Inequality, Poverty, and Social Welfare Policy
Income, wealth, safety-net programmes, benefits administration, and anti-poverty policy.
415 opportunities · 198 traditional · 217 nontraditional
Traditional (198)
- Grants and research partnershipsFoundation grantThe Annie E. Casey FoundationChild welfare, juvenile justice, and family economic security, with a strong applied bent: the foundation funds work that changes what public systems do, and publishes the data behind it.Amount not published · By invitation
- Evidence-based policy fundingFoundation grantArnold VenturesFunds rigorous evaluation — often randomised — of criminal justice, health and public finance interventions, and will pay for replication and for null results other funders avoid.$250k–$5M · Rolling / open
- Young Scholars ProgramEarly-career awardFoundation for Child DevelopmentEarly-career research on the development and wellbeing of children in immigrant and low-income families, with a standing emphasis on the early childhood workforce.$100k–$250k · Annual cycle
- Grants.gov — the federal opportunity indexIn-kind resourceU.S. federal governmentEvery federal discretionary funding notice, searchable and subscribable by keyword and agency. Not a funder — the index you set standing alerts on, so notices reach you rather than the reverse.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Research and fellowship programsFellowshipNational Endowment for the HumanitiesArchival and interpretive scholarship, including the history of social welfare institutions, casework, and the profession itself — the federal home for the SSWR History cluster.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Apr, Sep, Nov
- Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG)Dissertation awardNational Science FoundationImproves dissertation research beyond what a department can fund: fieldwork, data collection, participant payments, specialised analysis. Runs through individual SBE programmes rather than as one competition.up to $50k · Varies by programme
- Sociology ProgramFederal grantNational Science FoundationBasic research on social organisation, institutions, stratification and social processes. The NSF home most compatible with structural social work questions that are not framed as health research.$100k–$500k · Rolling / open
- Research and evaluation grantsFederal grantOffice of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and FamiliesFederal research on child care, child welfare, Head Start, TANF and family self-sufficiency, including the Child Care Research Scholars awards that fund dissertations with a state agency partner.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Responsive grants in agingFoundation grantRRF Foundation for AgingOne of the few foundations funding aging research and practice on a genuinely responsive, applicant-driven basis, across caregiving, economic security, housing and social isolation.$25k–$250k · Several times a year · Feb, May, Aug, Nov
- Research grants and visiting scholarsFoundation grantRussell Sage FoundationSocial science on inequality, mobility, race and ethnicity, immigration, and the future of work — plus a residential visiting scholar year that is one of the few funded writing years in the social sciences.up to $200k · Several times a year · Jan, May, Aug
- Active funding opportunitiesFoundation grantRobert Wood Johnson FoundationA rotating portfolio built around health equity and the structural conditions that produce it, including Evidence for Action and Policies for Action, which fund research on policy levers outside the health sector.$100k–$1.5M · Periodic calls
- Academic research grantsFoundation grantWashington Center for Equitable GrowthResearch on whether and how economic inequality affects growth and stability, covering labour markets, care work, wage-setting and the macroeconomics of family policy.up to $100k · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb
- Research Grants on Reducing Inequality and on Improving the Use of Research EvidenceFoundation grantWilliam T. Grant FoundationTwo standing programmes: studies that build knowledge on reducing inequality in youth outcomes, and studies of how research evidence actually gets used by the systems that serve young people.$100k–$1M · Several times a year · Jan, May, Aug
- William T. Grant Scholars ProgramEarly-career awardWilliam T. Grant FoundationA five-year award for early-career researchers built around a deliberate professional stretch: the plan must take you somewhere methodologically or substantively you cannot currently go.$350k · Annual cycle · Jul
- AHA Career Development AwardEarly-career awardAmerican Heart AssociationThree-year career development funding for healthcare and academic professionals in the early years of a first professional appointment, explicitly covering population research science as well as basic and clinical science. The population-science lane is where cardiovascular caregiving, behavioral and disparities research by social work faculty fits.up to $231k · Annual cycle · Dec
- Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers Program (P30 Clinical Trials Optional) — RFA-ES-25-002Federal grantNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIHNIEHS Core Centers are intellectual hubs that knit together already-funded environmental health investigators at a single institution and extend their reach. What makes this relevant to social work is that a Community Engagement Core is MANDATORY, must be funded at a published floor, and must operate a Stakeholder Advisory Board — the center cannot be scored without it. That core is routinely where social work faculty sit: running the partnership with affected residents, translating exposure findings into action, and building the two-directional communication NIEHS requires. It is a large infr$850k–$1M per year · Annual cycle · Mar, Apr
- Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award (K43 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) — PAR-24-296Federal fellowshipFogarty International Center, NIHA mentored career development award that buys protected research time for a junior faculty member at an academic or research institution in a low- or middle-income country, so that they can become an independent investigator based in their own country rather than emigrating. Three to five years of support, with a substantial salary contribution and a separate research development allowance for supplies, tuition, travel, statistical services and mentor communication. This is one of the very few NIH mechanisms where the award is held by an LMIC institution and the LMIC scholar is the PI rather tup to $100k per year · Annual cycle · Dec
- Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation FellowshipDissertation awardCharlotte W. Newcombe FoundationFunds the final year of dissertation writing for doctoral candidates whose work engages significant questions of religion, ethics, morals, and values. Social welfare and social work Ph.D. students working on moral dimensions of care, faith-based service delivery, or ethics of practice fit the frame.$34k stipend · Annual cycle · Nov
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy FellowsFellowshipRobert Wood Johnson Foundation (programme office: RWJF Health Policy Fellows)The premier midcareer health policy fellowship, placing accomplished professionals in Washington to work inside Congress or the executive branch on federal health policy. Social work and behavioral health expertise is named among the accepted backgrounds, making this one of the few national fellowships that explicitly opens a federal policy channel to social work researchers.$175k · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct, Nov
- Addressing Substance Use PCORI Funding Announcement — Cycle 3 2026Foundation grantPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)Funds patient-centered comparative effectiveness studies of prevention, screening, treatment and recovery approaches for substance use, misuse and substance use disorders at individual, community or systems level. At least one primary outcome must be a substance-use outcome.up to $12M · Several times a year · Jan, May, Sep
- Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New AmericansFellowshipPaul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New AmericansA two-year graduate fellowship for immigrants and the children of immigrants pursuing full-time degree-granting graduate or professional study in the United States. Open to all fields, so an MSW, DSW, or social welfare Ph.D. student qualifies, and fellows join a lifelong community with an annual fall conference.up to $25k stipend · Annual cycle · Oct
- Grant for ResearchersFoundation grantLouisville InstituteSupports academic and scholarly research on North American Christianity and cognate fields, explicitly including faith-based institutions and religion and social issues — a fit for social work researchers studying congregations, faith-based service providers, or religiously grounded community practice. Funds sabbatical and research leave, project costs and research support, or a combination. Applicants may apply individually or as teams of up to three researchers.up to $55k · Annual cycle · Sep
- Institutional Challenge GrantFoundation grantWilliam T. Grant FoundationFunds university-based research institutes, schools or centers to build a sustained research-practice partnership with a public agency or nonprofit, including child welfare agencies, on reducing inequality in outcomes for youth ages 5-25. Covers joint planning, a mid-career fellowship, partnership research and institutional change.$650k · Annual cycle · May, Sep
- Social Policy Research Initiative (SPRI) Request for ProposalsPilot / seed fundingJ-PAL North America (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, MIT)Rolling twice-yearly competition funding randomized evaluations of US social policy in housing, homelessness, labor, education, climate and energy, with separate tiers for pilots, full trials, proposal-development travel, and add-on funding to existing studies.$5k–$400k · Several times a year · Jan, Jun
- Institutional Challenge GrantTraining & capacityWilliam T. Grant FoundationFunds a university research institute, school or center to build a long-term research-practice partnership with a public agency or nonprofit serving youth, including salary for mid-career fellows who lead the partnership research.$650k · Annual cycle · Sep
- Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation FellowshipFellowshipKlingenstein Third Generation FoundationTwo-year, $100,000 fellowship for postdoctoral or junior-faculty researchers studying the causes, prevention and treatment of ADHD or depression in children and adolescents, with emphasis on low-income and under-resourced communities.$100k · Annual cycle · Aug, Nov
- NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Programs (L30 Clinical, L40 Pediatric, L70 FOCUS)Training & capacityNational Institutes of HealthRepays qualified educational debt for researchers outside NIH who commit to at least 20 hours a week of qualifying research over a two-year period. Renewable. Not a project grant: it pays down the researcher's own student loans.up to $50k per year · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct, Nov
- AAUW American Doctoral FellowshipFellowshipAmerican Association of University Women (AAUW)A stipend for women pursuing a first doctoral degree, open across fields including Ph.D. programmes in social work and social welfare. Funds the doctoral year rather than a specific project, so it underwrites dissertation-stage research time.$25k stipend · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award (R16 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)Federal grantNational Institutes of Health — NIGMS-issued, with NIA among the participating institutesInvestigator-initiated research awards in basic, social, clinical, behavioural or translational science for faculty at institutions with limited NIH funding, coupled with building student research opportunities and institutional research capacity.up to $100k per year · Several times a year · May, Sep
- Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative Research for Educational ChangeFoundation grantSpencer FoundationFunds established researcher-practitioner partnerships doing collaborative education research with districts, agencies, or community organisations, with a stated priority on educational inequality.up to $400k · Annual cycle · Jul, Oct
- ESRC React Awards (pilot)Rapid-response fundUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Six-month awards for time-critical social science that supports UK policymakers or frontline public service practitioners, including rapid evidence reviews, evidence synthesis and urgent data collection.$64k–$127k · Rolling / open · Oct
- Radcliffe Institute FellowshipFellowshipHarvard Radcliffe InstituteA residential year in Cambridge for scholars to complete an individual project, with social sciences as one of the application categories. Fellows join a multidisciplinary cohort and have access to Harvard resources.$78k–$83k stipend · Annual cycle · Sep
- Vision GrantsPilot / seed fundingSpencer FoundationPlanning grants for teams developing ambitious large-scale education research projects aimed at transforming educational systems toward greater equity. Supports 12-18 months of planning, not the study itself.$75k · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- AAUW American Postdoctoral Research Leave FellowshipFellowshipAmerican Association of University Women (AAUW)A one-year stipend releasing a woman scholar to work full time on postdoctoral research. The eligible degree list explicitly includes the DSW, so social work doctorates qualify directly.$50k stipend · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)Federal grantNational Cancer Institute (with NHGRI, NIA, NIDCR)Supports secondary analysis and integration of existing datasets to answer cancer research questions, explicitly including behavioural, lifestyle, health services, surveillance and vital statistics data alongside clinical and genomic data.up to $350k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Nuffield Foundation Main Grants (Research, Development and Analysis Fund)Foundation grantNuffield FoundationFunds research, development and analysis projects addressing the Foundation's five priority questions on a prosperous, fair and inclusive UK society, including social welfare, justice and institutions.up to $635k · Several times a year · Oct
- NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship ProgramDissertation awardNational Academy of Education / Spencer FoundationOne-year fellowship supporting doctoral candidates writing education-related dissertations, across disciplines including social work. Fellows receive $30,000 in two installments plus professional development.$30k · Annual cycle · Oct
- Sheldon Danziger Pipeline GrantsEarly-career awardRussell Sage FoundationFunds early-career social scientists to conduct research in RSF priority areas including economic inequality and poverty, with explicit priority for scholars from underrepresented groups and under-resourced institutions.$50k–$65k · Annual cycle · Oct
- Insight GrantsFederal grantSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)SSHRC's main investigator-led research grant for the social sciences and humanities, including social work. Two streams by budget size, 2 to 5 years, proposed by individuals or teams.$10k–$500k · Annual cycle · Oct
- Research Scholar Grants (RSG)Early-career awardAmerican Cancer SocietyIndependent investigator grants for researchers early in their first faculty appointment, across the cancer research continuum. Psychosocial, behavioral and health policy projects are eligible where they fit ACS priority research areas.up to $215k per year · Several times a year · Jun, Dec
- Racial Diversity UK FundFoundation grantNuffield FoundationResearch funding on barriers and pathways to a racially just and inclusive UK society; the 2026 priority theme is inter-generational change in a racially diverse UK.$19k–$635k · Annual cycle · Oct
- Core Research Grants — Social, Political, and Economic InequalityFoundation grantRussell Sage FoundationSupports social science research on the causes and consequences of rising economic inequality, including work on poverty, wages, safety-net policy and political and social stratification in the United States.$50k–$200k · Several times a year · Mar, Jul, Oct
- ERC Starting GrantEarly-career awardEuropean Research Council (European Commission)Bottom-up grants for individual researchers starting their own independent team, in any field including social sciences and humanities. No predetermined research priorities.up to $1.6M · Annual cycle · Oct
- AAUW American Fellowships — American Doctoral FellowshipDissertation awardAmerican Association of University Women (AAUW)Doctoral fellowship carrying a $25,000 stipend, paid in two installments, to support women completing doctoral study. Open across fields, including social work.$25k stipend · Annual cycle · Sep
- Horizon Europe Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive SocietyFederal grantEuropean Commission – European Research Executive Agency (REA)The social science pillar of the EU's research programme, and by budget the largest single source of European funding for welfare and inequality research. Three destinations structure it: democracy and governance, cultural heritage and the creative industries, and social and economic transformations — the last carrying 2026 topics on strengthening Europe's social model, tackling child poverty and rethinking long-term care policy, all directly commissioning social work evidence. Funding is by multi-country consortium, which makes it a route for a social work faculty to join or lead a cross-natiAmount not published · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct
- Appel à projets générique (AAPG) 2027Federal grantAgence nationale de la recherche (ANR)France's main open competition, and the route by which most French social science research gets funded. The 2027 edition is organised into 57 research axes spanning disciplinary and cross-cutting themes, with the social sciences and humanities explicitly in scope, and keeps five instruments — including JCJC for young researchers without a permanent team, and PRC/PRCE for collaborative projects with academic or non-academic partners, which is the natural vehicle for research done jointly with a social agency. Two-stage process with a short pre-proposal first.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Mar
- Delta States Rural Development Network ProgramFederal grantHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health PolicyFunds the planning, development and implementation of integrated rural health care networks across the eight Mississippi Delta Region states, to expand access, coordinate care, improve quality and health outcomes, and strengthen the rural health system. Network partners typically include community-based organisations.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Aug
- NWO Talent Programme – Veni (Social Sciences and Humanities)Early-career awardDutch Research Council (NWO)Veni is the entry rung of the Netherlands' flagship personal-grant ladder (Veni–Vidi–Vici), giving a recently graduated PhD three years of protected funding to pursue research of their own choosing. The SSH round covers pedagogics, sociology, psychology, public administration, development studies, law, demography and related fields, so social work questions are squarely in scope. The award is to the individual and is designed to buy independence early, before an academic career has hardened around someone else's agenda. Two-stage: pre-proposal, then full application and interview.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Sep, Jan
- SNSF Project FundingFoundation grantSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)The SNSF's workhorse open call: researchers propose on a topic of their own choosing, in any discipline including the social sciences, and the scheme explicitly welcomes practice-related questions alongside purely theoretical ones — which matters for applied social work research. Grants run one to four years and can be held individually or as a collaborative project with up to three applicants, allowing a genuine multi-site design. Two fixed submission dates a year, so the planning rhythm is predictable. Note the 2026 rule change capping researchers at one submission per twelve months and two Amount not published · Several times a year · Apr, Oct
- Community Building and Systems Change Grants (Inquiry Form)Foundation grantPoint32Health FoundationMulti-year general operating support from the health plan foundation formed by the Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Health Plan foundations, backing equity-focused work on healthy aging, food access and behavioral health across five New England states. Two tracks: organizing, policy, advocacy and systems change affecting older adults; and community building that advances community power. General operating and capacity dollars can carry participatory research and evaluation embedded in an aging-focused organization's work.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Sep
- Competitive Grant Cycle (Letter of Inquiry)Foundation grantEpiscopal Health FoundationA large Southeast Texas health funder making competitive grants around three impact drivers — strengthening comprehensive care, activating community voices, and maximizing connections to health coverage and benefits — with strategic priorities in food and nutrition security, maternal health and diabetes prevention. Community-voice and coverage-navigation work is a natural fit for social work practice partners, though the Foundation is explicit that it generally does not fund standalone research.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul, Sep
- Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) — PAR-25-371Federal grantNational Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), NIHNHGRI's flagship R01 for research on the ethical, legal and social implications of human genetic and genomic research. The NOFO explicitly welcomes single or mixed methods — empirical qualitative and quantitative work, plus conceptual, legal and normative analysis — and treats applied research that addresses real-world ELSI problems as responsive. That opens it to social work researchers studying how genomic information moves through families, child welfare and adoption systems, clinical care, insurance, employment, policing and immigration enforcement, and how communities weigh participation Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Cushwa Center Research Grants and AwardsFoundation grantCushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, University of Notre DameSix funding programmes for scholarly research, open to scholars outside Notre Dame. The Gustavo Gutierrez Research Awards support projects in theology, history and the social sciences engaging the preferential option for the poor; the Cyprian Davis Award recognises research on the Black Catholic experience; the Mother Theodore Guerin grants support research on Catholic women including oral history interviews. Relevant to social work historians and researchers on poverty, race and gender in faith-based service systems.Not a cash award · Annual cycle · Dec
