Russel Sage Foundation

The Russell Sage Foundation is an operating foundation dedicated to programs of social science research. Read More

The foundation currently pursues four principal programs: Behavioral Economics; the Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration; and Social, Political and Economic Inequality. Read More

The foundation occasionally pursues time-limited special initiatives on certain topics of emerging interest. We have launched a number of new initiatives recently that are consistent with RSF’s interests in strengthening the methods, data, and theoretical core of the social sciences as a means of diagnosing social problems and improving social policies. These initiatives are intended to generate new research with an emphasis on any of the foundation’s core programs. See below for further information on each special initiative. Read More

RSF provides support for early-career scholars through its Pipeline Grants Competition (cosponsored with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Dissertation Research Grants (cosponsored with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and The Policy Academies), and Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System competition (cosponsored with Arnold Ventures). Each grants program seeks to promote diversity in the social sciences, including racial, ethnic, gender, disciplinary, institutional, and geographic diversity and welcomes applications from scholars who are underrepresented in the social sciences, and/or employed at under-resourced universities. Read More

The foundation has launched research collaborations with a number of institutions, including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and others. Read More

RSF offers intensive, one-to-two-week summer institutes on various topics for doctoral students and early-career scholars. Most participant costs during the institute, including housing and most meals, are covered, and travel expenses are reimbursed up to a set cap. Participants are required to fully attend all sessions of the program and some institutes require participants to complete some assignments in advance. Read More

The Russell Sage Foundation prioritizes social science research into today’s most pressing social and economic concerns. This page features periodic overviews of research grants made on discrete topics–such as the first one below on the many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social, political, and economic conditions in the U.S.–drawn from across RSF's four main research programs and its special initiatives. Together, they demonstrate RSF's commitment to funding research “for the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." Read More

RSF occasionally funds projects that result in datasets that are made available to the public. These are often hosted at repositories such as ICPSR and the Harvard Dataverse. We have compiled RSF-funded (or partially funded) datasets and made them searchable by keyword, with links to download them. Read More

New grant proposals are no longer being accepted in the following grant programs.  Read More