Purpose
The Antiracist Research mini-grant program supports education research projects and scholarship that will contribute to the improvement of education through an antiracist lens. This program is being launched in response to a need to interrogate the influence that anti-Blackness has on contemporary approaches to schooling in K-12 and higher education contexts. Our goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious, and methodologically sound antiracist research and scholarship that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities for education. Awardees will present a progress report on initial findings at the Antiracism in the SOE colloquium tentatively scheduled for early May 2021, and publish a final report on the RSJI website by September 15, 2021.
Direct grants will be made to students ranging from $500-$2500.
Terms of Funding & Eligibility Criteria
The following terms apply:
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Applicants should be doctoral students in the School of Education (SOE) and must gain eligibility to participate within the RSJI. All applicants must establish their ability to conduct high-level, peer-reviewed scholarly research.
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Grants will begin on February 1, 2021. A mid-term progress report and presentation are due in early May at the Anti-racist Colloquium. A final report is due no later than September 15, 2021 and must be published publicly on the RSJI website.
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Funding may be used for student time, research-related expenses, community engagement, etc.
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For studies involving human subjects, funding will be dispersed upon receipt of human subjects review approval.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated against several factors, including:
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The degree to which the project centers issues of race, racism, or processes of racialization. Focusing on BIPOC populations is not sufficient to meet these criteria.
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The quality of the research design, including the appropriateness of research methodologies.
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The feasibility of the study to be completed in the allotted time period.
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Preference will be given to projects that focus on creative projects, focus on forms of resistance, experiences of joy,…
Application Instructions
All mini-grant applications must use standard 12-point font and 1-inch margins. APA formatting and are expected to have well-developed conceptual frameworks and research designs. Analytical models must be specified, and research questions and hypotheses (where applicable) must be clearly stated.
1. A cover sheet with the name of the principal investigator, academic program, and date entered in the program.
2. A 250-word project summary including, project title, start and end dates, central research question, relevance to anti-racist praxis.
3. A project narrative that is no more than five (5) double-spaced pages with one-inch margins (excluding figures and references) . The narrative should include:
Option 1:
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Project description, central research question(s), and significance of the project to anti-racism in education. This section should also include a rationale for the project. This includes a summary of relevant literature, the connection of the literature to the research project, and the relevance of the project to advancing the SOE community’s understanding of anti-racist praxis, and its ability to help reimagine an anti-racist community and environment in the SOE and beyond. A description of the proposed research methods, description of participants, data collection instruments, and modes of analysis.
Option 2:
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Describe the specific aims of the project Briefly summarize the relevant literature Major objectives or research questions Describe design, proposed methods, and data sources Significance of project
4. A budget with a detailed breakdown of all proposed expenditures for the project.
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Data collection and analysis (such as transcription, fees to access data, or software) Research/training-related travel Respondent fees Childcare, eldercare, or other forms of support for working from home Other expenses will be considered with an explanation
5. A curriculum vitae (CV) for all investigators. The CV should present a concise picture of your skills and qualifications for the program. Please list your previous jobs, projects, volunteer work, and other relevant professional experiences. A CV should be included for every Co-PI applying for the mini-grant for administrative purposes.
Review Process and Grant Decisions:
Proposals will be accepted December 14, 2020 and close January 20, 2021 at 11:59 pm with no more than a 9-month implementation plan (i.e., projects should be completed by the beginning of the 2021 fall term).
RSJI employs a rigorous multi-disciplinary blind review process at every stage of the application process.
Final decisions are made by early February.
The University of Michigan does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.