- NEXT – 'Dual Use' of Ideas and Concepts from the Humanities and Social SciencesFoundation grantVolkswagenStiftung (Volkswagen Foundation)Germany's largest private research funder is asking how concepts generated inside the social sciences get lifted out of context and repurposed for anti-liberal, anti-scientific or anti-democratic ends — the classic example being 'knowledge is socially constructed' flattened into 'all truth is opinion' and used to delegitimise research. For social work this is unusually close to home: trauma, resilience, safeguarding, empowerment and vulnerability are all discipline-born concepts that circulate in politics and media in mutated form. Grants fund small interdisciplinary teams to trace that transfAmount not published · Periodic calls · Oct
- Social Science and Humanities Research Thematic Grant (SSHR-TG)Federal grantSocial Science Research Council, SingaporeSingapore's flagship competitive grant for social science and humanities research on issues of strategic relevance to Singapore and the region, run by the Social Science Research Council. Three funding tiers scale from a single project up to a multi-year research centre, so it can carry anything from a focused study to sustained programmatic work on ageing, family, mental health or social policy. Joint submissions across eligible host institutions are permitted, and collaboration with local or overseas partner organisations is allowed.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jun, Aug
- SSH Open Competition XSPilot / seed fundingDutch Research Council (NWO)A deliberately small, deliberately fast grant for testing a promising idea — the Dutch answer to the pilot-study gap. No thematic restriction inside the social sciences and humanities, minimal paperwork, and a distinctive review model in which applicants anonymously peer-review each other's proposals rather than waiting on a standing panel. Useful for a social work researcher who needs to establish feasibility, build a measure, or run a small community study before mounting a full project bid. The 2026 call runs in three rounds across the year.Amount not published · Several times a year · Sep
- Child & Family Well-Being GrantsFoundation grantThe Duke EndowmentGrants to Carolinas nonprofits serving children and families who have experienced or are at risk of abuse and neglect, in three streams: implementing tested programs, advocating for system improvement, and innovation where proven models do not yet exist.Amount not published · Several times a year · Jun, Dec
- Building Evidence: Support for QEDs to Evaluate Social Programs and PoliciesFoundation grantArnold VenturesFunds quasi-experimental causal evaluations of social programs and policies. The Public Finance strand explicitly seeks studies of state responses to benefit cliffs and their effects on employment, earnings and economic mobility.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Sep
- Grant Opportunities (Housing Stability, Nonprofit Sector Sustainability, Arts, Neighborhood Fund)Foundation grantCommunity Foundation for Greater AtlantaA rolling roster of competitive funds for metro Atlanta nonprofits, including a Housing Stability Grant for homelessness, eviction prevention and housing policy/advocacy work, plus general operating, arts, and place-based neighborhood funds.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug
- Building Strong Family Relationships: Prevention and Intervention in Child WelfareFoundation grantSauer Family FoundationMinnesota-focused funding for prevention and intervention in child welfare. The foundation explicitly funds direct service, research, field building and systems change, and lists research organizations among eligible applicants.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Sep
- Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in BioethicsEarly-career awardGreenwall FoundationThree-year career development award providing 50% salary support so a junior faculty member can devote protected time to bioethics research intended to influence clinical, biomedical or public health decision-making, policy and practice.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Sep
- Core Research Grants (Social, Political, and Economic Inequality)Foundation grantRussell Sage FoundationTwo-stage letter-of-inquiry then invited-proposal competition for social science research. Housing affordability and housing instability are fundable within the Social, Political, and Economic Inequality priority rather than as a standalone housing programme.Amount not published · Several times a year · Mar, Jul, Oct
- Interventions to Expand Cancer Screening and Preventive Services to ADVANCE Health in Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01, Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNIH Office of Disease Prevention with NIMHD, NCI, NIDCR and ORWHR01 for clinical trials testing interventions that address barriers to uptake of cancer screening and preventive services among populations experiencing health disparities. NIMHD is a participating Institute.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- FY 2026 Continuum of Care Program CompetitionFederal grantU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and DevelopmentAnnual competition funding local homeless-response systems. Alongside housing and services, eligible activity categories include HMIS data systems, CoC planning, and evaluation, which is the route a researcher partnered with a CoC can use.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug
- Authority to Accept Unsolicited Proposals for Research PartnershipsFederal grantU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R)PD&R accepts researcher-initiated (unsolicited) proposals on housing and community development questions, funded through cooperative agreements. Applicants bring their own research question and at least half the money.Amount not published · Rolling / open · Jun
- Accelerating the Pace of Substance Use Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)Federal grantNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIHR01 support for secondary analysis of existing social science, behavioral, administrative and neuroimaging data on substance use, prevention and health service utilization. Primary data collection is not allowed.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec
- Effectiveness Trials to Test Mental Health System Interventions (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthTwo-phase trials of system-level interventions that change how mental health services are organised, financed, coordinated or delivered, with a feasibility R61 phase preceding an effectiveness R33 phase.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- CHCI Public Policy Fellowship and Postgraduate FellowshipFellowshipCongressional Hispanic Caucus InstituteTwo nine-month paid fellowships placing Latino graduates in public policy work in Washington. These fund training and policy experience rather than a research project, and suit social workers moving toward policy analysis.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec
- Racial Diversity UK FundFoundation grantNuffield FoundationResearch grants on racial inequalities, discrimination and disadvantage in the UK. The 2026 round's priority theme is inter-generational change in a racially diverse UK, covering identity, civic participation and life chances.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct
- Innovative Mental Health Services Research Not Involving Clinical Trials (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)Federal grantNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of HealthFull-scale, non-trial research on mental health services delivery: mutable factors shaping access and quality, new research tools and methods, and analyses of large administrative or service datasets.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Population Approaches to Reducing Alcohol-related Cancer Risk (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Cancer Institute (with NIAAA)Funds population-level work on alcohol and cancer: raising awareness of the alcohol-cancer link, shifting social norms, developing and evaluating alcohol policy, and testing interventions that reduce alcohol-related cancer risk.Not a cash award · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Risk and Protective Factors of Family Health and Family Level Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (with NINR, NCI, NIAAA, THRO)Funds basic, clinical, social and behavioural research on family health, well-being and resilience in populations experiencing health disparities, including family-level interventions. NINR and NCI both participate.Not a cash award · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- CASBS FellowshipFellowshipCenter for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford UniversityA residential year at Stanford in a multidisciplinary cohort drawn from anthropology, sociology, psychology, economics, law, education and related fields. Fellows pursue their own project alongside cross-disciplinary exchange.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- Advancing Healthcare for Older Adults from Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (with NIA, NINR, NCI)Supports multi-level healthcare research for adults 65+ in health disparity populations: screening and clinical care guidelines in primary care, shared decision-making with patients and caregivers, and care coordination strategies.Not a cash award · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy GrantDissertation awardHorowitz Foundation for Social PolicyA small competitive grant for PhD students at the dissertation stage doing social policy research. Obscure, individually awarded, and one of the few dissertation funds open across social science disciplines.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Nov, Dec
- Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking — 84.305SFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), U.S. Department of EducationFunds use of statewide longitudinal data systems to generate evidence for state and local education programme and policy decisions, including access to high-quality education and academic achievement.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep, Oct
- Program Grants and Requests for ProposalsFoundation grantConnecticut Health FoundationThe Connecticut Health Foundation is the state's largest independent health philanthropy, created in 1999 from ConnectiCare's conversion to for-profit status, and works entirely on health equity in Connecticut. It funds policy and practice change with systems-level potential, and its grantmaking explicitly covers policy advocacy, research and evaluation rather than service delivery alone. Program grants run $25,000 to $150,000 on a quarterly concept-paper cycle, with smaller discretionary grants available on a rolling basis and periodic RFPs in the $25,000 to $50,000 band.$25k–$150k · Several times a year · Feb, May, Aug, Nov
- Community Research Collaboration (CRC) AwardsFoundation grantCalifornia Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP), University of CaliforniaCBCRP, funded by a California tobacco tax surtax and administered by the University of California, runs an annual cycle of breast cancer research awards. The Community Research Collaboration award is the mechanism most relevant to social work: it requires a genuine co-principal-investigator partnership between a community organisation and an academic researcher across all phases of the study, from question-setting through interpretation. Pilot awards run up to $200,000 in direct costs for 18 months and full awards up to $600,000 over three years. The same cycle also carries IDEA awards, fellow$25k–$600k · Annual cycle
- Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) ProgramFederal grantHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health PolicyFour-year cooperative agreements supporting university-based centres that conduct policy-oriented rural health services research on how social factors, financing, organisational structures and behaviour affect access, quality and cost. Centres pick enduring topics of concentration and publish plain-language policy briefs on the Rural Health Research Gateway.$700k–$950k per year · Periodic calls · May
- AmeriCorps New Jersey Formula and Competitive Notices of Funding OpportunityFederal grantNew Jersey Department of State, Office of Volunteerism (AmeriCorps New Jersey)New Jersey's service commission runs parallel formula and competitive AmeriCorps rounds covering disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families, with priority for organisations serving impoverished communities, addressing youth substance use, supporting veterans, and public safety. Distinctively, the commission publishes both one-year planning grants for organisations building a new AmeriCorps programme and three-year operating grants, so a community organisation can fund the design and measurement groundwork b$85k–$405k · Annual cycle · Feb, Mar, May
- APF Visionary GrantsPilot / seed fundingAmerican Psychological FoundationTen grants of up to $20,000 for research, education or intervention projects on social problems: serving at-risk populations, violence prevention, behavior-health connections, stigma and prejudice reduction, and racial equity. Preference for pilot projects likely to attract later federal or foundation funding.up to $20k · Annual cycle
- Frontiers CTSI Pilot, Community Partnership and Multi-Institutional AwardsPilot / seed fundingFrontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Kansas Medical CenterA CTSA hub running a stacked menu of small awards across an eight-institution regional partnership: pilot awards for early and mid-career investigators, an Integrating Special Populations award aimed at health disparities, small Broderick Crawford awards for researcher-community organisation partnerships, methods and biostatistics vouchers, and a multi-state rural CORES pilot. The community partnership and rural tracks are the ones most directly usable by social work researchers.$3k–$50k · Several times a year
- Health Services Research in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (HSR-ADRD)Foundation grantAlzheimer's AssociationTargeted funding program for health services research strengthening dementia detection, diagnosis and post-diagnostic care pathways, examining barriers to timely access, quality and care coordination across the care ecosystem. One of the closest fits in the disease-foundation world for social work researchers studying service delivery, care navigation and disparities in dementia care.up to $250k · Annual cycle · May, Jul
- NHLBI Program Project Applications (P01 Clinical Trials Optional) — PAR-24-065Federal grantNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIHNHLBI's multi-project program grant, and the institute's main route for assembling a team around a single problem: a minimum of three interrelated research projects plus optional administrative and scientific cores. The NOFO explicitly names implementation science, health disparities and translation research as within scope alongside basic and clinical work, which is where social work fits — a P01 on heart, lung, blood or sleep conditions can carry a behavioural or community-delivered project, an implementation project, and a disparities project under one roof. Budgets are large enough to fund$1.5M–$1.8M per year · Several times a year · Jan, May, Sep
- Pathway to Stop DiabetesEarly-career awardAmerican Diabetes AssociationThe ADA's flagship long-horizon award for early-career diabetes scientists, pairing multi-year unrestricted-style funding with senior mentorship. ADA describes the program as supporting innovative basic, clinical, translational, epidemiological, behavioral or health services research relevant to any diabetes type or complication, which admits diabetes self-management, care-delivery and behavioral work.up to $1.6M · Annual cycle · Feb, May
- AERA-NSF Research GrantsFoundation grantAmerican Educational Research AssociationNSF-supported AERA grants for rigorous quantitative studies of education policy and practice that analyze large-scale federal, international, or state longitudinal administrative datasets. Relevant to social work researchers studying schooling, youth outcomes, and education-linked inequality using NCES, NSF, or SLDS data. Institutions may not charge indirect costs, and grantees may not hold concurrent funding for the same project.$25k–$35k · Annual cycle · May
- Community Grants ProgramFoundation grantThe Research Foundation (Kansas City)A regional health funder distributing roughly $1.7 million a year to organisations with health-centred missions serving Jackson County, Missouri, with a priority on urban Kansas City. The 2026 cycle funds two purpose areas, expanding access to care and promoting health equity. Awards are one-year only and most fall between $25,000 and $50,000, though applicants are told to request what the programme actually needs. This is a practical vehicle for a community agency to fund an intervention with an embedded evaluation designed alongside a social work researcher.$25k–$50k · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul
- Community Impact and Community Capacity GrantsFoundation grantWisconsin Partnership Program, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthThe Wisconsin Partnership Program is an endowed statewide health fund created from the conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin and housed at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Its community grant stream is unusual in that the community organisation is the grantee rather than the university. Community Capacity grants are aimed at smaller and newer organisations building the infrastructure to do this work; Community Impact grants require substantial and authentic community leadership and target the social determinants of health, making them a natural home for practice-embeddeup to $20k · Annual cycle · May
- William T. Grant Scholars ProgramEarly-career awardWilliam T. Grant FoundationFive-year career development award funding a research and mentoring plan that expands an early-career researcher's expertise into new disciplines or methods. Two focus areas: reducing inequality in youth outcomes (ages 5-25), and improving the use of research evidence by decision-makers.$425k · Annual cycle
- Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System (Request for Proposals)Foundation grantArnold VenturesFunds causal-design studies (RCT, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variables) of US policies, practices and interventions affecting crime and criminal justice outcomes, measured with real-world behavioural or administrative data.$110k–$500k · Rolling / open
- AERA-NSF Dissertation GrantsDissertation awardAmerican Educational Research AssociationSupports advanced doctoral students at the dissertation stage whose research analyzes large-scale federal, federally supported, international, or state longitudinal administrative data on education. Award covers data analysis and writing, plus travel and lodging for required AERA conference participation. Open to students in education and related social science fields, including those studying youth, families, and schooling.$28k · Annual cycle · May
- NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) ProgramDissertation awardNational Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of JusticeGrants to accredited academic institutions supporting doctoral students whose dissertation research addresses crime prevention, victimization, victim services, or the fair administration of criminal and juvenile justice. Open to students from any discipline.up to $180k per year · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
- Community Grants ProgramFoundation grantThe Denver FoundationResponsive grantmaking of roughly $5 million a year across two cycles to charitable organizations in the seven-county Metro Denver region, in economic opportunity, environment and climate, housing, and youth well-being (including youth mental health and K-12 school funding reform).$20k–$50k · Several times a year · Jan, Mar, Jun, Aug
- Research Grants on Reducing InequalityFoundation grantWilliam T. Grant FoundationSupports descriptive and intervention studies of programs, policies or practices that reduce inequality in academic, social, behavioral or economic outcomes for US youth ages 5-25 — a frame that covers child welfare and foster care system research.$25k–$600k · Several times a year
- Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP)Federal grantUSDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)Supports community-based food security projects, including needs assessment and planning work, that are designed to become self-reliant after a one-time federal contribution. Nonprofits and tribal organisations apply directly.$25k–$400k · Annual cycle · Jul
- Academic Research Grants ProgramFoundation grantBorchard Foundation Center on Law and AgingSmall research grants for scholarship on new or improved public policies, laws and programmes that improve quality of life for older adults, especially those isolated by poverty, language, culture, disability or lack of education. Results must be publishable in academic journals.up to $20k · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct
- Institutional Grants (Democratic Governance and Education)Foundation grantTinker FoundationGrants to organisations working in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin America. Eligible activities explicitly include applied research, evaluation, community engagement, workshops, and scaling up promising interventions.$50k–$150k per year · Annual cycle · Jan
- Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System (CRCJ) Early Career AwardsEarly-career awardRussell Sage FoundationSupports early-career scholars using causal designs to study police, courts, jails, prisons, probation and parole, and immigration detention, including sentencing policy, post-prison outcomes, bias and disparities. Co-funded with Arnold Ventures.up to $100k · Annual cycle · Apr
- Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) — Nutrition IncentiveFederal grantUSDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)Funds point-of-sale incentive projects that increase fruit and vegetable purchasing by SNAP participants, with required project-level evaluation and reporting to a national coordinating centre. Government agencies and nonprofits apply, often with academic evaluation partners.$10k–$15M · Annual cycle · May, Jun
- Racial Equity Research GrantsFoundation grantSpencer FoundationFunds education research projects that examine or address racial inequality in education, with stated interest in youth and educator mental health, workforce development, and quantitative methods for studying equity.up to $75k · Annual cycle
- Good Neighbor Grants and Technical Assistance GrantsFoundation grantThe Ford Family FoundationOpen-application grants for projects benefiting rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. Good Neighbor grants are under $20,000 and Technical Assistance grants up to $5,000; larger strategic initiatives are by invitation only.up to $20k · Rolling / open
- Siegel Family Endowment grantmakingFoundation grantSiegel Family EndowmentTech-derived family foundation funding academic research projects, mission-driven programmes and policy institutions across three areas: Learning, Work, and Infrastructure, with an explicitly inquiry-driven grantmaking method.$100–$3M · By invitation
- Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-Based Treatment and Support (STREETS)Federal grantSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)Cooperative agreement for street-based outreach, treatment and recovery support for people who are homeless and have serious mental illness, substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders. Participation in evaluation and peer learning collaboratives is required.up to $3M per year · Periodic calls · Jul
- Minority Dissertation Fellowship in Education ResearchDissertation awardAmerican Educational Research AssociationOne-year dissertation fellowship for advanced doctoral students from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in higher education whose research addresses education topics, with mentoring workshops and an AERA Annual Meeting presentation.up to $25k · Annual cycle · Nov
- Racial/Ethnic Minority Graduate FellowshipFellowshipSociety for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)Two annual fellowships of $15,000 each supporting advanced doctoral students' living costs and dissertation research costs, for dissertations examining any aspect of inequality, injustice and oppression.$15k stipend · Annual cycle · Feb
- ESRC Responsive Mode: Research Grants (Round Two)Federal grantUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Researcher-led social science grants for basic, applied or strategic research on any ESRC-remit topic, including social policy, social care and social work. Social science must be more than 50% of the research focus and effort.$445k–$1.3M · Rolling / open
- Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration (Core Research Grants)Foundation grantRussell Sage FoundationInvestigator-initiated social science research on how race, ethnicity, nativity and legal status — and their interactions — shape social, economic and political outcomes, including for immigrant-origin and US-born minority populations.up to $200k · Several times a year · Jul, Oct
- Disability Justice FundFoundation grantTrust for LondonLong-term funding for Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations in London to run campaigning and advocacy that challenges injustice, including the research and evidence work that campaigns rest on.$10k–$180k · Rolling / open
- NEH FellowshipsFederal fellowshipNational Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)Individual stipends of up to $60,000 ($5,000/month for six to twelve months) for scholars to complete humanities books, articles, critical editions or digital scholarship. Paid directly to the applicant, not the institution.up to $60k stipend · Annual cycle · Apr
- Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH), CDC-RFA-DP-23-0014Federal grantCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and ObesityFive-year awards to 50 organisations in 32 states and DC to run community-based participatory chronic disease prevention work with racial and ethnic populations carrying the highest disease burden. Runs 2023-2028.$522k–$680k per year · Periodic calls
- Health Policy Research ScholarsFederal fellowshipRobert Wood Johnson FoundationA national leadership and funding program for full-time doctoral students from historically marginalised backgrounds, in any research discipline, who want to apply their research to health equity and health policy.up to $30k per year · Annual cycle
- SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF)Federal fellowshipU.S. National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic SciencesTwo-year postdoctoral fellowship in the social, behavioral and economic sciences, with a fundamental-research track and a broadening-participation track. The fellow works with a sponsoring scientist at a host organization.$80k per year · Annual cycle · Nov
- Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholars ProgramFellowshipRussell Sage FoundationA residential year at the Foundation's New York headquarters for scholars doing data analysis and writing on RSF priority areas. Provides salary replacement, office space, computing and subsidised housing.up to $150k per year · Annual cycle · Jun
- Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian PrizePrize or challengeConrad N. Hilton FoundationAn annual unrestricted prize to a nonprofit organisation working to alleviate human suffering. Selected from a worldwide call for nominations, with due diligence on a shortlist and a final decision by an independent international jury.$3M · Annual cycle
- ESRC Responsive Mode: New Investigator Grants (Round Two)Early-career awardUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Grants for early career social scientists making the transition to research independence, on any ESRC-remit topic. Supports a first substantial project as principal investigator.$127k–$445k · Rolling / open
- Melville Charitable Trust grantmakingFoundation grantMelville Charitable TrustA foundation devoted entirely to ending homelessness, funding systems and policy change, narrative change, and work on the racial wealth gap. Grantees include national policy, fair housing and research-and-advocacy intermediaries.$50k–$1.6M · By invitation
- Alcohol Health Services Research (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)Pilot / seed fundingNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), NIHR34 planning grant for pilot and preparatory alcohol services research on treatment access, affordability, insurance and cost structures, implementation of evidence-based care, and reducing disparities.up to $450k · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Alcohol Health Services Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)Federal grantNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), NIHFull R01 support for research on closing the alcohol use disorder treatment gap: access to treatment, treatment appeal, cost and insurance structures, dissemination and implementation, and disparities in access.up to $500k per year · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Pride Foundation Community Grants and Community Care FundFoundation grantPride FoundationTwo streams of funding for LGBTQ+ organizations in the Northwest: multi-year Community Grants and the responsive Community Care Fund, which reviews requests on a rolling set of due dates.$10k–$70k · Several times a year
- ESRC Responsive Mode: Secondary Data Analysis (Round Two)Federal grantUK Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Short grants to deliver high-quality social science research through analysis of existing datasets. Useful for social work and social policy researchers working with administrative, cohort or survey data.up to $381k · Rolling / open
- Early Career GrantsEarly-career awardWashington Center for Equitable GrowthGrants for doctoral students, postdocs and untenured faculty studying how economic inequality affects growth and stability, including work on wages, the safety net and household economic security.$15k–$30k · Annual cycle
- Insight Development GrantsPilot / seed fundingSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)Seed funding for research in its initial stages: developing new research questions and experimenting with new methods, theoretical approaches or ideas. One to two years.$10k–$100k · Annual cycle · Feb
- Dissertation Research GrantsDissertation awardRussell Sage FoundationSmall grants for doctoral candidates whose dissertation research addresses RSF priority areas, including economic inequality, poverty and social policy. Co-funded with the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and the Upjohn Institute.up to $15k · Annual cycle · Feb
- Maternal and Child Health Secondary Data Analysis Research (MCH SDAR) ProgramFederal grantHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal & Child Health BureauFunds applied maternal and child health research using secondary analysis of existing national data sets and administrative records. Findings must strengthen the evidence base behind Title V National Performance Measures and address health disparities; recipients must submit a dissemination plan and report sample diversity.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jan
- Maternal Health Research Collaborative for Minority-Serving Institutions (MH-RC-MSI) Research CentersTraining & capacityHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal & Child Health BureauBuilds the capacity of minority-serving institutions to conduct quantitative and qualitative research on the root causes of disparities in maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, and to develop community-based solutions. Recipients must engage communities throughout, train early-career researchers, publish, and submit at least one external grant proposal for sustainability.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jun
- Forte Project GrantsFoundation grantForte – Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and WelfareForte is Sweden's national research council for health, working life and welfare — the closest institutional match in Europe to a social work research funder. The annual project grant is a free-standing, investigator-initiated three-year grant: applicants formulate their own question anywhere inside Forte's remit, which explicitly covers social policy, social services, welfare provision, the labour market, public health and care organisation. Proposals are assessed by nine subject panels, several of which (social policy, welfare services, working life) map directly onto social work scholarshipAmount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar
- TRDRP Research Awards, including the Community-Partnered Participatory Research AwardFoundation grantTobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), University of CaliforniaTRDRP is California's tobacco-excise-tax-funded research programme, spanning social, behavioural and biomedical science on tobacco-related disease, addiction and tobacco control policy. Its current call carries four families of mechanism: core research awards, the Community-Partnered Participatory Research Award for collaborative work with community partners, the Maternal Smoking Cessation Initiative, and the Smoke- and Vape-free Scholars Initiative for early-career researcher development. The participatory and policy strands make it one of the more accessible state-level research funders for Amount not published · Annual cycle
- Research for Future Skills, Education and Working LifeFoundation grantResearch Council of Norway (Forskningsrådet)Norway's national research council runs this call off its welfare-and-education portfolio plan, and the four themes — education and working life in transition, competence and skills development, learning and inclusion in education, and inclusive and well-functioning working life — read as a social work and social policy agenda. Grants are substantial and long: three to six years of funding for a full project team. Relevant for school social work, transitions out of care and into employment, labour-market inclusion of disabled and migrant populations, and workforce studies of the welfare servicAmount not published · Annual cycle · May
- James and Esther King Biomedical Research ProgramFederal grantFlorida Department of HealthA state research programme established in section 215.5602, Florida Statutes and funded from Florida's tobacco settlement, supporting research on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cures for tobacco-related cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke and pulmonary disease. Recent priorities include reducing mortality and morbidity among disproportionately affected populations and improving screening accuracy and detection in high-risk groups, which opens room for behavioural, health-services and community-facing research alongside laboratory work. Budget templates are published for project lengthAmount not published · Annual cycle
- NHLBI Early Career Investigator Awards and Supplements (K01, K08, K23, K25, K99/R00, K22, R03, R38/K38)Early-career awardNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIHNHLBI's consolidated early-career page, and the single most useful entry point for a social work researcher whose work touches heart, lung, blood or sleep conditions. The K01 here is described in terms that read as an invitation to social science: highly innovative research in humans across epidemiology, biostatistics, outcomes research and IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE. Alongside it sit the K08 and K23 for clinically trained applicants, the K25 for quantitatively trained applicants moving into health research, the K99/R00 Pathway to Independence for postdocs, the K22 career transition award, and a lAmount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- State Justice Statistics (SJS) Program for Statistical Analysis CentersTraining & capacityBureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of JusticeSJS builds state analytic capacity by funding Statistical Analysis Centers to coordinate statistical activities, analyze administrative justice data and act as the liaison between BJS and state agencies. Recent cycles offered Core Capacity-Building projects (NIBRS compatibility, performance measurement, data access) and Special Emphasis projects using administrative and criminal history data, which is a direct fit for social work researchers studying reentry, diversion and justice-system contact.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Mar, Apr, May
- AmeriCorps Arkansas State GrantsFederal grantEngage Arkansas (Arkansas Service Commission)Engage Arkansas subgrants AmeriCorps State operational funds to Arkansas organisations and, on the same page, sets out the VISTA, NCCC and AmeriCorps Seniors routes for organisations whose work does not fit the state stream. The scale gate here is unusually low — operational grants support the equivalent of at least five full-time members, against the 10 to 20 members several other commissions require — which makes it one of the more accessible national service doors for a small community agency working with a university research partner.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) ProgramFederal grantPennsylvania Department of HealthCURE was created by Act 77 Chapter 9 of 2001 and is Pennsylvania's tobacco-settlement-funded health research programme. It runs two award streams each year: formula grants, distributed non-competitively to institutions in proportion to their existing NIH or NCI funding, and nonformula grants awarded through a competitive process. A formula grant may support several projects at once, and eligible project types explicitly include health services research and patient-oriented clinical investigation alongside basic biomedical work, which is the doorway for social work health-services researchers aAmount not published · Annual cycle
- Community Health Grants, Mid-Atlantic StatesFoundation grantKaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic StatesSeasonal community health grant rounds across Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., funding health equity, affordable care access, socioeconomic opportunity, and healthy policies and environments for populations experiencing disparities. The Mid-Atlantic team explicitly welcomes new and grassroots organizations into its invited pool, which is the practical entry point for a community-partnered research team.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Community Health Grants, Southern CaliforniaFoundation grantKaiser Permanente Southern CaliforniaKaiser Permanente's Southern California community health grantmaking, organized around safety net partnerships, community health initiatives, and knowledge development and dissemination — that last priority is the channel through which evaluation and research-adjacent work is funded. Worth tracking rather than applying to cold, because the pipeline runs through pre-identified partners.Amount not published · By invitation
- Humanities and Social Sciences research programs (Academic Research Fellowships and career-stage grants)Federal grantNational Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)Korea's national research funder runs a laddered set of humanities and social sciences programs spanning master's and doctoral student fellowships, Academic Research Fellowships for PhD holders without a permanent post, and career-stage research grants for early-career, mid-career and distinguished scholars. It also runs domestic and international collaborative research grants and larger International Research Group and Institute grants. The international tracks are the realistic entry point for a non-Korean social work researcher, who joins as a collaborator on a Korea-based lead's grant.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jun
- NJCCR Research Grants and Fellowship Training ProgramFederal grantNew Jersey Commission on Cancer Research, New Jersey Department of HealthThe New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research funds cancer research in the state through investigator research grants, a Fellowship Training Program aimed at early-career researchers, and supplemental bridge grants for investigators between major awards. Funding comes from state appropriations, a designated line on the New Jersey individual income tax return, and proceeds from the Conquer Cancer specialty licence plate. Behavioural, survivorship and psychosocial cancer research falls within scope alongside laboratory science.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral ScholarshipDissertation awardPierre Elliott Trudeau FoundationA three-year doctoral scholarship for humanities and social sciences students, pairing substantial stipend support with a separate annual research and travel allowance and a structured leadership and mentorship program. Research must connect to one of the Foundation's founding themes, which centre on public engagement and pressing social questions, making it a strong fit for social work doctoral work on inequality, rights or community wellbeing. Roughly fifteen scholars are selected each cycle.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Nov
- Soutien aux equipes de recherche (SE), secteur Societe et cultureFederal grantFonds de recherche du Quebec - Societe et culture (FRQSC)Four-year team funding from Quebec's social sciences and humanities research fund, supporting an ongoing scientific program rather than a single project. Built for standing research teams, including teams configured in partnership with practice or community settings, with supplements available for partnership, inter-regionality and college-based research. The multi-year, programmatic structure fits a social work research group sustaining several linked lines of inquiry.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct
- USC AD/ADRD RCMAR Scientist Pilot AwardsPilot / seed fundingUSC Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (NIA-funded, USC Schaeffer Center)Selects three RCMAR Scientists a year for one-year pilot projects on cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, framed around the health and economic wellbeing of minority elder populations. The centre states plainly that it encourages non-USC applicants, so an early-career social work researcher elsewhere can hold a pilot plus the mentoring structure that goes with it.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- DFG Individual Research Grants (Sachbeihilfe)Foundation grantDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG)The central bottom-up instrument of German research funding and the one most social work academics in Germany will use. Any qualified researcher at a German institution can propose a project with a clearly defined topic and duration, in any discipline, with no submission deadline at all — proposals go in when they are ready, via the elan portal. A distinctive sub-track matters for the field: 'long-term projects' in the humanities and social sciences carry continuous funding for seven to twelve years, which is what makes cohort studies, longitudinal welfare research and large corpora feasible.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Frontiers for the Future ProgrammeFederal grantTaighde Eireann - Research IrelandResearch Ireland's flagship investigator-led programme for independent researchers pursuing ambitious, high-risk high-reward projects. Listed as accepting applications on a rolling basis, which makes it unusual among large national schemes. Since the merger of the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland into Research Ireland, the agency's remit spans all disciplines, so applied social and social care research can be in scope - confirm current disciplinary scope in the live call document before investing effort.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship ProgrammeFederal fellowshipIrish Research Council / Taighde Eireann - Research IrelandIreland's flagship all-disciplines postdoctoral fellowship, funding a one- or two-year fellowship at an eligible Irish higher education institution. Bottom-up and non-directed, so social work, social policy and social care topics compete on their own merits, and the scheme welcomes pioneering proposals in new and emerging fields and interdisciplinary research.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- Strategic FundFoundation grantNuffield FoundationLarge research grants for original and ambitious projects that confront the scale and urgency of the UK's biggest social and economic challenges. Projects run two to five years, making this one of the few UK routes to programme-scale funding for applied social research outside the research councils. A two-stage process; applicants may first email a one-page summary to check fit before applying.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Mar
