Seed Grants

Only CRE² Faculty Affiliates are eligible to apply for grants under this program. Eligibility is limited to one CRE² grant program per year as principal investigator, with the exception of the Small Grants program.

The submission cycle for Seed Grants is currently closed. The next submission cycle will open in January of 2024, with CRE² Faculty Affiliates being notified of the RFP via email.

Project award periods are for 12 months beginning July 1, 2024, with an extension of up to 6 months available upon grantee request and approval from CRE² leadership.

Proposals must include an Abstract and the following sections: Overview/Aims (200 words); Significance and Innovation (200 words); Project Description (800 words); Timeline; Budget and Budget Rationale; current CVs for all investigators; and (if applicable) references, description of any human subjects, and appendices.

The Project Description section should (1) describe how the work supported by the Seed Grant relates to the scope of a project proposal that will be submitted for extramural funding, and how the Seed Grant funding will lead to increased competitiveness in obtaining those funds; and (2) include subsections on Foundational Perspectives, Research Questions/Inspiration, Methods, and Data/Materials.

All Seed Grant research proposals that are approved for funding and involve the use of human subjects must obtain appropriate human subjects approval through the University’s Institutional Review Board before funds are disbursed.

Project budgets may request up to $15,000 in direct costs to support any activity that directly relates to the successful conduct of the project. There are no indirect costs paid on CRE² Grants. Budget items may include support for data entry, interviews, data acquisition, access to restricted-use data, travel costs related to data collection or meetings with collaborators, space rental, salary compensation or contribution to research accounts (salary and compensation should be kept to less than 20% of the award amount), artist stipends, creative materials, curatorial support, editing, and graduate and undergraduate research assistance. The Center will not pay for computer equipment when that computing can reasonably be accomplished with the existing equipment on campus. Unspent funding at the end of the project period will revert to the CRE² Grant pool unless a request for a time extension is submitted and CRE² Co-directors approve the request. Budget Rationales should include outside resources (if any) that will be used to achieve the aims of the project.

To amplify research, the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity is partnering with the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy and the Institute for Public Health to expand the impact of research seed grants.

Weidenbuam Center on the economy, governemnt, and public policy

The Weidenbaum Center is a research institute at Washington University in St. Louis that supports social scientific research in the fields of economics, political science, and sociology. The Weidenbaum Center funds faculty research, provides administrative support for research activities, and sponsors a wide range of public affairs programs. The Weidenbaum Center serves as a bridge between scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Through scientific research and events informed by rigorous scholarship, the Weidenbaum Center addresses many of the pressing issues facing America and the world today.

Seed Grant proposals that seek funding for a social science research project and include a PI or Co-PI in economics, political science, and/or sociology¹, may apply for matching funds of up to $15,000, increasing the total seed grant award to up to $30,000.

To apply for matching funds please include an additional Weidenbaum Matching Funds Budget and Weidenbaum Matching Funds Budget Rationale. Projects proposing matching funds will also be reviewed by the Weidenbaum leadership team.

1. The PI or Co-PI must have an appointment in the department of Economics, Political Science, or Sociology to be eligible for these matching funds.

THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

The Institute for Public Health harnesses the strengths of Washington University in St. Louis to address the complex health issues and health disparities facing the St. Louis region and the world. The mission for public health at Washington University includes five objectives:

• To generate distinctive transdisciplinary research discoveries and service interventions that address significant community and population health problems
• To train a cadre of leaders who have an evidence-based approach to public health interventions, health services, and health policy
• To educate the next generation of academic leaders in community and population health sciences
• To eliminate health disparities and improve measurable health outcomes through sustained community and organizational partnerships
• To significantly influence the development of sound public health policy

Seed Grant proposals that fulfill the mission of the Institute for Public Health can apply for matching funds of up to $15,000 increasing the total seed grant award to up to $30,000. To apply for matching funds please include an additional Institute for Public Health Matching Funds Budget and Institute for Public Health Matching Funds Budget Rationale. In the rationale, please provide written justification for how your proposed research aligns with the mission of the Institute for Public Health. Projects proposing matching funds will also be reviewed by the Institute for Public Health leadership team.

The CRE² Leadership Team will screen all submitted proposals to determine whether the proposals meet the program’s goals. Proposals will be reviewed by a Grant Selection Committee. In addition to the preferences mentioned above, the following prioritized criteria will be used in evaluating the proposals:

1. The overall quality and significance of the proposed research
2. The potential of the proposed research to be expanded into an externally funded grant
3. The proposed research has received a favorable review from a funding agency and needs additional resources for resubmission (please include Summary Statement with reviewer comments)

The Center’s Associate Director will monitor progress on Seed Grant projects. Grantees will provide an expense report upon request. Grantees will submit a final progress report including any grant proposals, publications, exhibitions, or other scholarly products submitted or in preparation within one (1) month after the end date of their Seed Grant period and will notify CRE² of any proposals, exhibitions, and other scholarly products subsequently submitted or awarded/accepted. It is expected that an external grant proposal will be submitted no later than eight (8) months from the completion of the Seed Grant period. Grantees’ papers and publications will acknowledge the CRE² Seed Grant program using the statement, “This work has been funded by the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity at Washington University in St. Louis Seed Grant program, but the views remain those of the authors.”