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One of the oldest American foundations, the Russell Sage Foundation was established by Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for "the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." In pursuit of this mission, the foundation now dedicates itself to strengthening the methods, data, knowledge, and theoretical core of the social sciences as a means of diagnosing social problems and improving social policies. The foundation's program on Social Inequality supports research on the social, economic, political, and labor market consequences of rising economic inequalities in the United States. The program seeks Letters of Inquiry for investigator-initiated research projects that will broaden current understanding of the causes and consequences of rising economic inequalities. Priority will be given to projects that use innovative data or methodologies to address important questions about inequality. Examples of the kinds of topics that are of interest include, but are not limited to, economic well-being, equality of opportunity, and intergenerational mobility; the political process and the resulting policies; psychological and/or cultural change; education; labor markets; child development and child outcomes; neighborhoods and communities; families, family structure, and family formation; and other forms of inequality.

The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization -- societies, institutions, groups and demography -- and processes of individual and institutional change. The Program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender roles, and the sociology of science and technology. The Program supports both original data collections and secondary data analysis that use the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools. Theoretically grounded projects that offer methodological innovations and improvements for data collection and analysis are also welcomed.

The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization -- societies, institutions, groups and demography -- and processes of individual and institutional change. The Program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender roles, and the sociology of science and technology. The Program supports both original data collections and secondary data analysis that use the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools. 

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor announces the availability of approximately $4 million total costs for up to two cooperative agreements of up to $2 million total costs each to fund technical assistance project(s) in two different countries to improve implementation of social compliance systems that promote acceptable conditions of work and the elimination of child labor and forced labor in coffee supply chains. Each cooperative agreement will fund a project in one of the following countries in the Latin America/Caribbean region, where DOL's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List) documents child labor and/or forced labor concerns: Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, or Nicaragua. Project outcomes include: 1) Adoption of a robust and sustainable social compliance system by private sector stakeholders in coffee supply chains; 2) Strengthened capacity of private sector stakeholders to implement a robust and sustainable social compliance system in coffee supply chains; and 3) New social compliance tools on child labor, forced labor, and acceptable conditions of work piloted in the coffee supply chain. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4 years (48 months) from the effective date of the award. Applicants may apply for one or two of the cooperative agreements listed above. No more than two applications per applicant will be accepted. If applying for two cooperative agreements, applicants should not combine countries in a single application, but must submit separate applications for each country. Each application should request no more than $2 million total costs in funding.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces the availability of Fiscal Year 2018 funds for the Native Youth Initiative for Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (I-LEAD).I-LEAD is a special initiative established under ANA’s Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) program. I-LEAD provides support for community-based initiatives that empower Native youth to address priorities identified by such youth and include youth-focused leadership. As well projects are funded to develop models, approaches and strategies to foster resiliency and build upon Native youth's inherent capacities to thrive. Native youth will contribute to the accomplishment of objectives that promote economic and social self-sufficiency for Native Americans, contribute to community well-being, increase the capacity of tribal governments, strengthen families, and implement culturally appropriate strategies to meet the social service needs of Native Americans.As an agency within the ACF, ANA is providing this unique funding opportunity as a special initiative of the SEDS program. The I-LEAD program will ensure project funding is provided to support youth-driven and youth-focused services and activities related to social and economic development, in order to promote the self-sufficiency of tomorrow’s leaders in Native American communities.

DLS supports fundamental research that increases our understanding of cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural, and biological processes related to children's and adolescents' development and learning.  Research supported by this program will add to our basic knowledge of how people learn and the underlying developmental processes that support learning, with the objective of leading to better educated children and adolescents who grow up to take productive roles as workers and as citizens. Among the many research topics supported by DLS are: developmental cognitive neuroscience; development of higher-order cognitive processes; transfer of knowledge from one domain or situation to another; use of molecular genetics to study continuities and discontinuities in development; development of peer relations and family interactions; multiple influences on development, including the impact of family, school, community, social institutions, and the media; adolescents' preparation for entry into the workforce; cross-cultural research on development and learning; and the role of cultural influences and demographic characteristics on development. Additional priorities include research that: incorporates multidisciplinary, multi-method, microgenetic, and longitudinal approaches; develops new methods, models, and theories for studying learning and development; and integrates different processes (e.g., learning, memory, emotion), levels of analysis (e.g., behavioral, social, neural), and time scales (e.g. infancy, middle childhood, adolescence).

MOD invites all qualified scientists with faculty appointments or the equivalent, at universities, hospitals and research institutions (not for profit or profit), to submit applications for research grants relevant to our mission. This encompasses basic biological processes governing differentiation and development, genetics and genomics of these processes, clinical studies, reproductive health and environmental toxicology, and social and behavioral studies concerning cognitive and behavioral risks that affect outcomes of pregnancy, the perinatal period, and subsequent child development. Applications will be directed to one of three committees whose respective foci are:    * Cell Lineage and Differentiation  * Gene Discovery and Translational Medicine  * Social and Behavioral Sciences. This involves family units and includes genes, toxicants, social  determinants that adversely affect language or behavior, especially if involving premature  infants or children with birth defects.