- DFG Walter Benjamin ProgrammeFederal fellowshipDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG)A postdoctoral fellowship built around mobility: an early-career researcher takes their own project to a new institution, either abroad on a monthly fellowship or within Germany on a funded postdoctoral position. Beyond salary or stipend it covers direct project costs, travel, publication costs and, where relevant, foreign and cost-of-living allowances and child benefits — the practical details that decide whether a fellowship is actually takeable by someone with dependents. Submission is rolling, so it can be timed to a doctoral defence rather than a call cycle.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Title X Family Planning Research GrantsFederal grantHHS Office of Population Affairs (OASH)OPA's research grant program (NOFO PA-FPR-26-001) funds research organizations to study how family planning service delivery can be improved, over project periods of up to three years. It is one of the few OASH mechanisms explicitly designated as research rather than service delivery, and reaches social work questions about access, service quality and reproductive health care for low-income clients.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jul
- AmeriCorps Rhode Island Grant CompetitionFederal grantServeRI (Rhode Island Service Commission)Rhode Island's service commission subgrants AmeriCorps State funds to organisations that design evidence-informed programmes addressing documented community needs, recruit and supervise members, and contribute matching funds. The explicit evidence-informed design requirement is the hook for research partnership — an applicant must justify its model against evidence, which is work a social work researcher can supply. The same page also maps the other national service doors (National Direct, VISTA, NCCC and AmeriCorps Seniors) for organisations whose fit is outside the state stream.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- ASWB Regulatory Research Grant ProgramFoundation grantAssociation of Social Work Boards (ASWB)Funds research on social work occupational and professional regulation: examination pass rates, licensure impact, supervision, practice standards, electronic practice and regulatory enforcement. ASWB may share its test-taker demographic and performance datasets with funded researchers.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jun
- Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship ProgrammeFederal fellowshipIrish Research Council / Taighde Eireann - Research IrelandIreland's national doctoral scholarship, covering stipend, a fees contribution and research expenses for postgraduate research at an eligible Irish institution. Bottom-up and non-directed across all disciplines, with an average success rate the Council states as 18%. The standard funding route for a social work PhD in Ireland.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- Grantmaking ProgramFoundation grantThe SCAN FoundationFoundation grantmaking on long-term care, Medicare-Medicaid integration, Medicare health and social supports, and multisector plans for aging, including data-driven research and work centring the lived experience of older adults from underrepresented communities.Amount not published · By invitation
- P.E.O. Scholar AwardsFellowshipP.E.O. InternationalMerit-based awards for women pursuing doctoral-level degrees at accredited U.S. and Canadian institutions, established in 1991. Field-agnostic, so social work and social welfare doctoral candidates are eligible, and the award functions as unrestricted support for the dissertation year.Not a cash award · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
- Community Development Grant ProgramFoundation grantCatholic Campaign for Human Development, United States Conference of Catholic BishopsThe national anti-poverty grant programme of the US Catholic bishops, supporting community organisations that bring low-income people together to change the structures and policies that sustain poverty. A route for a community organisation to fund organising work whose evaluation a social work researcher can partner on; it is not a route for a university to be the applicant.Not a cash award · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb
- Research GrantsFoundation grantRRF Foundation for AgingApplied research grants for projects with immediate, direct implications for adults aged 60 and older. Priorities are caregiving, economic security, housing, social connection and age equity; interventional trials, translational studies, and health services and policy research are favoured.Amount not published · Several times a year · May, Nov
- Tribal Early Childhood and Family Economic Well-being Research and Evaluation Grants (Tribal Research Center)Federal grantHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)Supports a national center leading culturally responsive research, measurement work, secondary data analysis, and training across tribal child care, Head Start/Early Head Start, home visiting, and Tribal TANF and family economic well-being programs.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) Grants - FORGE Fatherhood, HEART, READY4LifeFederal grantHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family AssistanceDiscretionary grants plus research and evaluation activities on responsible fatherhood, healthy relationships for adults, and relationship education for youth. Awards carry evaluation and performance-measurement requirements that researchers commonly partner on.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Sustainable Environments ProgramFoundation grantSurdna FoundationSupports communities of color and low-wealth communities in shaping infrastructure and land use investments and designing policy solutions, through environmental and climate justice and community control of land. Grants are made by invitation only.Amount not published · By invitation
- Tribal Child Care Data and Research Capacity AwardsTraining & capacityHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)Phase I planning awards supporting partnerships between Tribal CCDF Lead Agencies and research or coordinating organizations to build tribal early childhood data systems, identify linkable data sources, and use the data to inform tribal child care policy.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Immigrant Rights and Workers' Rights grantmakingFoundation grantRosenberg FoundationCalifornia-focused grantmaking supporting leadership development, policy advocacy and grassroots organising on immigrant rights and workers' rights, including capacity for community organisations working with the state's immigrant residents.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Migration & Forced Displacement ProgramFoundation grantHispanics in PhilanthropyMultinational regranting intermediary supporting frontline migrant-serving organisations, with an emphasis on targeted, community-informed and rapid-response capacity.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional)Federal grantNational Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), NIHNIMHD-led R01 for population-based research on how work and occupation shape health outcomes in populations experiencing health disparities, treating work as both a risk source and an economic/social resource.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Jun, Oct
- Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation GrantsDissertation awardHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)Supports dissertation research by graduate students working with a university mentor and a local Head Start or Early Head Start program. Program staff are expected to shape the project from design through interpretation and dissemination.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Dissertation GrantsDissertation awardHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)Supports dissertation research on child care subsidy and CCDF policy questions, carried out in partnership with a state Child Care and Development Fund agency or administrator and a faculty mentor.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Secondary Analyses of Head Start Data GrantsFederal grantHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)Funds researchers to analyse existing survey, program evaluation, or administrative data on Head Start, Early Head Start, American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, to inform policy and program administration.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Secondary Analyses Grants for Early Care and Education DataFederal grantHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE)Funds secondary analysis of existing datasets to answer questions about child care and early education programs funded by the Child Care and Development Fund, and to build researcher capacity to analyse and disseminate from those data.Not a cash award · Periodic calls
- Education Research Grants — 84.305AFederal grantInstitute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), U.S. Department of EducationNCER's main research grant programme. Topic areas include early learning programmes and policies; social, emotional and behavioural context; English learners; postsecondary and adult education; improving education systems; and literacy.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec, Jan, Feb
- Rapid Response Rural Data Analysis and Issue Specific Rural Research StudiesFederal grantHealth Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health PolicySupports short-turnaround rural health services research and data analysis so that rural stakeholders and policymakers get timely evidence on pressing rural health issues, rather than waiting on multi-year study cycles.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jul
- Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences (HEGS)Federal grantU.S. National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic SciencesFunds fundamental research on how human behavior interacts with environmental and social processes, advancing geographical theory and geospatial methods.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Law & Science (LS)Federal grantU.S. National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic SciencesSupports social scientific study of law and law-like systems of rules, of law and human behavior, and of how science and technology are used in legal settings.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Overdose Data to Action: Limiting Overdose through Collaborative Actions in Localities (OD2A: LOCAL)Federal grantCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and ControlCooperative agreement funding 40 city, county and territorial health departments for overdose surveillance and prevention, with required linkage-to-care and harm reduction strands and explicit process and outcome evaluation.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Essentials for Childhood: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences through Data to ActionFederal grantCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Violence PreventionFunds 12 recipients to build adverse and positive childhood experience data infrastructure and to implement, sustain and evaluate population-level ACEs prevention strategies. Launched 2023.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Child Well-being Program (unsolicited letter of inquiry)Foundation grantDoris Duke FoundationThe Child Well-being Program funds work to promote healthy child development and prevent abuse and neglect, currently centred on prevention-oriented child welfare. Unsolicited letters of inquiry are accepted from US nonprofits through an open online form.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Homelessness strategic initiativeFoundation grantConrad N. Hilton FoundationFunds work to end long-term homelessness in Los Angeles County: housing and early-response services, person-centered supports including mental health and income, data-backed prevention including predictive modeling, and cross-city knowledge exchange.Amount not published · By invitation
- Ballmer Group — Housing impact areaFoundation grantBallmer GroupMulti-year funding for direct services and for what the funder calls levers of change that transform systems, across impact areas that include Housing, Child Welfare, Behavioral Health, Criminal Justice and Tech & Data.Amount not published · By invitation
- Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research EvidenceFoundation grantWilliam T. Grant FoundationFunds studies of how research evidence gets used in decisions affecting young people, including theory-building, measurement development, and evaluations of efforts to increase research use in policy and practice.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Criminal Justice research grantsFoundation grantCharles Koch FoundationSupports scholarship on overcriminalization and drug policy, policing practices and alternative models, due process (pretrial and bail reform, prosecutorial incentives, access to counsel, fines and fees), and alternatives to lengthy sentences.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Domestic Public Policy ProgramFoundation grantSmith Richardson FoundationSupports research and writing on U.S. public policy, including fiscal policy at national, state and municipal level, human capital and education, and criminal justice cost reduction. Applications start with a concept paper.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Gill Foundation GrantsFoundation grantGill FoundationGrantmaking in two priority areas: Equal Treatment, a national LGBTQ equality portfolio, and A Prosperous Colorado, a state-focused portfolio. Proposals are accepted by invitation only.Amount not published · By invitation
- Blue Shield of California Foundation grantmaking (Break the cycle of domestic violence)Foundation grantBlue Shield of California FoundationFoundation-led initiatives funding policy and systems change on the root causes of domestic violence - racism, gender inequity and economic inequity - alongside economic security and community-aligned systems work in California.Amount not published · By invitation
- New York Women's Foundation grantmakingFoundation grantThe New York Women's FoundationGrants to organizations serving low- and moderate-income communities facing gender, economic and racial inequity, with safety, health and bodily autonomy among the foundation's stated focus areas.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant applications (letter of inquiry)Foundation grantW.K. Kellogg FoundationOpen, deadline-free letter-of-inquiry process funding work on racial equity, maternal and infant health care access, early care and education, food security, and family economic security.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- New York Health Foundation grantmaking (priority areas and Special Projects Fund)Foundation grantNew York Health FoundationGrants and commissioned policy analyses in three priority areas plus a Special Projects Fund, with an explicit focus on people of color and others historically marginalized in New York State.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Nov
- California Health Care Foundation grants and Innovation FundFoundation grantCalifornia Health Care FoundationSolicited and unsolicited project grants, plus program-related investments through the Innovation Fund, for work improving quality, cost and access to care for Californians with low incomes.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Climate ProgramFoundation grantBarr FoundationFunds clean energy, climate resilience and low-carbon mobility work in Massachusetts and the wider Northeast, with an explicit emphasis on frontline communities and climate justice planning. Organizations submit a short unsolicited inquiry rather than responding to an RFP.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Midwest Climate & Energy ProgramFoundation grantMcKnight FoundationOperating and project grants for emissions reduction and an equitable clean energy transition in the Midwest, with equity and justice as stated priorities. Policy research and community engagement are fundable; construction and deployment costs are not.Amount not published · Rolling / open · Sep
- Grantmaking for Native, rural and priority communitiesFoundation grantNorthwest Area FoundationSupports organizations advancing racial, social and economic justice, with stated priority for Native Americans, people of colour, immigrants, refugees and people in rural areas across the foundation's region.Amount not published · By invitation
- Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy GrantsDissertation awardHorowitz Foundation for Social PolicySmall grants to PhD students at the dissertation level for social-policy research across the major fields of the social sciences. 441 grants awarded since 1999; the 2027 cycle is open.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec
- Veterans program area grantmakingFoundation grantMay & Stanley Smith Charitable TrustGrants for direct services and policy/systems-change work on veteran access to benefits and resources, legal services, advocacy, and housing security, focused on non-career enlisted (E-1 to E-6) veterans including Guard and Reserve.Amount not published · By invitation
- SRCD U.S. Policy Fellowship ProgramFederal fellowshipSociety for Research in Child Development (SRCD)Places postdoctoral child development researchers in U.S. state agencies or Congress for one to two years of full-time work on child and family policy design, implementation, program evaluation and analysis.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- Cannabis Public Health and Safety Research GrantsEvaluation contractCalifornia Department of Cannabis ControlCalifornia state programme funding academic research on cannabis public health and safety impacts. The department reports allocating nearly $80 million since 2020 across 72 research projects.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Apply for a Grant (responsive grantmaking)Foundation grantThe Cleveland FoundationYear-round responsive grantmaking from one of the oldest and largest US community foundations, with no fixed deadline and no published ceiling; applicants are told to request the amount actually needed to complete the proposed project.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Grants (Coalitions Advancing Economic Mobility - Policy Change; Sponsorships)Foundation grantThe Chicago Community TrustThe Trust's discretionary grantmaking, currently centred on a policy and systems change RFP under its economic mobility strategy, plus event sponsorships. Policy-change work of this kind can carry research and evaluation components.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Grantmaking (Housing, Early Childhood, Financial Stability, Emergency Response)Foundation grantSilicon Valley Community FoundationOne of the largest US community foundations by assets, making grants in housing policy, early childhood care and education, financial stability, and emergency response across the Silicon Valley region.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- React (time-critical pilot awards)Rapid-response fundUK Research and Innovation - Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Six-month pilot awards for time-critical social science work on public-sector challenges, listed among ESRC's refreshed applicant-led schemes launching from spring 2026. It is ESRC's nearest equivalent to a rapid-response route.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- MSCA Postdoctoral FellowshipsFederal fellowshipEuropean Commission – Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (Horizon Europe)Individual postdoctoral fellowships supporting a mobility-based research and training project in any discipline, including social policy and social work research, at a European or global host.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- Truman Library Institute Research GrantsFellowshipHarry S. Truman Library InstituteGrants of up to $2,500, awarded twice a year, to offset the cost of conducting research on the Truman era at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.up to $3k · Several times a year · Apr, Oct
- IRP Extramural Large Grant for Poverty and Economic Mobility ResearchPilot / seed fundingInstitute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin-MadisonAwards of up to $50,000 for poverty and economic mobility research, through IRP's annual Extramural Research Funding Program supporting research on human services, for projects that can be completed within 24 months; past funding areas include child welfare, reentry from incarceration, youth employment and policies and programs on the geography of opportunity.up to $50k · Annual cycle · Jan, Mar
- Student Micro Grant ProgramPilot / seed fundingCenter for Rural Pennsylvania (legislative agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly)Summer grants of up to $5,000 for students, working with a faculty member, to research the needs and concerns of rural Pennsylvanians through a public-policy lens, including services, health, local government and education.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Mar
- National Poverty Fellows ProgramFederal fellowshipInstitute for Research on Poverty (IRP), University of Wisconsin-Madison, with ASPE and ACF OPREPostdoctoral fellowship placing poverty and economic mobility researchers in residence at federal evaluation offices such as OPRE and ASPE, with mentoring and twice-yearly residencies at IRP, to build capacity for policy-relevant research.Amount not published · Annual cycle
Nontraditional (217)
- Grants to end domestic violence and build health equityFoundation grantBlue Shield of California FoundationFunds prevention-oriented work on domestic violence and the economic conditions underneath it, including community-defined evidence that conventional evaluation designs miss.$25k–$300k · Periodic calls
- Grants to Native-led organisationsParticipatory grantmakingFirst Nations Development InstituteGrantmaking and technical assistance to Native-controlled non-profits and tribal programmes, including food sovereignty, financial capability and community-controlled data work.$10k–$100k · Several times a year
