Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

News

Mellon Foundation Awards $4.9M to Examine Native American Dispossession and Racial Slavery Through Maritime History

This three-year, multi-disciplinary project, made possible through the foundation's Just Futures Initiative is a partnership between Brown University, Williams College, and Mystic Maritime Museum. The project will examine the traumas and injustices upon which New England's mythological "shining city on a hill" was built. In addition to a Museum exhibition, the partners will establish a new research cluster housed at Brown's Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice while also generating new scholarship, student experiences, K-12 educational programs, and public events.

Research Corporation for Science Advancement Names 2021 Cottrell Scholars

The new class of 25 Cottrell teacher-scholars hail from 14 states and Canada and represent 11 AAU institutions. These chemists, physicists, and astronomers integrate science education and research, reflecting RCSA's commitment to the student experience. Cottrell Scholars benefit from a networked community as well as additional funding opportunities as their careers progress. The next cycle for Cottrell Scholars opens March 1, 2021 and proposals are due July 1, 2021.

MacArthur Foundation Announces Lever for Change Climate Challenge Finalists

The Carbon Leadership Forum, an alliance of the Univ. of Washington and Univ. of Colorado at Boulder, is among five finalists in the $10 million Climate Challenge, an initiative seeking to decarbonize transportation, buildings, and industry by 2030. The Forum proposes to convert buildings into carbon sinks through the use of biogenic materials and reduce emissions in all other building materials. Each of the finalists is also promoted by Macarthur's Bold Solutions Network, which matches nonprofits and social enterprises with donors and funding.

McDonnell Foundation Injects $6M into Cognitive and Neural Science and Complex Systems Research

The 21st Century Science Initiative announced new awards to grantees including Temple, Tulane, and five AAU members, bringing total 2020 grants to $18.5 million. In 2020, JSMF inaugurated the Opportunity Awards funding new research studying human behavior across the lifespan using more naturalistic designs and dynamic measures better to reflect our day-to-day behavior. 

Allen Frontiers Group Names Collaborations Studying Immunometabolism

Four teams of newly appointed Allen Distinguished Investigators each received $1.5 million over three years to investigate the complex relationship between energy metabolism and the immune system. The new research projects include research on human disease, basic biology of the mammalian immune system, and technology development that could impact many areas of immunology and metabolism research.

Ruderman Family Foundation Issues Call for Concepts

The Ruderman Family Foundation is undertaking a strategic repositioning of its philanthropic priorities. The Foundation has decided to wind down its focus on inclusion and disability policy and is now soliciting ideas for "what society needs most". This is an open call, and interested applicants need not submit for an internal review. Contact CFR with questions. Concepts are due Mar. 31.

Upcoming RFP Deadlines

Astrophysics

In partnership with The Gruber Foundation, the International Astronomical Union has created the GF Fellowship to promote cosmology and other branches of astronomy. The GF Fellowship awards $75,000 to early-career astrophysicists working in any field. Researchers in the last months of the Ph.D. who have already received a contract for a post-doctoral position, or post-docs in their first year of the appointment, are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is Mar. 31.

Biomedical Sciences

The Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Research Fund awards two-year grants of up to $160,000 to support innovative clinical, health, and social service system research and demonstration projects in the greater Boston area designed to improve the quality of life for children and adolescents with disabilities. The deadline for applications is Apr. 7.
 
The Eppley Foundation for Research funds advanced, novel research in biological and physical sciences. Particular areas of interest include innovative medical investigations, endangered species and ecosystems in the U.S. and abroad, and climate change. Past grants have been between $10,000 and $35,000. The Foundation will fund an investigation in its entirety or a portion of a larger project. The LOI deadline is Mar. 15.

The Human Frontier Science Program is awarding three-year grants of up to $465,000 per year for teams of scientists from different countries with innovative approaches to questions that cannot be answered by individual labs. Emphasis is placed on novel collaborations that bring together scientists from different disciplines to focus life sciences problems. Young Investigators Grants are awarded to teams within the first five years after obtaining an independent laboratory (e.g. assistant professor, lecturer or equivalent). Program Grants are awarded to teams of independent researchers at any stage of their careers. The LOI deadline is Mar. 30.

Neuroscience

The Whitehall Foundation funds research in neuroscience. Research grants offer between $90,000 and $225,000 for up to three years, and grants-in-aid offer $30,000 over one year. The foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields. The LOI deadline is Apr. 15.

