Grant Announcements

West Coast Poverty Center POVERTY AND POLICY SMALL GRANTS for 2009-2010

The West Coast Poverty Center invites applications for its 2009-10 Poverty and Policy Small Grants Program

The Center will award grants of up to $15,000 for research on topics relating to the causes, consequences and effective responses to poverty in the U.S. The Center supports research on a broad range of poverty-related topics and on the role of public, nonprofit, private market and community institutions. Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches are all encouraged as are submissions from scholars in any discipline. Proposals may address any aspect of the causes, consequences and/or policy responses to poverty.Of special interest are proposals that address:

• Changing labor markets and their consequences for economic security and social well-being



• Changing patterns of work and family life, and the consequences of transformations in family formation, employment, and caregiving arrangements for the economic security of parents and children


• Changing demographics and their implications for poverty and public policy, including issues of race, ethnicity, gender and immigration


• The performance of the safety net in the current recession


• Regionally-focused research examining poverty and poverty-related policy in the west coast states of Washington, Oregon, and California (i.e., studies based in one or more west coast states or communities within those states AND/OR studies that compare the region (or states or communities within the region) with other parts of the country)

Terms of Funding

1. WCPC Poverty and Policy Small Grants will fund reasonable research expenses such as data or software purchases, research assistance, research-related travel, relevant supplies, academic year and summer salary, and/or statistical or other consulting, to a maximum of $15,000.

2. The grant may be awarded as a personal services contract to the applicant without indirect cost recovery or through the applicant’s home institution. Due to the limited funds available, if indirect costs are necessary, they must be limited to no more than 10 percent of the grant amount. The Center may fund a proposal at a level below the requested budget, as necessary.

3. For applicants requesting funds for academic year salary (i.e., course reduction), preference will be given to proposals with salary requests at replacement cost (rather than at the applicant’s full salary).

4. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and an appointment with an academic institution or nonpartisan research institution.

5. Grants may start as early as September 2009. Funded activities must end by August 31, 2010. No-cost extensions will not be allowed.

6. Funded scholars must submit a 2 page progress report six months after the start of funding and a 2-3 page final report within 30 days of the end of the funding period.

7. Funded scholars will be expected to complete at least one paper from the project suitable for academic publication. A paper will be due to the Center within three months of the completion of the funding period and, contingent on review, will be posted as a working paper on the Center’s public website.

8. During the course of the funding period, funded scholars will be expected to present their research at a WCPC seminar and receive input from WCPC-affiliated scholars; travel costs for the seminar presentation will be paid by the Center. Funded scholars may also be invited to participate in other Center activities, including workshops and conferences.

Selection Criteria

Research on any topic that improves understanding of the nature, causes and correlates of poverty and the effects of public policy on poverty is eligible for support. Within this broad research agenda, the Center will give preference to studies that address the priority themes, below, and have the potential to inform national and/or regional policy.

Senior scholars affiliated with the WCPC and representatives of the U.S. DHHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) will evaluate the proposals. Criteria for evaluation will include:

• Potential for the research to contribute to knowledge about the causes, consequences and reduction of poverty nationally and/or in the west coast region (if the proposal is regionally focused).


• The relevance of the project to current community, state, regional or national policy issues.


• The quality of the project’s theoretical justification and study design, including the choice of research methodology and data.


• The feasibility of the proposed study.


• Qualifications of the investigator(s).


• The value of the grant to the career development of the investigator.

Application Instructions

Applicants may submit one proposal per round of competition. Please mail 6 SINGLE-SIDED PAPER COPIES of the following in the order listed AND submit one electronic copy of the entire application in Microsoft Word via e-mail to wcpc@u.washington.edu.

Timeline and Important Dates

Application deadline 5:00 p.m., Friday, June 5, 2009
Notification of award on or before Friday, September 4, 2009

Complete application instructions and contact information are available in the RFP (PDF) | Word Version

For further information contact:
West Coast Poverty Center
University of Washington / Social Work Building, Room 101 & 102 / Box 354900
(206) 616-2858 / wcpc@u.washington.edu
Awards are contingent on continued WCPC funding

West Coast Poverty Center DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS for 2009-2010

The West Coast Poverty Center invites applications for its 2009-10 Dissertation Fellowships.

This program supports outstanding research on poverty, poverty-related issues, and anti-poverty policy in the U.S. by doctoral students at the University of Washington. Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches are welcome as are submissions from scholars in any discipline.

Award: The Center will award one quarter of support for up to three doctoral students. Awards may be taken during the Winter, Spring or Summer 2010 quarters.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Ph.D. students in good standing at the University of Washington. Applicants must have advanced to candidacy and have an approved dissertation plan at the start of the funding period. Priority will be given to applicants fi nishing their dissertations within 12 months of the start of funding.

Applications due Friday June 5, 2009, 5:00 p.m.

The complete call for proposals is available here (PDF).

The Cover Sheet for proposals is available here (Word doc)

The flyer announcing this RFP is available here (PDF)

For further information contact:
West Coast Poverty Center
University of Washington / Social Work Building, Room 101 & 102 / Box 354900
(206) 616-2858 / wcpc@u.washington.edu
Awards are contingent on continued WCPC funding