Welcome to the Sociological Initiatives Foundation
Concept Applications are usually due in August, though the exact date changes each year. Use the "How to Apply" link above to complete the concept application form.
The Sociological Initiatives Foundation was established to support research that furthers social change, including language learning and behavior and its intersection with social and policy questions.
The Foundation specifically supports research that focuses on:
- Social policy objectives
- Institutional and educational practices
- Legislative and regulatory changes
- Linguistic issues (e.g. literacy, language loss and maintenance, language policy, language and national security, bilingualism, language and gender, language and law, language disabilities, language and health, language and education, different language cultures).
- Development of community capacity and organization of previously unorganized groups
The Foundation supports projects that address institutional rather than individual or behavioral change. It seeks to fund research and initiatives that provide insight into sociological and linguistic issues that may be useful to specific groups and or communities.
Grant sizes normally range from $10,000 to $20,000. We look for projects that have an explicit research design and a concrete connection to public or community impact. It is not enough to just write a report or add a focus group to a social change project. The research should ideally build an organization or constituency's potential to expand public knowledge, impact policy, and create social change.
Some examples of desired applicants are:
- academic-community partnerships
- advocacy or community groups that conduct research that can withstand challenge in academic and policy arenas
- academics that organize or link to a constituency through their research
Generally, the Foundation will not consider proposals that:
- represent the work of a lone academic without a strong relationship with a constituency or organization
- do not demonstrate the capacity or intent to carry out bona fide research, as indicated by either a past track record or a credentialed researcher partner
- are led by government/municipal agencies
- result only in reports, publications, websites, gatherings, films, theatrical productions, concerts, conferences, or the like that are not part of a larger explicit social change strategy.
- only evaluate existing programs.
- request funds for operating support or capital grants.
Trustees
Barbara Freed, PhD, Carnegie Mellon University
Ramona Hernandez, PhD, The City College of New York
Glenn Jacobs, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston
Randy Stoecker, PhD, University of Wisconsin
Irene Thomson, PhD, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Please direct all inquiries to:
Foundation Office
The Sociological Initiatives Foundation
c/o Prentice Zinn, Administrator
Grants Management Associates
77 Summer Street, Suite 800
Boston, Massachusetts, 02110-1006 USA
V 617-391-3091
F 617-426-7087
e-mail pzinn at gmafoundations.com