Social Science

The Russell Sage Foundation is accepting applications for its core programs in Behavioral Economics, Decision Making & Human Behavior in Context, Future of Work, and Social, Political and Economic Inequality. RSF is also interested in research on the Social, Political, Economic, and Psychological Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic as well as research focused on systemic racial inequality and/or the recent mass protests. LOIs are due Mar. 17.

News

Princeton University Awarded $385K to Study Muslim Communities in India

The Henry Luce Foundation awarded Princeton University, Sciences Po, and Columbia University $385,000 to begin a three-year-long study to gather data about the social, economic, and political conditions that affect the Muslim communities throughout India. Bernard Haykel, director of the Institute of Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia at Princeton, and over 30 scholars and researchers will examine how these factors impact Indian Muslim communities, which will shape their future generations and offer new scholastic insights.

Mellon Foundation Awards Over $72 Million to Promote "Just Futures"

Over the next three years, 16 projects will receive grants of up to $5 million to support public humanities initiatives that will advance public understanding of the nation’s racist past and lead to the creation of socially just futures. The Mellon Foundation invited 38 universities to participate in Just Futures and received 165 proposals. Among much else, funded projects will investigate patterns of racial exclusion in science and medicine (University of Wisconsin-Madison), develop community-specific plans for reparations to Native Americans and African-Americans (University of Michigan), study the impact of the criminal justice system on racial division (Columbia University), and create multimedia responses to dispossession and forced migration (Cornell, building on its Migrations Initiative).

Mark Foundation for Cancer Research's Inaugural Endeavor Awards

The Mark Foundation has committed $8 million to the first round of three Endeavor Awards, which support interdisciplinary teams to address the urgent, complex questions of cancer research. This year’s recipients will attempt to understand tumor plasticity and progression and the body’s response to growth. Next LOI deadline is March 1. 

data.org Selects Finalists for Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge

In partnership with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and The Rockefeller Foundation, data.org announced eight awardees for the $10 million Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge, a global challenge to leverage the power of data science to help people thrive. Winning projects from around the world include demonstrating a new model for rapid assistance where machine learning-based targeting will guide the delivery of digital cash transfers (UC Berkeley) and developing data models to track how internet connectivity disproportionately impacts low-income communities (University of Chicago).

John Templeton Foundation Approves $49M for New Grants

The funded projects range in topic from "forgiveness" to "the origins of life." Notable projects include exploring a new dark matter theory (UC Riverside), understanding the relationship between motivated reasoning and personality traits (University of Michigan), analyzing the response to people who demonstrate religious curiosity (Columbia University), and publishing a field guide to identify the most pressing gaps and obstacles of enterprise-based solutions (Duke University). Templeton recently funded Brandeis Muslim chaplain Aaron Spevack to build fellowship and collaboration among Islamic philosophers and theologians fellowship in North America, through conferences, working groups, and publications.

The next deadline for an online funding inquiry is August 20, 2021.

Sabbatical Funding Opportunities

Brandeis CFR recently added a list of sabbatical funding resources to our website, addressing all disciplines and including both foreign and domestic funders. It can be located on the “For Faculty and Staff” or “Grant Opportunity Databases” pages. Please contact CFR before soliciting any corporation or foundation for fundraising purpose. The University has active relationships with many of these entities that must be coordinated carefully.

Upcoming RFP Deadlines

Art History

The Samuel Kress Foundation devotes its resources to advancing the history, conservation and enjoyment of the vast heritage of European art, architecture and archaeology from antiquity to the early 19th century. There are two grants with deadlines of Mar. 1.

• The Digital Resources Grants program supports efforts to integrate new technologies into the practice of art history and the creation of important online resources in art history, including both textual and visual resources. The awards range from $25,000-$100,000.

• The History of Art Grants program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of European art and architecture. The awards range from $6,000-$50,000. 

Astrophysics

Biomedical Sciences

The Charles A. King Trust Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Programs for Basic Science and Clinical/Health Services supports postdoctoral fellows and physician-scientists. Two-year grants range from $104,008 to $117,760, inclusive of a $2,000 expense allowance. Proposals focused on cancer, blindness (not visual impairment) or child health are highly encouraged. The deadline for applications is Mar. 4.

The Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Research Fund awards one-year grants of up to $80,000 to support innovative clinical and health and social service system research and demonstration projects in the greater Boston area, designed to improve the quality of life for children and adolescents with disabilities. The deadline for applications is Mar. 13.
 
