Foundation is that the activities it supports, taken together over the years, will contribute significantly to the enhancement of educational opportunity for all people.
The research programs, comprised of Major Research Grants, Small Research Grants, and Professional Development Research and Documentation Grants support work that shows promise of contributing new knowledge, understanding, and improvement of educational thought and practice. The fellowship programs support educational researchers at different stages of their professional careers, providing resources to both young and senior researchers to pursue concentrated intellectual activity. Practitioner Research Communication and Mentoring Grants seek to strengthen the effectiveness of teacher researchers and to clarify the uses of teacher research.
As a matter of policy, the Foundation is unable to support requests for capital funds, operating or ongoing program expenses, direct support for teacher or staff pre-service or in-service training, and funds for developing tests, curricula, or programs. [Back to top]
The Foundation encourages research that promises to yield new knowledge about education, in one or other of its forms, in the United States and abroad. It supports researchers from a wide range of disciplines and fields.
The Foundation’s Major Research Grants Program responds to research projects requiring more than $35,000 in grant support. Spencer funds widely-varied research projects, ranging from medium-sized studies that can be completed in a year by an individual researcher to more extensive collaborative studies that last several years.
Funding Priorities. The Foundation does not establish funding priorities for subjects of research. Funded projects derive from research ideas initiated in the field by scholars. The Foundation believes that the best scholarly work is done by those who conceive or recognize an important research idea or problem, have the professional skill to examine it, and the energy and perseverance to bring the project to a successful conclusion.
Eligibility. Ordinarily, principal investigators must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or a professional field and must have an affiliation with a college or university, a research facility or a cultural institution.
Restrictions. The Foundation does not grant funds to maintain organizations or infrastructures of educational research. Grantees may not receive two research grants simultaneously from the Spencer Foundation. Please note that the Foundation does not pay government-approved overhead rates on research grants; overhead requests may not exceed 15% of the requested direct costs.
Application Procedure. Since the Foundation does not usually accept fully-developed proposals unless it has requested them, applicants seeking research support from the Major Research Grants Program are asked to submit a brief preliminary proposal. Preliminary proposals should be no more than 1500 words in length. Within those limits, we request the following information:
Attachments must include:
Inquiries and preliminary proposals are welcome at any time and should be addressed to John B.Williams, Vice-President, The Spencer Foundation, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2800, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1542. [Back to top]
The Foundation’s Small Research Grants Program supports research projects with grant budgets of $35,000 or less and of one year or less in duration. It offers a unique opportunity to researchers and teachers in a broad range of institutions who are engaged in educational research. The program is appropriate for modest-sized research projects, exploratory studies, specific phases of larger investigations, and projects which arise in response to unusual opportunities. The Small Research Grants Program encourages researchers with diverse perspectives to develop ideas and approaches which extend the conventional boundaries of a research question, area, or method. The Program supports individual efforts as well as collaborations.
Eligibility. Ordinarily, the researcher must be currently affiliated with a school or school district, a college or university, a research facility or a cultural institution. The researcher must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field and/or experience in the teaching profession.
Restrictions. Grantees are not permitted to receive two research grants simultaneously from the Spencer Foundation. Grants made under the program range from $1,000 to an upper limit of $35,000. Projects may not extend beyond a year in duration. Please note that the Foundation does not pay government-approved indirect costs rates on research grants, and it prefers not to pay indirect costs in the Small Research Grants Program.
Application Procedure. Unlike the Major Research Grants Program, a preliminary proposal is not required. Proposals for support from the Small Grants Program should be in the form of a statement with attachments. The statement should not exceed 1500 words in length (approximately five double-spaced pages) and provide clear information on the following:
The attachments should include:
Two copies of the proposal and attachments are requested.
Insofar as feasible, proposals which include all the information requested above will be acted upon within approximately three months of receipt by the Foundation. Proposals are welcome at any time and should be addressed to: Small Research Grants Program, The Spencer Foundation, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2800, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1542. [Back to top]
Professional Development Research and Documentation Program
The Professional Development Research and Documentation Program supports research and documentation studies about the professional development of adults working in elementary and secondary schools. Jointly sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Spencer Foundation, the program seeks to engage a wide range of individuals and groups in describing, analyzing, and explaining professional development practices, processes, conditions, and/or policies that help to make schools more productive learning environments. Grants range from $5,000 - $50,000 annually.
Funding Priorities. Studies are sought that will aid educators, policymakers, and school communities in understanding, establishing and sustaining effective professional development, particularly of teachers and administrators. Priority will be given to research that identifies professional development strategies, conditions, and/or policies that foster development of the knowledge and skills required for effective teaching.
Eligibility. Practitioners, researchers and policy analysts in education as well as other fields, and community-school partners are eligible individually or in groups. Applicants must be affiliated with a not-for-profit agency through which funds will be distributed. Studies focused on pre-service teacher education programs are not eligible.
For Information. A brochure describing application procedures for the Professional Development Research and Documentation Program is available from the Foundation. Inquiries should be directed to: Professional Development Research and Documentation Program, The Spencer Foundation, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2800, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1542. [Back to top]
PRACTITIONER RESEARCH COMMUNICATION AND MENTORING GRANTS
The Practitioner Research Communication and Mentoring Grants are intended to support the development of strong communities of teacher researchers. In general, grants range from $2,000 to $15,000 annually. The purpose of Communication and Mentoring Grants is twofold:
1. To establish or strengthen channels for rigorous examination and discussion of the characteristics of, and knowledge produced by, well-constructed teacher research.