- Restricted data access, summer program and data fellowshipsIn-kind resourceInter-university Consortium for Political and Social ResearchIn-kind rather than cash: access to restricted administrative and survey data, and methods training that would otherwise be a line item. For a secondary-data dissertation this substitutes for a grant.Not a cash award · Rolling / open · Jun, Jul, Aug
- Environment and Human Services program grantsFoundation grantThe Kresge FoundationClimate resilience built with low-income urban communities, and a human services portfolio funding the modernisation of the safety-net organisations social workers staff.$75k–$1M · Periodic calls
- Grants to prevent and end homelessnessFoundation grantMelville Charitable TrustThe largest US foundation devoted solely to homelessness, funding housing solutions, systems change, and the research and narrative work that supports them.$50k–$500k · By invitation
- Federal and state evaluation contracts (SAM.gov)Evaluation contractU.S. federal and state agenciesAgencies buy evaluation as a service through procurement, not as a grant. Deliverable-driven and less prestigious than a grant, but it is steady applied research money most academics never look at.$50k–$5M · Rolling / open
- Giving Project GrantsParticipatory grantmakingHeadwaters Foundation for JusticeUnrestricted general operating support decided entirely by a volunteer Giving Project cohort that also raises the money through one-on-one community conversations. Grants go to BIPOC-led Minnesota groups that use community organizing to address root causes of injustice; the 2026-27 cycle is themed on youth organizing (ages 0-24). General operating dollars can underwrite participatory evaluation, documentation and research partnerships when the grantee chooses to use them that way.$50k · Annual cycle · Jul, Aug
- CommonSpirit Health Community Grants ProgramParticipatory grantmakingCommonSpirit HealthHospital community benefit grants that must address a significant health need named in the local hospital's Community Health Needs Assessment or implementation strategy, serving underserved populations in that hospital's service area.up to $150k · Annual cycle · Jul, Aug, Sep
- General BKO Funding (Community Advisory Council review)Participatory grantmakingBrooklyn Org (Brooklyn Community Foundation)Multi-year general operating support of up to $45,000 a year for up to three years, with full proposals reviewed by a Community Advisory Council of Brooklyn residents after a site visit. Applications are accepted year-round.up to $45k per year · Several times a year · Apr, Sep
- Building Disaster-Ready Human Services Systems ChallengePrize or challengeU.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and ResponseA federal prize competition, in two tracks, for implementation-ready and scalable solutions that strengthen human services systems' disaster response capability. Cash prizes, no grant application cycle.$200k–$400k · Periodic calls · Jul, Aug, Sep
- Boundless San FranciscoPrize or challengeCrankstart, administered by Lever for ChangeAn open competition awarding up to $150 million total, with up to three awardees receiving up to $50 million each for solutions that make San Francisco a better place to live. Finalists receive $250,000-$500,000 plus technical assistance.$250k–$50M · Periodic calls · Sep, Oct
- Disability Rights Fund 2026 Grant RoundParticipatory grantmakingDisability Rights FundGrants direct to organisations of persons with disabilities to advance disability rights advocacy. Decision-making is led by disabled people, and grants support 12 months of organisation-defined work.up to $50k · Annual cycle · Jun, Aug
- Mobilize Power FundRapid-response fundThird Wave FundRapid-response grants for gender justice groups responding to an unanticipated, time-sensitive threat or opportunity within the last six months, including direct action, healing justice, mutual aid and emergency needs.$10k–$20k · Several times a year · Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct
- Youth Fund for Social ChangeParticipatory grantmakingCrossroads FundGrants of $5,000-$15,000 to youth-led social change projects in the Chicago region, decided by a grantmaking committee that includes youth organizers and young people who conduct the site visits.$5k–$15k · Annual cycle · Aug, Sep
- Peg Johnston Innovation FundPilot / seed fundingAbortion Conversation ProjectsSmall seed grants for innovative work on abortion care, support, storytelling and meaning-making, explicitly open to researchers, artists, doulas and community leaders as well as organizations.$5k–$10k · Annual cycle · Sep
- Community Resilience FundRapid-response fundCrossroads FundRapid response grants for Chicago-area grassroots organizations responding to evolving policy threats and building community resilience, descended from the post-9/11 Critical Response Fund.$5k–$30k · Rolling / open
- Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian PrizePrize or challengeConrad N. Hilton FoundationA $3 million unrestricted prize to a nonprofit alleviating human suffering. There is no application: a third party who knows the work must nominate the organisation during an open nomination window.$3M · Annual cycle · May, Apr
- Community Grants (Resident Advancement Committee)Participatory grantmakingSaint Luke's FoundationA resident committee — not foundation staff — decides these grants of up to $6,000 for projects in three Cleveland neighborhoods, on a quarterly cycle with decisions two weeks after each deadline.up to $6k · Several times a year · Mar, May, Jul, Sep
- Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority Grants (Individual Distributions, Cooperative Partnerships, State Agency Awards)Participatory grantmakingVirginia Opioid Abatement AuthorityVirginia's OAA is an independent state authority created to spend the Commonwealth's share of national opioid settlement money, awarding it as grants for efforts to treat, prevent and reduce opioid use disorder and opioid misuse. Three grant lines run on published calendars: Individual Distributions to a single city or county, Cooperative Partnerships that pool two or more localities for a joint project, and State Agency Awards. The locality lines run on a rolling committee calendar — applications are due about two weeks before each OAA Grants Committee meeting — while state agencies apply in Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Mar, Jul, Sep, Oct
- El Camino Healthcare District Community Benefit Grant ProgramParticipatory grantmakingEl Camino Healthcare DistrictA public healthcare district re-grants community benefit dollars each year to programs addressing the five health needs selected through the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, for residents of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale and part of Cupertino.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec, Jan, Feb
- MarinHealth Community Benefit Grant ProgramParticipatory grantmakingMarinHealth Medical CenterA single-hospital community benefit fund for programs serving Marin County residents, organised around four health priorities drawn from the hospital's community health needs assessment. Proposals that measure outcomes through evaluation methods are explicitly prioritised.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Aug
- El Camino Health Community Benefit Grant ProgramParticipatory grantmakingEl Camino HealthThe hospital-side companion to the healthcare district fund: annual community benefit grants for programs addressing the five priorities of the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment in the cities served by El Camino Health's hospitals.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Dec, Jan, Feb
- Point32Health Foundation GrantsParticipatory grantmakingPoint32Health Foundation (Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan foundations)Multi-year general operating support from a New England health plan foundation for community-led work on equitable aging and on communities affected by disinvestment, using a trust-based process built from community listening sessions.Amount not published · Several times a year · Feb, Sep
- Regional Opioid Abatement Council (ROAC) Funding Requests — 60% Regional ShareParticipatory grantmakingColorado's 19 Regional Opioid Abatement Councils, overseen by the Colorado Opioid Abatement CouncilRoughly $547.6 million of Colorado's settlement is controlled by 19 regional councils made up of local government and community representatives, who decide their own region's spending on twice-yearly request deadlines.Amount not published · Several times a year · Mar, Sep
- California Office of Migrant Services Feasibility and Impact Report (RFP)Evaluation contractEnterprise Community PartnersRequest for proposals to produce a feasibility and impact report on California's Office of Migrant Services housing program. A contracted research and analysis engagement rather than an open grant.Not a cash award · Periodic calls · Aug
- Philadelphia Works Procurement and Open RFPsEvaluation contractPhiladelphia Works, Inc. (Philadelphia's local workforce development board)Philadelphia's local workforce board runs an open-competition procurement process and currently has two live RFPs, including one for advisory and strategic development consulting services.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Emergent Fund Rapid Response GrantsRapid-response fundEmergent FundMonthly, open-access, low-barrier grants with no reporting requirement, decided by grantmakers drawn from directly impacted communities, for rapid response and emergent organizing by US grassroots groups.Amount not published · Several times a year · Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov
- Sparkplug Foundation GrantsFoundation grantSparkplug FoundationSmall foundation making grants to start-up and grassroots organizations for one-year activities, with a two-stage letter-of-inquiry then full-application process opening each September.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Sep, Nov
- Community Grants (Giving Project)Participatory grantmakingChinook FundColorado's grassroots participatory fund. A Giving Project of community activists with direct social justice experience reviews proposals, conducts site visits and makes funding decisions by consensus. Start-up, established and multi-year tiers support small community-organizing groups, the kind of partner a social work researcher needs for community-based participatory work in Colorado.$4k–$10k · Periodic calls · Feb, Sep
- General Fund GrantsParticipatory grantmakingSeeding JusticeOregon's long-running participatory grantmaking fund: applications are reviewed and decided by a committee of social justice organizers from across the state rather than program officers. Offers operating support to smaller 501(c)(3) groups and project support to larger, fiscally sponsored, and unincorporated groups, with an explicit route for groups that have no fiscal sponsor at all.$7k–$15k · Several times a year · Mar, Sep
- Wellspring FundParticipatory grantmakingHeadwaters Foundation for JusticeA four-year commitment to BIPOC-led Minnesota organizations testing multi-year projects and campaigns: organizing models, narrative approaches, coalition structures, campaign strategies and healing practices. The long horizon and the explicit interest in testing organizing models make it one of the few movement funds that can carry a real longitudinal practice-research collaboration.$90k per year · By invitation
- CIVICUS Crisis Response FundRapid-response fundCIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationA rolling rapid-response fund for civil society facing sudden restriction, supporting both advocacy responses to unexpected civic-space closures and resiliency or emergency measures for groups under immediate threat. Applications are accepted year-round with no fixed deadline, and funded activities run three to six months. Coalitions of two or more co-applicants can request a larger budget than a single organisation. For social work research this is the instrument that keeps a community research partner operating — security, legal defence, organisational resilience — when a coup, a new NGO law$10k–$20k · Rolling / open
- CIVICUS Solidarity FundParticipatory grantmakingCIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationA member-led and member-resourced granting mechanism inside the CIVICUS alliance, designed to move small amounts of money to constituency-led groups that structurally cannot reach institutional donors. Priority goes to organisations of women, youth, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ people, labour groups, Indigenous peoples and rural communities, and to applicants in countries the CIVICUS Monitor rates closed, repressed or obstructed — which covers much of francophone West Africa and the Sahel. Eligible costs include core operating costs, legal action, media coverage, safety measures and commu$1k–$10k · Periodic calls
- Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) Grant ProgramParticipatory grantmakingSeattle FoundationSeattle Foundation's community-led, participatory grant program funding grassroots community organizing, resident leadership development and neighborhood-designed projects in Greater Seattle. Running since 1991, the program describes itself as designed by and for community members, and awards flexible early funding to small, emerging groups — a route by which a social work researcher partnered with a grassroots organization can support community-based inquiry, documentation and evaluation of local organizing.$10k · Several times a year
- Rapid Response FundRapid-response fundHeadwaters Foundation for JusticeFast, unrestricted general operating grants for Minnesota organizing groups facing an urgent threat or a time-sensitive opportunity. Eight cycles a year with rolling deadlines and money out within 30 days of the application deadline, which makes it usable for documenting or responding to a fast-moving policy or community crisis alongside a research partner.$15k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Portfolio FundingPilot / seed fundingDraper Richards Kaplan FoundationVenture-philanthropy funding for early-stage social enterprises, delivered as either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over three years and released in tranches, alongside intensive board-level engagement and pro bono capacity support. The unrestricted character is the point for research-minded organizations: it can pay for the measurement infrastructure, outcome tracking and evaluation partnership that restricted programme grants normally exclude.up to $300k · Rolling / open
- Open Road Impact Fund Bridge LoansRapid-response fundOpen Road Impact (formerly Open Road Alliance)Fast, flexible short-term debt for impact-first organizations facing a temporary cash-flow gap ahead of a committed but delayed inflow — a delayed government contract, a signed but unpaid grant, or a slipped philanthropic tranche. For a research or evaluation shop, this is the instrument that keeps a funded study staffed while the money is in transit rather than forcing a stop-work. Loans are underwritten on the certainty of the future receipt, not on collateral or endowment.$250k–$1.5M · Rolling / open
- Washington Center for Equitable Growth Research Grants (including Early Career Grants)Early-career awardWashington Center for Equitable GrowthGrants for policy-relevant research on how inequality affects economic growth, with a standing emphasis on labor market dynamics: bargaining power, wage stagnation, job mobility, paid leave, schedule stability, and unemployment insurance. Recent topical calls have covered the labor effects of AI adoption and of the Inflation Reduction Act.$15k–$30k · Annual cycle
- Opportunity FundRapid-response fundBread & Roses Community FundA rapid-response fund with monthly deadlines for special projects or emergencies falling outside a group's ongoing work — demonstrations, coalition efforts, conferences and forums responding to emerging issues. Because grant decisions across Bread & Roses sit with community members rather than staff or professional program officers, this is a genuinely participatory small-grant route, useful for convening costs, community forums and quick-turn documentation alongside a research partner.up to $1k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Youth Participatory Grantmaking ProgramParticipatory grantmakingCarlson Family FoundationA cohort of 4-8 young people aged 13-24 is trained in philanthropy, then individually scores applications and decides by group discussion which Twin Cities youth-serving nonprofits receive microgrants, with staff facilitating rather than directing.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Apr
- Disability Rights Fund — OPD GrantsParticipatory grantmakingDisability Rights FundA grantmaking collaborative in which persons with disabilities sit on the bodies that decide grants, funding organisations of persons with disabilities in the Global South to advance the CRPD, including their own advocacy research and documentation.$10k–$120k · Annual cycle · May, Jun
- Harm Reduction Futures FundParticipatory grantmakingAIDS UnitedA pooled donor fund for syringe services and harm reduction organizations, with pre-applications screened by a community-based review committee. Organizations led by or meaningfully involving networks of people who use drugs are prioritized.$10k–$40k · Annual cycle · Aug, Oct
- Urgent Action GrantsParticipatory grantmakingHawaiʻi People's FundRapid grants for grassroots Hawaiʻi organizations responding to an unforeseen crisis or a critical organizing moment. Decisions are made by a grantmaking committee of fellow social-justice organizers, not professional program officers.up to $8k · Rolling / open
- Black Feminist Fund — Sustain Fund and Solidarity FundParticipatory grantmakingBlack Feminist FundTwo participatory funds resourcing Black feminist movements globally: multi-year core support (Sustain) and shorter solidarity/convening grants. A Grant Review Committee of movement people makes the final funding decisions, not staff.$20k–$200k · Periodic calls
- Connecting Talent to Opportunity ChallengePrize or challengeU.S. Department of EducationA large federal ideation prize competition to develop integrated state 'Talent Marketplaces' linking people's skills and credentials to education and job opportunities. Relevant to workforce and employment-services research.up to $15M · Periodic calls · Jan
- Opportunity FundRapid-response fundBread & Roses Community FundVery small monthly grants for an emerging issue or situation outside a group's ongoing work. Bread & Roses distributes through a community funding model in which people doing the work and affected by injustice make the decisions.up to $1k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Black Future Co-Op Fund — "We See You" GrantsParticipatory grantmakingBlack Future Co-Op Fund (Washington State)A Black-led, trust-based fund for Black-led organizations across Washington State, urban and rural. There is no application: organizations are surfaced by community nomination and relationship, and no reports are required.$10k–$50k · By invitation
- The David PrizePrize or challengeThe David Prize (Walentas Family Foundation)An unrestricted prize to individual New Yorkers with an ambitious plan to improve New York City, across fields including homelessness, youth development, workforce development, immigrant rights and civic engagement.$200k · Annual cycle · Sep, Oct, Nov
- Community Power Grantmaking ProgramParticipatory grantmakingiF, A Foundation for Radical PossibilityMulti-year general operating grants in the Washington DC region decided by a committee of community members with lived experience of racial inequities, including people organising around criminalisation and safety.$75k per year · Periodic calls · Apr, May, Jun
- Crisis Response FundRapid-response fundCIVICUSRolling grants for civil society groups hit by new or escalating restrictions on assembly, association or expression — funding advocacy campaigns, counter-narrative work, digital security and collective care.up to $20k · Rolling / open
- West Coast Poverty Center Mini-GrantsPilot / seed fundingWest Coast Poverty Center, University of WashingtonSeed funding for research collaborations between university researchers and nonprofit community organizations in the Seattle area, covering research assistant time, partner staff wages, travel, data access and statistical consulting.up to $12k · Annual cycle · Jul
- Asian Community Fund general grantsParticipatory grantmakingAsian Community Fund at the Boston FoundationAn AAPI-community-built fund inside the Boston Foundation making general operating grants to Massachusetts organizations serving AAPI communities, with explicit priority for very small and first-time applicants.$5k–$25k · Annual cycle · Apr
- Zayed Sustainability Prize — Health categoryPrize or challengeZayed Sustainability Prize (United Arab Emirates)An annual global prize with a Health category awarding US$1,000,000 to an organisation delivering affordable healthcare access in underserved settings. No grant paperwork — a submission-and-jury process.$150k–$1M · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun
- Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge — National Grant CompetitionPrize or challengeEnterprise Community Partners (with Wells Fargo Foundation)Open competition awarding five $2 million grants to scale tested innovations in housing design and construction, housing finance, or service delivery and programs. Applicants must show proof-of-concept or pilot outcomes and a pathway to scale.$2M · Periodic calls · Apr, May, Aug, Sep
- Immigrant-Led Organizations (ILO) FundParticipatory grantmakingMaine InitiativesMulti-year unrestricted general operating support for immigrant-led community organizations in Maine, with immigrant community members shaping strategy and selection through an Immigrant-Led Community Advisory Committee.$45k · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb
- Immigrant Rapid Response FundRapid-response fundWomen's Foundation of MinnesotaA Minnesota fund governed by a coalition of 33 philanthropic leaders from immigration-affected communities, moving money quickly for emergency basic needs, urgent legal services, and community organizing and safety planning.$25k–$600k · By invitation
- Rapid Response GrantsRapid-response fundNorth Star FundSmall rapid grants for grassroots organizing groups responding to unforeseen political shifts or critical campaign moments, including mutual aid, healing justice and bail funds. Decision within two weeks.$3k · Rolling / open
- Karibu New Realities Grant (Africa Grantmaking Programme)Participatory grantmakingKaribu Foundation (Norway)An African-led participatory programme in which a Core Group of African activists sets its own eligibility rules and makes the funding decisions, backing 'constructive troublemaking' ideas that disrupt structural injustice.$5k–$15k · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul, Aug
