The Global Religion Research Initiative (GRRI) of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society (CSRS) at the University of Notre Dame (IN, USA) will be awarding 45 grants for new, empirical research in the social sciences focused on the study of religions around the globe. Each grant will provide up to $10,000 (we expect to fund the average grant at $8,000 each) to be used for research travel, data collection, coding, analysis, the purchase of research materials, and other similar research costs. The next round of applications is for the 2020-2021 academic year. The Global Religion Research Initiative is funded by the Templeton Religion Trust of Nassau, Bahamas.
These research seed-money grants intend to encourage and facilitate new, empirical research by North American scholars in the social sciences on important topics that centrally involve religions beyond the North Atlantic region (i.e., Canada, the U.S., and Western Europe). (For similar but internationally collaborative grants, see the International Collaboration program.) By providing start-up funding for scholars to explore and launch new research projects on global religions, the grants seek to expand the horizons of scholarly researchers and empirical research on religion in the social sciences, and to foster new streams of knowledge and publications on religions around the globe. This program also intends to help position researchers to apply successfully for larger, full-project research grants to fund the conducting of the projects that these start-up grants seek to launch.
These research seed-money grants are open both to (a) doctoral-level (ABD) graduate students in social science programs in North American universities, and (b) regular tenured and tenure-track social science faculty at all levels of their careers who are employed in North American colleges and universities (adjunct and temporary faculty are not eligible). “Social sciences” here includes sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, and psychology; prospective applicants in other departments (e.g., area studies) should inquire with GRRI staff about their possible eligibility (at grri@nd.edu).
Grant funds will be distributed to award recipients' institutions, and can be used to cover research expenses (which may include hiring student research assistants). Indirect or overhead costs, salaries or teaching replacement costs for recipients, or graduate student tuition and fees are not allowable costs for this grant.
This grant is not intended to support research projects that are already underway, in the field, or funded by other significant grants. We aim to fund social science scholars at whatever stage of their careers whose proposals reflect the greatest promise of leading to important, new, empirical research projects focused on religions around the world. One of the important criteria in evaluating proposals will be credible evidence that the applicant is indeed personally serious about and invested in the prospect of conducting significant empirical social science research on global religion.
Global Religion Research Seed-Money grant proposals will be judged by a panel of expert reviewers. Successful proposals will involve proposed projects that are:
For a more elaborate list of evaluation criteria, click here. (Note: Depending on the volume of applications received for this grant competition, the GRRI may not be able to provide applicants specific ratings or feedback from the evaluation process.)
Applications must include the following materials to be considered for funding:
All application materials must be submitted in English. Applicants are responsible to submit all required materials. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated for possible funding. Each researcher may not submit proposals to more than two GRRI programs in any given year.
The application period is closed.
We will announce fellowship and grant recipients early in the Spring 2019 semester. Please contact grri@nd.edu with any questions about submitted applications.