The Eppley Foundation for Research grants fund advanced, novel research in biological and physical sciences. Particular areas of interest include innovative medical investigations, endangered species and ecosystems in the U.S. and abroad, and climate change. Past grants have been between $10,000 and $35,000. The Foundation will fund a specific investigation in its entirety or a specified portion of a larger project. The deadline for LOIs is Mar. 15.

The Human Frontier Science Program is awarding three-year grants of up to $450,000 per year for teams of scientists from different countries who wish to combine their expertise in innovative approaches to questions that could not be answered by individual laboratories. Emphasis is placed on novel collaborations that bring together scientists preferably from different disciplines (e.g. from chemistry, physics, computer science, engineering) to focus on problems in the life sciences. Young Investigators' Grants are awarded to teams of researchers, all of whom are within the first five years after obtaining an independent laboratory (e.g. assistant professor, lecturer or equivalent), while Program Grants are awarded to teams of independent researchers at any stage of their careers. The deadline for LOIs is Mar. 30.

Child Health

The Charles H. Hood Foundation Child Health Research Awards Program awards two-year grants of $150,000 to early-career faculty. Grants support hypothesis-driven clinical, basic science, public health, health services research and epidemiology projects focused on child health. The deadline for applications is Sep. 15.

Neuroscience

The Whitehall Foundation, through its programs of research grants and grants-in-aid, assists scholarly research in neuroscience. Research grants offer between $90,000 and $225,000 for up to three years, and grants-in-aid offer $30,000 over a one-year period. The foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest. The deadline for LOIs for both grants is Oct. 1.

Neuroscience

The McKnight Foundation Memory and Cognitive Disorders Awards provide $100,000 per year for three years to support innovative efforts to solve the problems of neurological and psychiatric diseases, especially those related to memory and cognition. Collaborative projects between basic and clinical neuroscientists are welcomed, as are proposals that help link basic with clinical neuroscience. The deadline for LOIs is Mar. 15.
 
The Whitehall Foundation funds research in neuroscience. Research grants offer between $90,000 and $225,000 for up to three years, and grants-in-aid offer $30,000 over one year. The foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest. The deadline for LOIs for both grants is Apr. 15.

Social Sciences

The Russell Sage Foundation is now accepting applications for its small grants competition in Computational Social Science. This initiative supports innovative research that utilizes new data and methods to advance our understanding of social, psychological, political, and economic outcomes. The deadline for applications is Mar. 17.

View more upcoming RFPs on our RFP calendar.

News

Lever for Change Announces Five Finalists for Impact Award

Finalists for the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award, a $12 million grant to help organizations scale up operations that will allow a brighter future for refugees, include Southern New Hampshire University. SNHU’s Global Education Movement will help refugees earn an accredited bachelor's degree and help connect graduates to meaningful careers in their own communities.

Hewlett Foundation Announces $50 Million Economy and Society Initiative

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s new, five-year commitment will support the development of intellectual and policy alternatives to the free-market absolutism of contemporary neoliberalism. Initial grants include $1.5 million to Yale University to promote the study of “American Political Economy” within political science and $2 million to support the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

Henry Luce Foundation Awards $1 Million to Princeton's Center of the Study of Religion

The four-year grant from the foundation’s Theology Program will support a multi-institutional project (including faculty and students at Penn and Washington University St. Louis) examining the role of Black religions in American culture, highlight the diversity of Black religious life, and enhance public understanding of Black religious histories, cultures, and communities. The project will support work by scholars, teachers, religious and civic leaders, community organizations, and artists and will develop a digital platform to make their work available to interested publics.
 
Luce’s Theology Program is currently inviting institutions to submit preliminary letters of inquiry for projects to advance and transform public understanding of the relationships between race, justice, and religion in America. To be considered, interested Brandeis PI's should send ASAP a two-page project summary addressing program objectives, key personnel, and partnering units and organizations, and a one-page summary budget to limited-submissions@brandeis.edu. 

Lilly Endowment Awards $43 Million to Strengthen Understanding of Religion

The 18 grants will help museums and other cultural institutions to develop exhibitions and educational programs that fairly and accurately portray the role of religion in the U.S and around the world. The Boston Children’s Museum and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts will use their grants to hire new staff members to integrate religion into the museums’ exhibitions, programs, publications, and staff culture.

McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience Awards 2021 Neurobiology of Brain Disorder Awards

The three-year, $300,000 awards support innovative research by scientists studying the biology behind neurological and psychiatric diseases and seeking to translate laboratory discoveries about the brain and nervous system into diagnoses and therapies to improve human health.  This year's recipients will look at Parkinson’s Disease relationship with the gut, migrate mapping for network-based therapies, and relieving chronic pain without painkillers. Letters of intent for the 2022 awards are due by March 15, 2021.

