Spencer Foundation Racial Equity Research Grants 2026 (up to $75,000)

Deadline: May 4, 2026

Applications are open for the Spencer Foundation Racial Equity Research Grants 2026. The Racial Equity Research Grants program supports education research projects that will contribute to understanding and disrupting racial inequality in education and work to reimagine generative possibilities to advance educational equity, with budgets up to $75,000 for projects ranging from one to five years.

They believe that educational research can play an important role in developing new forms of education that are humane, equitable, and just. As such, there is a pressing need for robust approaches to scholarship that can contribute consequentially to achieving equity in education. They encourage a wide range of methodological approaches to creatively and ambitiously engage in advancing racial equity.

This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not required to focus on a particular research topic, discipline, design, or method. They hope that scholars will identify the most compelling and needed areas of research. They are interested in proposals at all levels and in all settings of learning, including early childhood, higher education, and in schools, families, and communities across the world.

Grants

• Proposed budgets for this program are limited to $75,000 total and may not include indirect cost charges per Spencer’s policy.

Eligibility

• Proposals to the Racial Equity Research Grants program must be for academic research projects that will contribute to understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education, broadly conceived. Proposals for activities other than research (e.g., program evaluations, professional development, curriculum development, scholarships, capital projects) that do not include a significant research component, are not eligible. Additionally, proposals for research studies focused on areas other than education are not eligible.
• Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Racial Equity Research Grant must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.
• The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. Examples include non-profit or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS (or equivalent non-profit status if the organization is outside of the United States). The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals.
• Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally, however, all proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars.

Application

The application process begins with an Intent to Apply form. Once submitted, you will automatically have access to the Full Proposal application in the online portal. Intent to Apply forms are due by 12:00pm Noon Central time, North America on the deadline date.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit Racial Equity Research Grants.