Below are resources for prospective Dissertation Research Grant grantseekers to review before submitting applications.
The dissertation research grants (DRG) program to support innovative and high-quality dissertation research projects that address questions relevant to RSF’s priority areas: Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context; Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity and Immigration; Immigration and Immigrant Integration; and Social, Political, and Economic Inequality.
The Russell Sage Foundation seeks to advance innovative research on economic mobility and access to opportunity in the United States. We are particularly interested in research focused on diagnosing and addressing structural barriers to economic mobility in this country. This initiative seeks to support diversity by prioritizing applications from early-career scholars who are underrepresented in the social sciences and/or employed at under-resourced colleges and universities.
A budget is not required at the time of submission. The budget will be finalized with the grantee, their university’s research office, and RSF after the approval of the grant.
Review Process and Grant Decisions:
RSF employs a rigorous multi-disciplinary review process at every stage of the application process. All letters of inquiry and proposals submitted to RSF are reviewed by program staff, external reviewers from multiple disciplines selected specifically for their expertise, members of one of the standing Advisory Committees, or some combination of these.
Please review these resources before submitting your application for the Pipeline Grants Competition
Launched in 2020, the Pipeline Grants, initially co-funded with the Economic Mobility and Opportunity program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, support early-career scholars (Assistant Professors, Lecturers, and Adjunct Professors) and promotes diversity in the social sciences. They were renamed the Sheldon Danziger Pipeline Grants in 2025.