Research Grants on Reducing Inequality: Funding for Youth Outcomes

The William T. Grant Foundation has announced its latest funding cycle for Research Grants on Reducing Inequality. This program is dedicated to supporting research that builds, tests, or increases the understanding of programs, policies, or practices aimed at narrowing the gap in academic, social, behavioral, and economic outcomes among young people. As highlighted in peer-reviewed literature, the academic achievement gap remains a critical barrier to social mobility (Reardon, S. F., 2011. The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor: New evidence and possible explanations. Whither Opportunity?).

Scope

The Foundation seeks to fund studies that go beyond describing the causes of inequality to focus on actionable responses. Key focus areas include dimensions of race, ethnicity, economic standing, language minority status, and immigrant origins for youth aged 5-25 in the United States.

Descriptive studies clarifying mechanisms for reducing inequality.

Intervention studies providing causal evidence on effectiveness.

Projects examining systemic racism and structural foundations of inequality.

Eligibility

Grants are available exclusively to tax-exempt organizations; individuals are not eligible to apply. The Foundation encourages applications from under-represented institutions, including HBCUs, HSIs, and TCUs. For the 2026 cycle, Principal Investigators may only submit one application per cycle.

Partnership

The Foundation values interdisciplinary work and projects that involve practitioners or policymakers in meaningful ways to ensure research findings have direct implications for policy and practice. Collaborative efforts that combine senior and junior staff to facilitate mentoring are highly encouraged.

Next Deadline: July 29, 2026 3:00 pm EST

Open Date: June 3, 2026