- Urgent Action Fund (rapid response grant cycle)Rapid-response fundResistMonthly $5,000 grants to small U.S. grassroots organising groups for urgent, time-sensitive work including events, direct actions, accessibility costs and mutual aid. Decisions are announced within a week of the monthly close.$5k · Several times a year · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
- The Elevate PrizePrize or challengeThe Elevate Prize FoundationAn annual prize to ten social-impact leaders, giving unrestricted funding plus a two-year visibility, growth-strategy and leadership programme. Winners are surfaced by nomination and then invited to apply.$300k · Annual cycle · Apr, May, Jun
- SozialMarie Prize for Social InnovationPrize or challengeUnruhe Privatstiftung (SozialMarie)Fifteen annual prizes totalling EUR 50,000 for implemented, currently running social innovation projects in Central and Eastern Europe. Unusually open: individuals, companies, NGOs, and public administration may all submit.$2k–$15k · Annual cycle · Jan
- Opus PrizePrize or challengeOpus Prize FoundationA $1 million award to one faith-motivated social entrepreneur solving a persistent social problem, with two $100,000 finalist awards. Winners are surfaced through a partner Catholic university that hosts that year's award.$100k–$1M · Annual cycle · Nov
- Hubert E. Sapp Regular Grant CycleParticipatory grantmakingSouthern Partners FundGrants for rural grassroots organizing in a 12-state Southern region, decided by a grants committee of SPF members who are themselves rural community leaders and current or former grantees.up to $5k · Annual cycle · Apr, May
- Seed FundParticipatory grantmakingCrossroads FundGeneral operating, start-up, or project grants of up to $15,000 for Chicago-area social change organizations, decided by a Grantmaking Committee that includes Giving Project participants alongside board and staff.up to $15k · Annual cycle · Feb
- Black Philanthropy Circle FundParticipatory grantmakingBaltimore Community FoundationA donor-advised giving circle of Black philanthropists in Baltimore that pools contributions and awards $25,000 grants to Black-led organizations and organizations rooted in Black communities.$25k · Annual cycle
- Latino Equity FundParticipatory grantmakingThe Boston FoundationA Massachusetts Latino-led fund guided by a community and nonprofit Advisory Committee that runs an open RFP and also commissions its own research on Latino communities in the Commonwealth.$25k · Annual cycle · Dec
- Racial & Economic Justice FundParticipatory grantmakingBread & Roses Community Fund$10,000 grants to Philadelphia-area groups organizing for racial and economic justice, where the members of the year's Racial & Economic Justice Giving Project both raise the money and decide the awards.$10k · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar
- Community GrantsParticipatory grantmakingLatino Community Fund of WashingtonA Latinx-led Washington State fund whose awards are decided by a committee of Latinx/e community leaders reviewing nominations, including self-nominations, from the community rather than a conventional open RFP.$1k–$15k · Annual cycle · Jun, Jul
- Black Philanthropy FundParticipatory grantmakingThe Cleveland FoundationAn endowed affinity fund seeded at $3 million whose grantmaking priorities and awards are set by an advisory committee of Greater Cleveland Black community leaders. First round ran in 2026.$10k–$25k · Annual cycle · Apr, May
- Skoll Award for Social InnovationPrize or challengeSkoll FoundationA $2 million unrestricted award to fewer than ten organisations a year that are scaling proven social innovations. Candidates are sourced by the foundation over several years rather than through an open call.$2M · By invitation
- Sex Worker Giving CircleParticipatory grantmakingThird Wave FundGrantmaking fellows with current or past sex trade experience make all funding recommendations and decisions. Awards unrestricted general operating support, explicitly including research alongside advocacy and direct services.$35k per year · Annual cycle · Mar, Apr
- Baobab Community FundParticipatory grantmakingBaobab Foundation (United Kingdom)Long-term unrestricted funding for Black and Global Majority led groups across the UK, designed with members rather than for them, at GBP 5,000-30,000 a year for up to five years.$5k–$30k per year · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb
- Survivor Leadership FundParticipatory grantmakingThe Freedom FundUnrestricted grants to organisations led by people with lived experience of trafficking and exploitation, covering programmes, staff and office costs, with country-specific application rounds.up to $20k per year · Periodic calls · Apr, May
- Disability Inclusion Fund — Collaborative GrantsParticipatory grantmakingBorealis Philanthropy (Disability Inclusion Fund)Two-year support for joint projects between two or more disability-led, disability-justice organisations in the US. Grantees are chosen by a committee made up mostly of disability advocates.$75k–$150k · Annual cycle · May, Jun
- Black Community Fund grantsFoundation grantBlack Community Fund (Greater Kansas City Community Foundation)A Black-led fund established in 1983 that has invested in the African American community of Greater Kansas City for over 30 years. Small grants are open now through the foundation's online portal.$2k–$10k · Rolling / open
- Seed FundParticipatory grantmakingCrossroads FundCrossroads Fund's largest grantmaking programme, decided by a Grantmaking Committee that includes community participants from the fund's Giving Project alongside board and staff.up to $15k · Annual cycle · Feb
- Arts and Community GrantsFoundation grantBlack Belt Community FoundationSmall annual grants from a Black-led community foundation covering 12 rural counties in Alabama's Black Belt. Genuinely local money that rarely circulates outside the region.$500–$5k · Annual cycle · Jan
- Michigan Justice Fund Rapid Response Grant ProgramRapid-response fundCommunity Foundation for Southeast MichiganSmall rolling grants from a statewide justice fund for Michigan organisations working with justice-impacted people, aimed at moments that cannot wait for a grant cycle.$2k–$10k · Rolling / open
- Native Voices Rising General Support GrantsParticipatory grantmakingNative Voices Rising (Common Counsel Foundation and Native Americans in Philanthropy)General support grants of $30,000 to Native-led grassroots organizations, reviewed and recommended by Native community reviewers over a multi-month participatory process.$30k · Annual cycle · May, Jun, Jul
- Resident Engagement GrantsParticipatory grantmakingRaymond John Wean FoundationSmall grants of $500 to $5,000 for grassroots efforts that expand resident participation in Warren and Youngstown, Ohio. Attending a Resident Engagement workshop is a prerequisite to applying.$500–$5k · Annual cycle
- Local- and State-Level Policy Work GrantsPilot / seed fundingSociety for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)Funds teams of social scientists to influence local and state policy through applied research, covering research costs, participant incentives, student support and meeting expenses.up to $2k · Annual cycle · Sep
- Sex Worker Giving CircleParticipatory grantmakingThird Wave FundA participatory giving circle in which sex worker community members serve as fellows and make the grant decisions themselves, resourcing sex worker-led organizing and community building.$15k–$25k · Periodic calls
- Action for Racial Justice and Equity Fund (ARJEF)Participatory grantmakingSociety for Community Research and Action (SCRA), Division 27 of the American Psychological AssociationSmall grants to grassroots and community-focused organizations advancing racial justice and equity, covering organizing, advocacy, prevention, and human service work.up to $3k · Periodic calls · Nov
- Seed FundParticipatory grantmakingCrossroads FundGrants of up to $15,000 for general operating, start-up or project costs to small social change groups working in the Chicago metropolitan area. Decisions are made through a community grantmaking process.up to $15k · Annual cycle · Feb
- Daily Seed GrantsPilot / seed fundingThe Pollination ProjectSeed grants of up to $500 to individuals, informal groups and small nonprofits worldwide for community-change projects already underway. Reviewed monthly on a rolling basis.$500 · Rolling / open · Jan, Feb, Mar
- Freedom Scholar AwardPrize or challengeMarguerite Casey FoundationA one-time unrestricted award to scholars whose research supports social movements, explicitly including movements led by Black people, Indigenous people, migrants, queer people and communities of colour.$250k · By invitation
- AWDF Grants (Call for Proposals)Participatory grantmakingAfrican Women's Development FundAWDF is a pan-African feminist fund based in Accra that resources women's rights and feminist organisations, collectives and movement actors across Africa, with deliberate emphasis on groups historically excluded from funding — nascent and grassroots organisations, unregistered groups and movements that mainstream donors treat as too risky. Its last cycle offered five distinct grant types aimed at those actors. Grants can carry organisational strengthening, knowledge production and learning/networking work, so a community organisation partnered with a social work researcher can use AWDF money Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Boston Impact Initiative Integrated CapitalParticipatory grantmakingBoston Impact InitiativeA place-based integrated-capital fund investing in small businesses, cooperatives, worker-owned enterprises, Black- and Latino-owned enterprises, and community-owned or governed real estate across New England. It is a leading practical example of the integrated-capital approach that blends debt, equity and grant-like instruments in a single package, and thus both a capital source for community partners and a live case for research on reparative and place-based finance.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Doria Feminist Fund — Core, Project and Knowledge Production GrantsParticipatory grantmakingDoria Feminist FundA MENA-region feminist fund making core, project and knowledge-production grants to feminist organisations and collectives based in or working across the Middle East and North Africa. Decisions are made participatorily: an activist review committee reviews applications, gives feedback, builds the shortlist against movement priorities, joins due diligence and confirms the final grantees. The knowledge-production stream is the direct route for community-based research, documentation and evidence-building; core support funds the organisational capacity that makes such work possible.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Fondo Integral and Fondo ActivistaParticipatory grantmakingFondo AlquimiaFondo Alquimia is Chile's feminist fund, working for the human rights and social justice of women, children, trans persons and sexual and gender diversities. It runs two funding lines. Fondo Integral gives direct contributions to organisations' work plans, covering operational and activist costs, and pairs money with horizontal partnership, visibility support and workshops on feminist financial administration and communications. Fondo Activista provides contingent, rapid-disbursement support for public actions, rights-violation and crisis situations, and movement commemorations. The fund reporAmount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun
- Fundo Baobá — Editais abertos, including Programa Marielle Franco Apoio Individual (2ª Edição)Participatory grantmakingFundo Baobá para Equidade RacialFundo Baobá is Brazil's fund for racial equity, running rolling public calls that resource Black-led organisations and Black individuals. The open Programa Marielle Franco – Apoio Individual (2ª Edição) offers technical and financial support to build the leadership of Black women working to influence and change government policy, an explicit policy-advocacy and capacity track. The fund's editais page also lists Edital Já É (2ª edição), BLACK STEM (3ª edição), Edital Carreiras em Movimento and Edital Educação em Tecnologia. The Marielle Franco line suits policy analysis, participatory evaluatioAmount not published · Several times a year
- Kresge Foundation Social Investment PracticeFoundation grantThe Kresge FoundationKresge's balance-sheet arm, deploying program-related investments and loans, equity, strategic deposits and unfunded guarantees across all seven of the foundation's programme areas — including Health and Human Services, the two most directly aligned with social work. The guarantee instrument is the distinctive one: Kresge absorbs first-loss risk so other investors will fund a community project, which makes it a route to capitalizing demonstration projects whose outcomes a research partner can then study.Amount not published · By invitation
- Mulago Foundation Fellows and Portfolio FundingPilot / seed fundingMulago FoundationA design-for-impact funder that combines grants with debt or equity where the structure fits, and pairs money with explicit training in impact measurement and scaling strategy. The measurement training is the substantive draw for this database: Mulago's model is built on defining and tracking a single outcome metric, so a funded organization becomes a natural partner for rigorous outcome research, and the training itself builds evaluation capacity inside the organization.Amount not published · By invitation
- North Carolina Opioid Settlement Funds — Local Government Spending RouteIn-kind resourceNorth Carolina opioid settlement (NC Department of Justice / NC Association of County Commissioners Memorandum of Agreement)North Carolina is receiving $1.6 billion in national opioid settlement funds, and the state's Memorandum of Agreement routes the overwhelming majority directly to counties and municipalities rather than to a statewide competitive grant program. There is no central research or evaluation solicitation to apply to: local governments choose strategies from the MOA's allowed-uses lists, then report annually through the state's Local Government Reporting Hub and Annual Reporting Portals, which are open at the time of writing. For a social work researcher this is a county-by-county access route — funAmount not published · Rolling / open
- Seed Commons Non-Extractive LoansTraining & capacitySeed Commons: A Community Wealth CooperativeA national network of locally rooted loan funds making explicitly non-extractive loans — repayment is structured so it never exceeds the wealth the borrower's enterprise actually generates, and no personal collateral is at risk. This is the participatory-finance end of impact investing and a direct object of study for social work research on community wealth building, as well as a capital source for the worker cooperatives and community organizations that such research is conducted with.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- TrustAfrica GrantmakingFoundation grantTrustAfricaAn African-led foundation headquartered in Dakar that has moved over USD 80 million through more than 600 grants to civil society organisations in 34 African countries since 2006, currently distributing roughly USD 2 million a year in partnership with other philanthropies. Its three initiative areas are democratic governance (social movements, youth leadership, rights work), equitable development (illicit financial flows, smallholder farmer policy, higher education reform) and African philanthropy, where it funds research on the field itself. Its Senegal base and francophone working capacity mAmount not published · Periodic calls
- Fund for Innovation in Development (FID) Call for ProjectsPilot / seed fundingFund for Innovation in Development (Fonds d'innovation pour le développement)FID is a Paris-based, francophone-anchored fund backing promising ideas with high potential impact against poverty and inequality, and it is unusual in that its whole architecture is built around evidence: funding is released in seven successive stages matched to a project's maturity, so an idea can move from small pilot through rigorous evaluation to scale without changing funder. It explicitly finances research institutions alongside NGOs, governments and companies, which makes it one of the few nontraditional funders where a social work researcher can be the applicant rather than a subcontrAmount not published · Rolling / open
- Pontiac Funders Collaborative GrantsFoundation grantCommunity Foundation for Southeast MichiganA place-based funder collaborative for Pontiac in the Detroit metro area, focused on economic stability for youth and families, thriving neighborhoods, and community resilience. Concept papers are reviewed by three separate bodies — a Funder Advisory Committee, a Community Advisory Committee, and a City-County Advisory Committee — so residents and local government sit inside the decision process alongside funders. Awarded projects have included data mapping and cash-assistance implementation, both of which carry evaluation and research partnership potential.Amount not published · By invitation
- Community-Reviewed Grant Programs (Seed Fund, Community Resilience Fund, Youth Fund for Social Change)Participatory grantmakingCrossroads FundA Chicago-area public foundation that funds small, community-based groups working for racial, social and economic justice through several funds — a Seed Fund for emerging initiatives, a Community Resilience Fund, and a Youth Fund for Social Change — plus pooled collaboratives including the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund. The very small budget ceiling makes this a route for grassroots partners of social work researchers rather than institutions, supporting organizing, community documentation and locally driven evaluation.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Global Innovation FundFoundation grantGlobal Innovation FundA development innovation fund that backs early-stage innovations with proven potential to improve the lives of people living in poverty, using flexible capital across grants, equity and debt. Priority investment geographies are Africa and Asia, and stated thematic areas are building climate resilience and unlocking inclusive economic opportunities with an emphasis on women and girls, across agriculture, education, health, gender equality and financial and social inclusion. Notably for social work research, the fund states explicitly that research institutions may apply, which makes a universitAmount not published · Rolling / open
- James Irvine Foundation Grantmaking (Better Careers, Fair Work, Just Prosperity)Foundation grantThe James Irvine FoundationA California funder whose entire goal statement is a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. Its initiatives are Better Careers, connecting Californians to jobs with family-sustaining wages, and Fair Work, advancing fairness, dignity, and respect for California workers, alongside Just Prosperity and place-based Priority Communities grantmaking.Amount not published · By invitation
- Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging FundsParticipatory grantmakingMassachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds (MA DPH / Health Resources in Action, fiscal agent)A statewide pool built from hospital Determination of Need community benefit contributions that re-distributes money to communities historically left out of health investment, funding policy/systems/environmental change, healthy aging work and Community Health Improvement Plans.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Lipman Family PrizePrize or challengeUniversity of Pennsylvania — The Wharton SchoolAn annual global prize run out of the Wharton School that celebrates leadership and innovation in the social sector with an emphasis on impact and the transferability of practices. Beyond cash, winners receive engagement with Penn faculty and students, which is the feature that makes it relevant to a research database: the prize routinely pairs awarded organisations with university analytic capacity to document and transfer what works. Focus areas visible on the site include economic development, environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, gender equality and food security, and 2026 winAmount not published · Annual cycle
- Community GrantsFoundation grantThe Miami FoundationThe Miami Foundation's core nonprofit grant program, which invests in an organization's mission with two years of general operating support rather than project-restricted funding. The Foundation runs Community Grants Engagement Sessions with nonprofit leaders as part of the process. Multi-year unrestricted support is one of the few grant forms that lets a Greater Miami agency build the internal data and evaluation capacity a research partnership depends on.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Hogg Foundation for Mental Health grant programsParticipatory grantmakingHogg Foundation for Mental Health (University of Texas at Austin)A Texas mental health funder running competitive RFPs on community-driven themes: rural and border community mental health, libraries as mental health infrastructure, flexible funding for under-resourced organisations, policy fellows, and arts-and-humanities research grants for early career faculty.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- City of Philadelphia Professional Services Contracting (eContract Philly / PHLContracts)Evaluation contractCity of Philadelphia Procurement DepartmentPhiladelphia posts professional-services opportunities on eContract Philly and other procurement opportunities on PHLContracts, with a Contracts Hub that searches multiple city procurement sites at once. Professional services is the route municipal research and evaluation work travels.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- External Research Partner RosterEvaluation contractColorado Evaluation and Action LabColorado's state-facing evaluation lab keeps a standing pool of outside researchers it draws on for paid project work, rather than running open grant competitions. You join by questionnaire and are contacted when a fitting project appears.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Supplies, Access, Facilitation and Education (SAFE) harm reduction fundingEvaluation contractIllinois Department of Human Services (opioid settlement funds)Illinois opioid-settlement money awarded to established harm reduction providers across the state's seven health regions, with notices of funding opportunity posted through the state's opioid settlements initiative portal rather than on any research listserv.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Feb