Upcoming RFPs

Art History

The Samuel Kress Foundation devotes its resources to advancing the history, conservation and enjoyment of the vast heritage of European art, architecture and archaeology from antiquity to the early 19th century. There are two grants with LOI deadlines of Mar. 1.

• The Digital Resources Grants program supports efforts to integrate new technologies into the practice of art history and the creation of important online resources in art history, including both textual and visual resources. The awards range from $25,000-$100,000.
• The History of Art Grants program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of European art and architecture. The awards range from $6,000-$50,000.

Astrophysics

In partnership with The Gruber Foundation (TGF), the International Astronomical Union has created the TGF Fellowship to promote the science of cosmology and other branches of astronomy. The Fellowship will award $50,000 to an early-career astrophysicist, working in any field. Researchers in the last months of their PhD, having already received contract for post-doctoral position, or post-docs in their first year of appointment are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Mar. 31.

Biomedical Sciences

The Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship supports postdoctoral fellows pursuing research into the causes and treatment of cancer, taking a broad approach to the study of the basic biology and chemistry for the underlying process. This three-year fellowship provides $162,000, with an additional $1,800 for travel. The deadline for applications is Feb. 12.

The Human Frontier Science Program is awarding three-year grants of up to $450,000 per year for teams of scientists from different countries who wish to combine their expertise in innovative approaches to questions that could not be answered by individual laboratories. Emphasis is placed on novel collaborations that bring together scientists preferably from different disciplines (e.g. from chemistry, physics, computer science, engineering) to focus on problems in the life sciences. Young Investigators' Grants are awarded to teams of researchers, all of whom are within the first five years after obtaining an independent laboratory (e.g. assistant professor, lecturer or equivalent), while Program Grants are awarded to teams of independent researchers at any stage of their careers. The deadline for LOIs is Mar. 30.

Life Sciences

The Eppley Foundation for Research grants fund advanced, novel research in biological and physical sciences. Particular areas of interest include innovative medical investigations, endangered species and ecosystems in the U.S. and abroad, and climate change. Past grants have been between $10,000 and $35,000. The Foundation will fund a specific investigation in its entirety or a specified portion of a larger project. The deadline for LOIs is Mar. 15.

Neuroscience

The Klingenstein-Simon Fellowship Awards, sponsored by the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund and the Simons Foundation, support, in the early stages of their careers, young investigators engaged in basic or clinical research that may lead to a better understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The awards provide $225,000 over three years. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15.

View more upcoming RFPs on our RFP calendar.

News

Mellon Foundation to Spend $250 Million to Reimagine Monuments

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced a five-year, $250 million grantmaking effort to transform the way our country’s histories are told in commemorative spaces-- not only memorials, historical markers, and public statuary, but also storytelling spaces such as museums and art installations. Grants will focus on three areas: funding new monuments and storytelling spaces; contextualizing existing monuments through installations, research, and education; and relocating existing monuments.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funds Essential Open Source Software for Science (EOSS) grants

CZI recently announced its third round of EOSS awards totaling $4.7m this round --  $3 million in support of seventeen biomedical open source software projects and $1.7 million to three organizations working to advance reproducibility practices and open research infrastructure. The EOSS program supports the maintenance, growth, development, and promotion of important software tools used in imaging, single-cell biology, genomics, and data management. Of the 17 new awardees, five were higher education institutions.

The Gates Foundation's Upcoming Grand Challenge Deadlines

The Gates Foundation has upcoming deadlines for two new Grand Challenges in global health and development: developing fermented food for maternal nutrition (Jan 6) and developing and scaling new digital technologies to support small-scale farming (Feb 25). Brandeis received its first Grand Challenge grant in June in support of Karen Hansen's project, Cascading Lives: Stories of Loss, Resilience, and Resistance.

Intersession Training Opportunity on Funding Databases

The Brandeis Library has posted a new intersession training opportunity for faculty, students, and staff to learn how to navigate and use the university’s grant opportunity databases.
Grant Opportunities Database Workshop on Friday, January 15^th at 11 am with Maric Kramer, Social Sciences Librarian, and Lisa Zeidenberg, Creative Arts Librarian.