2. To provide teacher researchers with the opportunity to expand their repertoire of research skills through consultation with others in the teacher research and/or traditional academic communities.
Eligibility. Teacher researchers, groups or networks of teacher researchers, and collaborative partnerships between teacher researchers and university researchers are eligible to apply. Applicants must be affiliated with a not-for-profit agency through which funds will be distributed. Please note that individuals or groups seeking funding directly for research projects by teachers, rather than for projects that examine and strengthen the character of teacher research, should apply to the Spencer Small Research Grants Program.
For Information. A brochure with more detailed information on funding priorities, eligibility, grant deadlines, and application procedures is available from the Foundation. Inquiries should be directed to: Practitioner Research Communication and Mentoring Program, The Spencer Foundation, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2800, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1542. [Back to top]
Through its Fellowship Programs, the Spencer Foundation supports scholars engaged in educational research at different stages of their professional lives. However, the only fellowship program administered directly by the Foundation is the Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program. This and other Spencer-supported fellowship programs are described below.
Dissertation Fellowship Program
The Dissertation Fellowships Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. The Foundation believes that insight from many research traditions can contribute to an understanding of education as a fundamental human endeavor and advance our ability to address significant current issues in education. Therefore, the Spencer Dissertation Fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.
Eligibility. Applicants must be candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school in the United States. These fellowships are not intended to finance data collection or the completion of doctoral course work, but rather to support the final analysis of the research topic and the writing of the dissertation. For this reason, all applicants must document that they will have completed all pre-dissertation requirements by June 1 of the year in which the fellowship is awarded, and must provide a clear and specific plan for completing the dissertation within a two-year time frame.
Funding Priorities. Although the dissertation topic must concern education, graduate study may be in any academic discipline or professional field. In the past, fellowships have been awarded to candidates in anthropology, architecture, art history, economics, education, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, political science, public health, psychology, religion, and sociology, but eligibility is not restricted to these academic areas. Candidates should be interested in pursuing further research in education once the doctorate is attained.
Awards and Conditions. Approximately 30 non-renewable fellowships will be awarded. Recipients of the fellowships will receive $20,000 to support completion of the dissertation. This amount must be expended within a time limit of two years and in accordance with the work plan provided by the candidate in the application. Fellows may not accept employment other than as described (if any) in the application nor may they accept other awards providing duplicate benefits without the written permission of the Program Officer.
Application Procedure. Fellowship applicants must request current application forms and instructions by mid-October of the year prior to the year in which the fellowship takes effect. Students must submit their completed applications by an early November date designated in each year. Awards are announced in April.
Inquiries concerning the Dissertation Fellowship Program should be addressed to: Dissertation Fellowship Program, The Spencer Foundation, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2800, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1542. [Back to top]
National Academy of Education/ Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Administered by the National Academy of Education, the Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowships are designed to promote scholarship in the United States and abroad on matters relevant to the improvement of education in all its forms. Scholars anywhere in the world who have completed their doctorate in the last five years, and who wish to conduct research on education may apply.
Inquiries concerning the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program should be addressed to: The National Academy of Education, Stanford University, School of Education, CERAS Building, Room 108, Stanford, California 94305-3084. [Back to top]
AERA/ Spencer Research Training Fellowships
The American Educational Research Association/Spencer Doctoral Research Training Fellowship Program provides one-year fellowships for graduate students midway through their doctoral programs. Inquiries should be addressed to: AERA/Spencer Doctoral Research Fellowship Program, The American Educational Research Association, 1230 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Students at institutions receiving Research Training Grants are not eligible for these fellowships. [Back to top]
Support for Scholars at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Since 1971, the Foundation has contributed to the support of Spencer Fellows at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, California. Three to five scholars with interests in issues of education, development, cognition, and the social contexts of learning are supported annually. [Back to top]
In addition to its regular grants and programs, The Spencer Foundation provides a limited number of grants by invitation only. The Spencer Scholars Program is designed for established scholars who are identified as being at the peak of their careers by their peers. Through the Research Training Grants Program, the Foundation makes a limited number of grants to schools of education to support the graduate doctoral training of educational researchers. The Foundation awards Mentor grants to individual scholars with a strong record of mentoring doctoral students who are preparing for a career in educational research. [Back to top]
Research proposals and fellowship applications submitted to the Spencer Foundation go through a rigorous review process. All proposals are reviewed by Spencer professional staff. Another dimension of expertise is added to the Foundation's programs by its review committees of external scholars, who assist the Major Research Grants Program, the Professional Development Research and Documentation Program, the Practitioner Research Communication and Mentoring Program, and the Dissertation Fellowship Program.
The goal of the external review is not to achieve some threshold rating in points from reviewers; rather, it is to bring solid scholarly advice to the staff and to the Board of Directors of the Foundation, who ultimately make the decision as to whether the proposed research work can be supported. The Foundation receives many more well-conceived and worthwhile projects than it can possibly assist within its budget. It is therefore frequently necessary to forgo opportunities to support high quality projects in the research programs or in the fellowship competitions even though they are well within the foundation's area of interest. [Back to top]