- DHCF Procurement OpportunitiesEvaluation contractDistrict of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance (DC Medicaid)DC's Medicaid agency directs prospective bidders to the District's central contracting portal for all open DHCF solicitations, including analytic and evaluation work. This page is the agency's standing entry point and names the contract compliance contact.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- California Grants PortalEvaluation contractCalifornia State Library (State of California)Statewide catalogue of competitive and first-come grants and loans offered by every California state agency, searchable by category and by time remaining until deadline. Includes health, housing, education and human services funding that can carry evaluation components.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Quest for Democracy Fund (Q4D)Participatory grantmakingFormerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement (FICPFM)A regranting fund created and governed by the national network of formerly incarcerated and convicted people, moving money to small organizations led by people who have been inside. Grants come paired with capacity building and technical assistance.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- The Way Home CoC Funding OpportunitiesEvaluation contractCoalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CoC lead agency)The Houston/Harris County CoC lead agency's funding page, carrying local HUD competitions (CoC NOFO, YHDP, CoC Builds), its own intervention funding, and regional HOPWA and HOME-ARP solicitations that rarely circulate outside the local system.Amount not published · Several times a year
- KCRHA Funding OpportunitiesEvaluation contractKing County Regional Homelessness AuthorityThe Seattle/King County CoC lead agency's competitive funding portal, listing open and anticipated procurements — CoC NOFO local competitions, youth homelessness demonstration funds, and re-procurements of rapid re-housing and supportive housing.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Abortion Bridge Collaborative (ABC) FundParticipatory grantmakingWomen Donors NetworkPost-Dobbs participatory fund that moves unrestricted money to community-rooted abortion access and reproductive justice groups, with grantmaking decisions made by an advisory council of movement leaders, providers and organizers.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Fund for ChangeParticipatory grantmakingLiberty Hill FoundationLiberty Hill's participatory grantmaking program for Los Angeles County grassroots organizing, where a Community Funding Board of community members and activists interviews applicants, conducts site visits, and guides who is funded and at what level.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Nov, Dec, Jan
- Medicaid Evaluation and Research Solicitations via eVA (DMAS Procurement)Evaluation contractVirginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS)Virginia's state Medicaid agency buys evaluation, analytic and study work through competitive solicitations posted on the eVA procurement portal rather than through grant announcements. The DMAS procurement page explains how to find and bid on them.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- eMMA — eMaryland Marketplace AdvantageEvaluation contractState of Maryland, Department of General ServicesMaryland's online procurement platform connecting vendors with contracting opportunities from state, county and local government entities, including health and human services solicitations. Registered vendors get bid notices and submit responses online.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- New York State Contract ReporterEvaluation contractState of New YorkNew York's official source of state contracting opportunities, described as bringing business and government together — the board where state health and human services agency solicitations, including evaluation and consulting services, are advertised.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Government of the Virgin Islands Procurement Opportunities (GVIBUY)Evaluation contractU.S. Virgin Islands Department of Property and ProcurementThe USVI's central procurement office posts all territorial government solicitations, including professional-services and evaluation work, through GVIBUY. Registration in the system is the route to bidding on territory-funded social research.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Partnering with DHCF (Health Reform and Innovation Partnerships)In-kind resourceDistrict of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance (DC Medicaid)A standing, rolling route for outside researchers and organizations to bring DHCF in as a partner on health reform and innovation projects. What DHCF supplies is staff effort, agency role and Medicaid data access under a DUA rather than cash.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Robert Carr Fund for civil society networksParticipatory grantmakingRobert Carr FundA pooled international fund giving core, flexible, multiyear support to global and regional civil society networks led by inadequately served populations, including networks of people who use drugs. Decision-making is explicitly participatory with those communities.Amount not published · Periodic calls · May
- Current Grant Opportunities (Neighbor to Neighbor, Whitehorse Foundation, Medical Funds, Benjamin N. Phillips Memorial Fund)Participatory grantmakingSeattle FoundationSeattle Foundation's live listing of open funds, including Neighbor to Neighbor, which funds small-budget grassroots groups to increase the engagement, power and influence of community members affected by poverty and racial disparities.Amount not published · Several times a year · Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
- LAHSA Funding Opportunities (RFPs, RFQs and Statements of Qualifications)Evaluation contractLos Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)The Los Angeles CoC lead agency's standing solicitation page, where it posts RFPs, RFQs and a pre-qualification RFSQ — including professional-services contracts for statistical and demographic surveying, not only service delivery.Amount not published · Several times a year
- COMMBUYSEvaluation contractCommonwealth of Massachusetts, Operational Services DivisionThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts e-procurement platform. Posts open bid solicitations, statewide contracts and blanket agreements from state agencies, including professional-services solicitations that can cover programme evaluation.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Integrated Database (IDB) of Federal Court FilingsIn-kind resourceFederal Judicial CenterA free, unified longitudinal database of federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and appellate case filings and terminations from 1970 to the present, downloadable in full with codebooks — the standard backbone for quantitative federal court research.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- KYSTATS Data Request ServiceIn-kind resourceKentucky Center for StatisticsKentucky's state longitudinal data agency fulfils custom data requests, including linked education-to-workforce records, for outside researchers. Aggregate requests are usually free, making this a research input rather than a cash award.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- SHARE Initiative (Supporting Health for All through REinvestment)Participatory grantmakingOregon Health Authority — Medicaid Coordinated Care OrganizationsOregon requires its Medicaid coordinated care organizations to reinvest a share of net income or reserves into community-chosen work on social determinants of health and equity, with community advisory councils involved in the spending decisions.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jun, Dec
- Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) and weekly Notice of Funding Opportunity feedEvaluation contractIllinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Unit, Governor's Office of Management and BudgetIllinois' single authoritative statewide source of state financial assistance programme information, listing active grant programmes and open funding opportunities. Free email subscription delivers weekly notices of funding opportunities.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- CDE Funding Opportunities Portal (Available and Projected Funding)Evaluation contractCalifornia Department of EducationCalifornia's education agency runs a searchable funding portal listing programs currently accepting applications, programs projected to open, and past funding results. Useful for tracking state-level education solicitations before they circulate widely.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NYSED Funding Opportunities and Competitive Service Contract ProcurementsEvaluation contractNew York State Education DepartmentNYSED's single portal for both grants it administers and competitive service contract procurements — RFPs, RFQs and other bidding opportunities. The procurement side is where evaluation and technical-assistance contracts appear.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- AHCCCS Solicitations and Contracts (Open Solicitations and Bidders Library)Evaluation contractArizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)Arizona's Medicaid agency posts its open solicitations, closed solicitations, contract amendments and a bidders library here. This is the route by which analytic, monitoring and evaluation work for Arizona Medicaid is competed.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- LISC Community Development Lending, Grants and Capacity BuildingTraining & capacityLocal Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)One of the largest U.S. community development intermediaries, combining flexible lending to under-resourced borrowers with grantmaking, capacity-building services, a public resource library and its own policy research and impact assessment through the LISC Institute for Community Power. The dual role matters here — LISC both capitalizes community organizations and publishes research on them, so it is a plausible funder, data partner and dissemination route for social work research on housing, safety and justice, health, and income and wealth building.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Denver General Services Purchasing — Bidding OpportunitiesEvaluation contractCity and County of DenverDenver procures goods and related services for all city and county agencies through competitive bidding, posting solicitations to the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, and runs regular small and minority business onboarding sessions.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- PA eMarketplace — Commonwealth of Pennsylvania solicitationsEvaluation contractCommonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of General ServicesPennsylvania's online board where state agencies — including human services and health agencies — post Invitations for Bid, Requests for Proposal and Requests for Quote across services, including research and evaluation services.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- DOL Community-Rooted Opioid Response GrantParticipatory grantmakingColorado Department of Law (Office of the Attorney General) — State Share of Opioid Settlement FundsOpioid settlement State Share money routed specifically to small 'By and For' community organizations for prevention, early intervention, and recovery-oriented work in disproportionately affected Colorado communities.Amount not published · Periodic calls · Jul
- Foundation For Black Philanthropy grantsParticipatory grantmakingFoundation For The CarolinasFounded in 1993 as the African American Community Foundation, this Charlotte-region fund runs a competitive annual grant cycle whose decisions are made by a Board of Advisors of Black civic, business and community leaders.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- OASIS+ (One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Plus)Evaluation contractU.S. General Services Administration (GSA)GSA's governmentwide multiple-award IDIQ program for professional services, with 13 domains including Social Services and Research & Development. Federal agencies place evaluation and research task orders against it.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- OEWD Bid and Funding OpportunitiesEvaluation contractSan Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (City and County of San Francisco)San Francisco's workforce and economic development office posts its RFPs and RFQs here; two solicitations were live when checked. It is a city-agency route into workforce contracting rather than a grant competition.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board Contracting Opportunities (WEBS)Evaluation contractWashington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating BoardWashington's Workforce Board is the state's independent evaluator of the workforce system, and it buys outside research and analysis through competitively bid contracts posted on the state's WEBS procurement system.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Black Legacy FundParticipatory grantmakingGrand Rapids Community FoundationA Black community endowment at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. A Black Legacy Fund Advisory Committee reviews every application and decides awards, and community feedback sessions shape future grantmaking priorities.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar
- Texas Workforce Commission Procurement OpportunitiesEvaluation contractTexas Workforce CommissionThe state workforce agency for Texas posts its competitive solicitations here, including Requests for Qualification used specifically for professional services — the usual vehicle for research and evaluation work.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County Procurement and Bidders ListEvaluation contractWorkforce Solutions for Tarrant County (local workforce development board, Texas)A local Texas workforce board that contracts out community service delivery and posts procurements here. Its standing bidders list is the practical way to hear about solicitations that never circulate more widely.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- ISBE Funding Opportunities and Notices of Funding OpportunityEvaluation contractIllinois State Board of EducationIllinois's state education agency posts its Notices of Funding Opportunity here, ordered by proposal due date, under a merit-based review policy with a published appeals window. It also recruits volunteer grant evaluators.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grants - Mental and Behavioral HealthFoundation grantMother Cabrini Health FoundationLarge New York State health funder with a standing Mental and Behavioral Health funding area, including access to mental health counselling, alongside healthcare access, workforce, and basic needs. Two-stage LOI then invited full proposal.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Mar, Apr
- Social Justice Fund NW community grantmaking (including Immigration Justice cycles)Participatory grantmakingSocial Justice Fund NWA regional fund whose grant decisions are made democratically by trained volunteer community grantmakers in Giving Projects and Grant Panels rather than by staff, with cycles that have included Immigration Justice.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Standard Application Process (SAP) for access to federal confidential data assetsIn-kind resourceNational Science Foundation (SAP portal, on behalf of the federal statistical agencies)Single federal portal for applying to use confidential data held by federal statistical agencies. It carries a searchable catalogue of restricted datasets and the application system used to request access for an approved research project.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- General Operating Fund and LGBTQ FundParticipatory grantmakingAppalachian Community FundOpen funds for community organizing in Central Appalachia from a fund governed by a regional board of community leaders and residents of the four states it grants in, with grantees and allies guiding the process.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (eVP)Evaluation contractState of North Carolina, Division of Purchase & ContractNorth Carolina's system connecting vendors with state government organizations that purchase goods and services, including health and human services evaluation and analytic contracts. Self-service vendor registration.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS)Evaluation contractU.S. General Services Administration (GSA)GSA's Federal Supply Schedule, through which federal, state, local and tribal governments buy commercial services at pre-negotiated prices, including consulting, auditing and research and analysis services.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- First Nations Development Institute Funding for OrganizationsParticipatory grantmakingFirst Nations Development InstituteThe standing portal where a Native-controlled national regranter posts its rotating RFPs for tribes, Native nonprofits, and Native individuals, covering topics from food sovereignty to land access and Native-led capacity building.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Fiscal Sponsorship (Model A and Model C)In-kind resourceSocial Good FundA low-barrier fiscal sponsor with no minimum balance and no sign-up cost, offering both Model A (project inside the sponsor) and Model C (pre-approved grant relationship) so small or new projects can receive research and documentation funding.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Prague Civil Society Centre Grants — Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central AsiaFoundation grantPrague Civil Society CentreOne of the few grantmakers that treats Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia as a single working region, awarding institutional core support, project support, emergency support and small follow-up grants across 12 countries. The follow-up grants are unusual and useful: participants in the Centre's events and workshops can get small grants to carry an idea forward, a low-friction route into funded work for groups with no grant history. Selection is competitive and uses external experts, and some calls are invitation-based rather than open.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Omaha Neighborhood GrantsParticipatory grantmakingOmaha Community FoundationA twelve-member committee of residents from across Omaha decides these grants to neighborhood associations, averaging about $2,500 from an annual pool of up to $80,000, with an explicit aim of building resident leadership skills.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Jan, Feb, Mar
- FundActionParticipatory grantmakingFundActionActivist-led participatory fund for Europe that shifts funding decisions from funders to activists. Members apply for grants and are required to review each other's applications and vote on what gets funded.Amount not published · Several times a year
- Capital Impact Partners Mission-Driven Financing and Capacity ProgramsTraining & capacityCapital Impact PartnersA CDFI providing flexible, affordable capital to nonprofits and community organizations alongside a set of named capacity-building programmes — among them Co-op Innovation Awards, the Housing Accelerator Fellowship, Equitable Development Initiative training for community-rooted developers, and the Nourish DC food-access collaborative. The fellowship and award programmes are the research-relevant openings: they fund structured learning and model development, not only bricks and mortar.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Tewa Grantmaking to Nepali Women's GroupsParticipatory grantmakingTewa — Nepal Women's FundNepal's own women's fund, built on locally raised money and volunteer grant committees rather than on a foreign donor's programme cycle — the model that made Tewa a reference case for community philanthropy in South Asia. It raises funds that go directly to diverse Nepali women's organisations and groups, including groups in districts that international funders rarely reach. For a social work researcher this is a route to community-embedded partners and to the kind of local, small-group grantee that participatory and community-based research depends on.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- California Hospital Community Benefits Plans and Needs Assessments (public data)In-kind resourceCalifornia Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI)HCAI collects and publishes every California private not-for-profit hospital's community benefit plan and triennial community needs assessment, free to download, giving community-based researchers a full statewide corpus of hospital-identified needs and spending.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- CareSource Foundation Signature and Community GrantsFoundation grantCareSource Foundation (CareSource, a Medicaid managed care organisation)The philanthropic arm of a Medicaid managed care plan, funding nonprofits on poverty, healthy communities and services to low- and moderate-income families. As of July 31, 2026 it moved to invitation-only grantmaking.Amount not published · By invitation
- Fund for Frontline PowerParticipatory grantmakingFund for Frontline Power (housed at The Solutions Project)A 100% grassroots-governed fund created in 2021 by thirteen state, regional and national alliances, with thirteen grassroots leaders holding the governing positions and making the funding decisions. Supports grassroots-led climate solutions in frontline communities, an area where community-based participatory research on environmental and climate justice is routinely part of the work.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- TEA Grant Opportunities (Requests for Application)Evaluation contractTexas Education AgencyTexas's state education agency posts discretionary and formula Requests for Application on a standing portal. Each RFA carries its own program guidelines, eligibility, due dates and application forms.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- AISP Learning CommunityTraining & capacityActionable Intelligence for Social Policy, University of PennsylvaniaA cohort-based learning community and technical assistance network for organizations building integrated data systems, drawing on AISP's framework and its partnerships with 70 data sharing efforts.Not a cash award · Annual cycle