Other Upcoming Deadlines

Art History

The Kress Foundation History of Art Grants Program provides $6,000-$50,000 to support scholarly projects that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of European art and architecture. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, museum exhibitions and publications, photographic campaigns, scholarly catalogs and publications, and technical and scientific studies. The deadline for applications is Jan. 15

Biology of Aging

The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty (formerly called the AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty) provides up to $100,000 for a one- to two-year award to junior faculty to conduct research in understanding the basic mechanisms of aging (rather than disease-specific research). The deadline for application is Dec. 15.

Biomedical Science

The Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship supports postdoctoral fellows pursuing research into the causes and treatment of cancer, taking a broad approach to the study of the basic biology and chemistry for the underlying process. This three-year fellowship provides $162,000, with an additional $1,800 for travel. The deadline for applications is Feb. 12.

Neuroscience

The McKnight Foundation supports innovative research in neuroscience through three competitive annual awards that seek out investigators whose research shows promise in bringing society closer to prevention, treatments, and cures for many devastating diseases. The Scholar Awards provide $225,000 over three years to encourage emerging neuroscientists to focus on disorders of learning and memory. The deadline for applications is Jan. 4.
 
The Whitehall Foundation, through its programs of research grants and grants-in-aid, assists scholarly research in neuroscience. Research grants offer between $90,000-$225,000 for up to three years, and grants-in-aid offer $30,000 over a one-year period. The foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest. The deadline for LOIs for both grants is Jan. 15.

The Klingenstein-Simon Fellowship Awards, sponsored by the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund and the Simons Foundation, support, in the early stages of their careers, young investigators engaged in basic or clinical research that may lead to a better understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The awards provide $225,000 over three years. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15.

Social Sciences

The William T. Grant Foundation Research Grants program supports theory-building and empirical research projects on reducing inequality or improving the use of research evidence. Research grants on reducing inequality typically range from $100,000 to $600,000 and cover two to three years of support. Improving the use of research evidence grants will range from $100,000 to $1 million and cover two to four years of support. The deadline for LOIs is Jan. 13.

Teaching

The Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation awards fellowships to present and prospective teachers, with an emphasis on teachers currently working at the college or university level, to enable them to study abroad or at some location or locations other than that with which they are most closely associated. The aim is to stimulate and broaden the minds of teachers so as to improve and enhance the quality of their instruction. Grants of $5,000 are primarily for travel and related expenses and not as salary substitutes, scholarships or grants in aid. The deadline for LOI submissions is Jan. 8. 

View more upcoming RFPs on our RFP calendar.

News

Kellogg Foundation Launches Racial Equity 2030

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change program, recently announced the launch of Racial Equity 2030, a $90m global challenge to build and scale actionable ideas for transformative change in the systems and institutions that perpetuate racial inequities. Early-stage ideas are welcome: in addition to $15-20m scaling grants, the program will award up to 10 one-year $1m planning grants, which includes nine months of capacity-building support to further develop their project and strengthen their application. The registration deadline is January 28.

Rose Art Museum Receives COVID Relief Grant from Frankenthaler Foundation

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation recently awarded a grant to Brandeis' Rose Art Museum, part of a $5m Covid-19 relief effort announced last spring, designed to aid small art museums and provide direct support to artists. The remainder of the latest $1.5m round of funding involves new two-year grants that promote equity in and access to the arts, including digital initiatives and professional opportunities for college students and recent graduates.

Other Upcoming Deadlines

Art History

The Kress Foundation History of Art Grants Program provides $6,000-$50,000 to support scholarly projects that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of European art and architecture. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, museum exhibitions and publications, photographic campaigns, scholarly catalogs and publications, and technical and scientific studies. The deadline for applications is Jan. 15.

Neuroscience

The McKnight Foundation supports innovative research in neuroscience through three competitive annual awards that seek out investigators whose research shows promise in bringing society closer to prevention, treatments and cures for many devastating diseases. There are two awards with upcoming LOIs:
     - The Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Awards provide $200,000 over two years to encourage and support scientists working on the development of novel and creative approaches to understanding brain function. The deadline for LOIs is Dec. 7.
     - The Scholar Awards provide $225,000 over three years to encourage emerging neuroscientists to focus on disorders of learning and memory. The deadline for applications is Jan. 4.
 
The Whitehall Foundation, through its programs of research grants and grants-in-aid, assists scholarly research in neuroscience. Research grants offer between $90,000-$225,000 for up to three years, and grants-in-aid offer $30,000 over a one-year period. The foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest. The deadline for LOIs for both grants is Jan. 15.