- The Consultant Connection — City of Seattle Consultant OpportunitiesEvaluation contractCity of Seattle — Finance and Administrative Services, Purchasing and ContractingSeattle announces its consultant RFPs and RFQs — including work tagged as evaluation, management and auditing — through a dedicated Consultant Connection feed run by the city's purchasing division.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders CollaborativeParticipatory grantmakingOregon Community Foundation, The Collins Foundation, and Meyer Memorial TrustA pooled, rolling fund from three Oregon funders with a "no wrong door" application, supporting legal services, movement building and advocacy, and basic and wraparound services for immigrant and refugee communities.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- SAM.gov Contract OpportunitiesEvaluation contractU.S. General Services Administration (SAM.gov, Integrated Award Environment)The single federal portal where every agency posts procurement notices, including the evaluation, data-collection and policy-research solicitations that never circulate on academic listservs.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- DESE Grant Funding Opportunities (RFP postings)Evaluation contractMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationMassachusetts DESE posts current and previous grant RFPs in a listing searchable by fund code, program name, posting date, or deadline, with awards administered through the EdGrants and GEM$ systems.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Enhanced Research Environment and Data RequestsIn-kind resourceIndiana Management Performance Hub (MPH)Indiana's state performance and analytics office runs a secure Enhanced Research Environment that brings research teams, code, and state data together, and accepts data requests from outside parties.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Mayors for a Guaranteed Income coalition supportIn-kind resourceMayors for a Guaranteed IncomeA mayoral coalition that offers technical assistance and funding support for new guaranteed income pilots in member cities, and runs the Center for Guaranteed Income Research with the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- DHS Business Center Procurement (RFPs, IFBs, Expressions of Interest, Bid Board)Evaluation contractMaryland Department of Human ServicesThe posting hub for Maryland's human services and child welfare agency. Requests for Proposals, Invitations for Bids, Requests for Expressions of Interest and a Bid Board are each maintained here with archives of past solicitations.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Black Radiance Network — Justice & Liberation FundParticipatory grantmakingHeadwaters Foundation for JusticeUnrestricted general operating support to strengthen the Black movement ecosystem in Minnesota, relaunched in 2025 within the broader Black Radiance Network. Successor to the Black Movement Ecosystem fund. Unrestricted support of this size can carry the organizational capacity a Black-led group needs to sustain its own evaluation and documentation work with a research partner.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Disability Inclusion FundParticipatory grantmakingBorealis PhilanthropyA pooled fund for disability justice work — policy advocacy, community organising, art and narrative change — with collaborative grants, joy grants and capacity-building support alongside project money.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- Justice Fund for Disaster Relief and Renewal (JFDRR)Rapid-response fundSouthern Partners FundRapid disaster-response funding for rural Southern grassroots groups, moved through the same member-governed structure as SPF's regular cycle. Useful for documenting and responding to disaster impacts in place.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- eVA — Virginia's eProcurement MarketplaceEvaluation contractVirginia Department of General Services, Division of Purchases and SupplyVirginia's centralised eProcurement marketplace. Hosts Virginia Business Opportunities postings, construction and government-to-government contracts, plus public spend reports and a searchable contract database.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- New York State Grants Management (Grants Gateway / Statewide Financial System)Evaluation contractNew York State Grants ManagementCentral New York State system for finding state grant opportunities, managing awarded contracts and requesting payments. Search for open grants runs through the Statewide Financial System.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NJDOE Discretionary Grants (Notice of Grant Opportunity)Evaluation contractNew Jersey Department of EducationNew Jersey awards discretionary grants to selected agencies to address specific education initiatives, publishing guidelines as a Notice of Grant Opportunity that walks applicants through the competition.Amount not published · Annual cycle
- Registro Único de Licitadores / Registro Único de Subastas (RUS)Evaluation contractAdministración de Servicios Generales de Puerto Rico (ASG)Puerto Rico's central procurement agency runs the island's single bidder registry and posts government solicitations through the Registro Único de Subastas, the standing route to territory-funded evaluation and social research contracts.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDC) project accessIn-kind resourceU.S. Census Bureau and partner federal statistical agenciesSecure physical and remote enclaves where approved researchers analyse restricted-access federal microdata, including censuses, surveys, linked employer-employee data and federal and state administrative records.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- GrantTankPrize or challengeThe Jensen ProjectA funder-run 'think tank' plus grant programme for nonprofits serving adult female sex trafficking survivors, combining money with convenings, professional resources and shared learning across grantees.Amount not published · By invitation
- PA eMarketplaceEvaluation contractPennsylvania Department of General ServicesPennsylvania's official bidding and contract information portal. Posts general solicitations, sole-source and emergency procurements, upcoming procurements and the debarment list for Commonwealth agencies.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- General Grants (Namaqualand Daisy, Inyosi, Hungwe, Mosu)Foundation grantThe Other FoundationA Southern African LGBTI community foundation with four grant streams, including one that funds individual activists, artists and researchers directly rather than through an institution.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- International Trans Fund Grants (SEED and THRIVE)Participatory grantmakingInternational Trans FundA global participatory fund governed by trans activists that resources trans-led groups doing movement-building work anywhere in the world, through one open grantmaking cycle each year.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Oct, Nov, Dec
- OregonBuys — Oregon state procurement platformEvaluation contractState of Oregon, Department of Administrative ServicesOregon's procurement platform where state agencies post bid opportunities and blanket contracts, including the route for Oregon Health Authority and human services evaluation and analytic solicitations.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Families and Workers FundFoundation grantFamilies and Workers FundA pooled donor fund making grants and building partnerships in two areas: 21st Century Benefits, which works to streamline access to public benefits such as healthcare, childcare, and food assistance, and Uplifting Careers, which supports inclusive workforce development and employer investment in workers. Both lines routinely involve implementation research and evaluation partners.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- The Workers Lab Innovation FundPilot / seed fundingThe Workers LabAn early-stage investment fund for worker-centered innovations. The page lists research initiatives alongside technology products, worker cooperatives, organizing efforts, legal protections, job training, and policy advocacy as the kinds of ideas it backs, making it one of the few worker-movement funds that will consider a research or evidence-building project as the innovation itself.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Montgomery County Office of Procurement — Solicitations and ContractsEvaluation contractMontgomery County, Maryland — Office of ProcurementMontgomery County buys goods, services and construction through a central procurement office with an explicit inclusion mandate and a vendor registration database, and posts its solicitations publicly.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD)Evaluation contractTexas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Statewide Procurement DivisionSearchable public listing of Texas state agency procurement solicitations, including service contracts. Searchable by agency, commodity code, keyword and date range, and usable to find agency evaluation and analysis contracts.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Higher Education in Prison programme grantsFoundation grantLaughing Gull FoundationFunds college-in-prison access and quality in the US South, including an explicit priority for research, evaluation and awareness building on higher education in prison as a strategy for reducing mass incarceration, plus reentry transition support to community colleges.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- SAM.gov Entity Registration and Unique Entity IDIn-kind resourceU.S. General Services Administration (SAM.gov, Integrated Award Environment)The gateway step for any federal contract or assistance award. Without an active registration an organization cannot bid as a prime on an evaluation contract, no matter how strong the proposal.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Trans Justice Funding Project GrantsParticipatory grantmakingTrans Justice Funding ProjectUnrestricted general-support grants to grassroots trans justice groups, awarded by a panel of six trans justice activists who read every application. No reporting or site visits required.Amount not published · Several times a year · Jan, Feb
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation GrantsFoundation grantIndian Land Tenure FoundationGrants to Indian nations and nonprofits for land-related work in four areas: education (land history and tenure curriculum), cultural awareness, economic opportunity including land acquisition and owner management, and legal reform addressing Indian land law.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Small Communities GrantsTraining & capacityBlandin FoundationSupports rural Minnesota's smallest communities with planning, implementation, and capacity-building grants — strategic planning, consulting, and leadership development are named as fundable activities alongside physical projects.Amount not published · Annual cycle · Apr, May
- Community-driven quality-of-life fundingParticipatory grantmakingLOR FoundationFunds resident-originated ideas that improve quality of life in a small set of named rural towns. Applicants start by submitting an idea through a form rather than a formal proposal.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- Headwaters Foundation for Justice grants (Giving Project, Rapid Response and related funds)Participatory grantmakingHeadwaters Foundation for JusticeMinnesota funder whose grant decisions are made by trained community members: staff train people to fundraise, review proposals, lead site visits and make final grant decisions. Multiple funds including Giving Project grants and a Rapid Response Fund.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Hispanic Federation Nonprofit Network GrantmakingTraining & capacityHispanic FederationRegrants and capacity-building funding for Latino-serving and community-of-colour nonprofits, including the NYC Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund and a Connecticut financial-education subgrant line.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- 2026 Bridging Investments in Abortion and Contraception ResearchRapid-response fundSociety of Family PlanningRolling bridge funding to complete, in whole or in part, US abortion and contraception research grants that were terminated by NIH.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- NNAF Member Fund Grants (Count On It, Power Up, Collective Power Fund, TA Mini Grants, Emergent Gathering Grants)Participatory grantmakingNational Network of Abortion FundsA suite of regrants moving money to member abortion funds, including rolling technical-assistance mini grants for special projects and gathering grants for convenings across funds.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Community-Led GrantmakingParticipatory grantmakingEvanston Community FoundationGrant committees of 10-12 community members decide these general operating grants for grassroots groups and emerging nonprofits working on racial equity in Evanston. Two cycles a year, fall and spring.Amount not published · Several times a year
- GSA Professional Services Contract VehiclesEvaluation contractU.S. General Services Administration (GSA)GSA's hub for the professional-services vehicles agencies use to buy studies, analysis and evaluation work, listing OASIS+, legacy OASIS, MAS Professional Services and HCaTS side by side.Amount not published · Rolling / open
- HSH Procurement OpportunitiesEvaluation contractSan Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH)San Francisco's homelessness department posts its RFPs and RFQs here, including consulting contracts explicitly for programme evaluation and for standing up and facilitating an advisory group of people with lived experience.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Native Voices RisingParticipatory grantmakingNative Voices Rising (Native Americans in Philanthropy / Common Counsel Foundation)A participatory grantmaking fund whose awards are decided by all-Native grant recommendation committees, providing general operating support to Native-led organizing, advocacy and civic engagement groups.Not a cash award · Annual cycle
- WSIPP Contracted Research and University CollaborationEvaluation contractWashington State Institute for Public PolicyWashington's nonpartisan legislative research institute extends its own capacity by contracting outside experts and collaborating with university faculty on legislature-assigned studies of criminal justice, child welfare, and social policy.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Lever for Change Open CallsPrize or challengeLever for ChangeThe standing portal where Lever for Change's large-scale philanthropic competitions post. Past rounds include Action for Women's Health ($250M), the Trust in American Institutions Challenge ($10M), Racial Equity 2030, and 100&Change.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Global Innovation FundPilot / seed fundingGlobal Innovation FundAn impact-first fund deploying grants, equity, and debt to early-stage innovations serving underserved communities in Africa and Asia, with an explicit commitment to generating evidence and learning alongside the money.Amount not published · Varies by programme
- Standard Application Process (SAP) Portal for Federal Confidential DataIn-kind resourceInteragency Council on Statistical Policy (portal hosted by the U.S. National Science Foundation)A single portal, created under the Evidence Act, through which researchers apply for access to confidential data assets held by 16 federal statistical agencies, with a searchable inventory of what each agency holds.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF) and Applied Data Analytics TrainingIn-kind resourceColeridge InitiativeA FedRAMP-authorized secure cloud platform where government agencies link confidential longitudinal data across states and agencies, paired with an Applied Data Analytics training program that builds analytic capacity in agency staff.Not a cash award · Varies by programme
- ResDAC Free CMS Data Request AssistanceIn-kind resourceResearch Data Assistance Center, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCMS-funded expert help, at no charge, for researchers identifying which Medicare or Medicaid data files they need and preparing a data request that will actually be approved.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Economic Futures Research AwardsPilot / seed fundingAnthropic (Economic Futures Program)Corporate research awards for short empirical studies of AI's economic impacts, including labour-market effects, productivity and distributional consequences, using econometric methods, data analysis or new data collection completable within six months; awardees also receive API credits.$10k–$50k · Periodic calls
- TIAA Institute and Boettner Center/Pension Research Council Partnership Research GrantsFoundation grantTIAA Institute with the Boettner Center/Pension Research Council, Wharton SchoolCorporate-institute research grants for studies of retirement security, including behavioural and psychological factors in retirement decisions, annuitisation and annuity design, and health care financing in retirement, producing a working paper and a non-technical report for practitioners and policymakers.up to $75k · Annual cycle · May
- 100&ChangePrize or challengeJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationOpen competition for a single $100 million grant to fund one proposal that promises real and measurable progress in solving a critical problem of our time; proposals must set out both a problem and its solution, judged as impactful, evidence-based, feasible, durable and just.up to $100M · Periodic calls
- Allegheny County DHS Research and Data Requests (Data Warehouse)In-kind resourceAllegheny County Department of Human Services (Pennsylvania)Researchers can request de-identified, limited or (with IRB approval) identified client and service data from the Allegheny County Data Warehouse for human services research that builds knowledge, improves practice or informs policy.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Community Health Grants, WashingtonFoundation grantKaiser Permanente WashingtonHealth-system community benefit grants to organisations addressing needs found in Kaiser Permanente Washington's three-yearly community health needs assessment: access to care, mental and behavioural health, housing, dismantling structural racism, income and employment, and food security.Amount not published · By invitation
- Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government InnovationPrize or challengeGoogle.orgGlobal open call funding mission-driven organisations that use AI to help governments improve public services in health access, crisis response and recovery, and essential economic services, with grants plus a multi-month pro bono Google.org Accelerator, training and cloud credits.Amount not published · Periodic calls
- NLSY Restricted Geocode Data AccessIn-kind resourceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Surveys programRestricted state, county, MSA and college codes for the NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult and NLSY97 cohorts, used from approved locations on the physical premises of the researcher's institution, enabling place-based research on employment, family, poverty and youth transitions.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- HUD Data License for Access to Restricted DataIn-kind resourceU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R)Data License Agreements give research organizations household- and member-level administrative records from public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, multifamily assisted housing and LIHTC for policy-relevant research that needs HUD's identifiable data.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive (OLDA) Research Data AccessIn-kind resourceOhio Analytics / Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR), The Ohio State University, for Ohio state agenciesApproved researchers receive extracts of linked Ohio state administrative records prepared for research and evaluation, in exchange for a policy-relevant research brief that informs the priorities of the data-providing public agencies.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- DPSS External Research RequestsIn-kind resourceLos Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), Management and Research ServicesProcess through which external researchers ask Los Angeles County's public social services department to take part in a study, supply administrative data, or give access to applicants, participants or staff of programs DPSS administers.Not a cash award · Rolling / open
- Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC) ProjectsIn-kind resourceColorado Evaluation and Action Lab (Linked Information Network of Colorado)LINC securely connects and de-identifies data across Colorado public systems to produce research-ready linked data for projects that address problems government partners face. Academic researchers can initiate a LINC project if they bring expertise in an area of high priority to government partners: they answer five screening questions, consult the LINC Director, and the project goes to the relevant data partners for approval.Not a cash award · Varies by programme
- Integrated Client Services (ICS) Data Linkage RequestsIn-kind resourceOregon Department of Human ServicesOregon's Integrated Client Services data links ODHS and OHA program records, including SNAP, Medicaid and child welfare, into a unified client index. External researchers can request linkages: they submit an official request with data use agreements, pass a feasibility review, provide IRB documentation where applicable, and receive a client index crosswalk with study IDs for confidential linking.Not a cash award · Varies by programme
Other clusters
- Adolescent and Youth Development
- Aging Services and Gerontology
- American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Global Indigenous Populations (Indigenous Cluster)
- Asian and Asian-Pacific Islander Focused-Research
- Black and African Diaspora Focused-Research
- Child Welfare
- Communities and Neighborhoods
- Crime and Criminal Justice
- Disability
- Gender
- Gender-Based Violence
- Health
- History
- International Social Work and Global Issues
- Immigrants and Refugees
- LatinX Focused-Research
- Mental Health
- Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families
- Organizations and Management
- Race and Ethnicity
- Research Design and Measurement
- Research on Social Work Education
- School Social Work
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Social Work Practice
- Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors
- Sustainable Development, Environmental and Climate Justice
- Work and Work-Life Policies and Programs