Teaching

The Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation awards fellowships to present and prospective teachers, with an emphasis on teachers currently working at the college or university level, to enable them to study abroad or at some location or locations other than that with which they are most closely associated. The aim is to stimulate and broaden the minds of teachers so as to improve and enhance the quality of their instruction. Grants of $5,000 are primarily for travel and related expenses and not as salary substitutes, scholarships or grants in aid. The deadline for LOI submissions is Jan. 8. 

View more upcoming RFPs on our RFP calendar.

News

ASAP Announces First Round Grantees of Collaborative Research Network

Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) has announced its first round grantees of the ASAP Collaborative Research Network (CRN) to bring together investigators across disciplines, institutions, career stages, and geographies seeking to tackle key knowledge gaps in Parkinson’s development and progression. $161 million will be distributed over three years to 21 projects focusing on two areas: the biology of associate genes and neuro-immune interactions. 13 projects include researchers from higher education institutions, and their projects will attempt to unravel the biology of LRRK2 (the most common mutated gene in inherited Parkinson’s disease) and uncover the molecular mechanisms in the neuro-immune system. 

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announced its newest cohort of five Moore Inventor Fellows, early-career investigators (10 years or less past terminal degree) pursuing inventions at an early stage that could lead to proof-of-concept work or advance an existing prototype of technology that tackles an important problem in scientific research, environmental conservation, or patient care. Each Fellow receives $675,000 over three years. An internal deadline for institutional nomination for the 2021 Moore Inventor Fellows competition is October 9 to limited-submissions@brandeis.edu.

Teagle Foundation Partners with NEH to Promote Humanities in Gen Ed

The Teagle Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities have jointly pledged $7 million to fund Cornerstone: Learning for Living Cornerstone: Learning for Living, a grant program to revitalize the role of humanities in general education. The initiative is dedicated to the proposition that reading transformative texts—regardless of authorship, geography, or the era that produced them—in community and under the guidance of an excellent humanities teacher, gives students the tools to interrogate themselves and their cultures and connect with the world democratically. The program offers planning grants up to $25,000 and implementation grants up to $350,000. 3-5 page concept papers are due December 1.

In 2019, the Teagle Foundation awarded Brandeis a three-year grant to support the Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT), now a nationwide model of undergraduate civic engagement. 

Gates Foundation Awards $4.5 Million Grant for Evaluation of Family Planning in Africa

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded a three-year, $4.5 million grant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The maternal and child health researchers will conduct process evaluation research for the foundation’s family planning portfolios in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Gates Foundation emphasizes family planning as a key part of the broader commitment to empowering and improving family health. 

Hewlett Foundation Supports AidData with $1 Million

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced a $1 million grant to The College of William and Mary’s AidData, a search engine to improve how sustainable foreign aid is monitored and evaluated across sectors and disciplines. This grant will fund the second phase of AidData, to expand the database’s content to include project documents and donors. AidData is part of the William & Mary’s Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations. 

Mellon Foundation Awards $15 Million for the Institute for the Study for Global Racial Justice

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced a five-year, $15 million grant to establish the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice at Rutgers University. This institute will use humanistic theories and approaches to study global issues of race and social justice, which could impact K-12 education and criminal justice reform. 

Upcoming RFP Deadlines

Art History

The Kress Foundation History of Art Grants Program provides $6,000-$50,000 to support scholarly projects that will enhance the understanding and appreciation of European art and architecture. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, museum exhibitions and publications, photographic campaigns, scholarly catalogs and publications, and technical and scientific studies. The deadline for applications is Jan. 15.

Biomedical Science

The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program provides funding and support to help scholars build their network and develop essential skills to become the next generation of research leaders. Researchers within the first five years of their first academic appointment from anywhere in the world are eligible to apply. The two-year award provides $100,000 in research support. The deadline for applications is Oct. 30.

Neuroscience

The McKnight Foundation supports innovative research in neuroscience through three competitive annual awards that seek out investigators whose research shows promise in bringing society closer to prevention, treatments and cures for many devastating diseases. There are two awards with upcoming LOIs:

1. The Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Awards provide $200,000 over two years to encourage and support scientists working on the development of novel and creative approaches to understanding brain function. The deadline for LOIs is Dec. 7.
2. The Scholar Awards provide $225,000 over three years to encourage emerging neuroscientists to focus on disorders of learning and memory. The deadline for applications is Jan. 4.

Social Sciences

The Russell Sage Foundation's Special Initiatives grants provide up to $175,000 over two years, primarily for graduate assistants and research costs. Principal Investigators can get a 1-month summer salary or, for non-faculty researchers, up to $20,000/yr for salary support. The deadline for LOI submissions is Nov. 11.