In addition to providing respite care and enjoyable group activities that build on the strengths and abilities of participants, the programs offer family caregivers access to services such as counseling, support groups, information and referral, training, and education. With a nationwide network of programs providing regular respite services, the program demonstrates that a cost-effective social model of adult day services can successfully address the special needs of Alzheimer's families. To that end, grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to up to fifteen Group Respite and Early Memory Loss programs to develop a new dementia-specific social model program. Grant funds may not be used to support or expand the hours, days, or service capacity of existing social, health, or medical model programs or to serve mixed populations. Applications must be received no later than June 27.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications for short-term mentored career development (K18) awards that improve synergies among researchers in basic and applied behavioral-social sciences, human subjects and model animals settings; and biomedical and behavioral-social sciences. Link to Additional Information: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-17-486.html

The Pop Culture Collaborative represents an innovative hub for high impact partnerships and grants designed to help organizations and individuals leverage the reach and power of pop culture for social justice goals. Their 'Pop Up' Rapid Response Grants are designed to support a short-term project developed in connection to a recent or upcoming acute political or cultural time hook, and must be intended to reach an audience of more than a million people or engage artists, producers, and/or organizers that do so. Funded projects must impact, support, or connect with at least one of these community groups: people of color, immigrants, refugees, or Muslims. They can work to support initiatives that build movements, drive campaigns, produce stories, and leverage mass media and entertainment media to drive positive narrative and social change in popular culture. Examples of funded projects include public events and private retreats; tool and resource prototypes; network and partnership building; story, narrative, and strategy design process; and creative content including short film/video, concerts, music recordings, etc. Grants range from $5,000 to $30,000. Requests may be submitted at any time by nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and individuals with fiscal sponsorship. Visit the Collaborative's website to learn more about the Pop Up Rapid Response Grants program.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces the availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 funds for the Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) program. This program is focused on community-driven projects designed to grow local economies, strengthen Native American families, including the preservation of Native American cultures, and decrease the high rate of current challenges caused by the lack of community-based businesses, and social and economic infrastructure in Native American communities. Native American communities include American Indian tribes (federally-recognized and non-federally recognized), Native Hawaiians, Alaskan Natives, and Native American Pacific Islanders.

This targeted 5-year cooperative agreement is to be awarded to create a national center of excellence to develop, implement and evaluate curriculum in child welfare agency settings that will: Support the child welfare workforce to better understand social and emotional needs of children and families involved in the child welfare system. Support the child welfare workforce to better screen and assess for social and emotional needs of children and families. Support the child welfare workforce to understand the effective interventions and active ingredients of those interventions and how to ensure children and families receive those interventions. Increase exposure to active ingredients and Evidence Based Practices for agency staff through enhanced curriculum and practicums. Provide professional development opportunities for agency staff by developing, delivering, and evaluating course offerings, continuing education, and certificate programs aimed at addressing the shortage of child welfare practitioners prepared to deliver evidence based child and family treatment. Provide curriculum aimed at assisting case managers to make excellent decisions about how to refer and evaluate the effectiveness of the services provided to the children and families in their care. Develop decision making tools for agency leadership that might assist them in assessing their current mental health service array. These tools would provide direction about the cost and effectiveness of the mental health services in their current service array, assist the administrator in evaluating if the current mental health services are achieving intended outcomes, and provide guidance on best practice in implementing evidence based treatment services.

THE ADMINISTRATION for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families' Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) announces the availability of funds under the Street Outreach Program (SOP). SOP WORKS to increase young people’s personal safety, social and emotional well-being, self-sufficiency, and to help them build permanent connections with families, communities, schools, and other positive social networks. These services, which are provided in areas where street youth congregate, are designed to assist such youth in making healthy choices and to provide them access to shelter and services which include: outreach, gateway services, screening and assessment, harm reduction, access to emergency shelter, crisis stabilization, drop-in centers, which can be optional, and linkages/referrals to services. THE AWARD process for FY2018 SOP allows for annual awards over a three-year project period, as funds are available.

When children are placed in out-of-home care (also called foster care), it is important that child welfare agencies find safe, permanent homes for them as quickly as possible. In many circumstances, children can be reunited with their families, but in some cases, children find homes with relatives or adoptive families. Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) have consistently found that many child welfare systems need to improve their adoption work, as evidenced by their difficulty in achieving substantial conformity on permanency outcomes. These shortcomings include failure to make concerted efforts towards timely permanency for adoption and preserving family connections; inadequate engagement of parents, children and youth in case planning; limited and ineffective service provision; insufficient frequency and duration of child visitations/parenting time; punitive uses of visitation/parenting time; delays in establishing the goal of adoption; a lack of meaningful concurrent planning; and lengthy appeal processes for contested termination of parental rights. These permanency outcomes relate to basic social work, legal, and judicial practices that impact adoption outcomes and also have effects on the safety and well-being of children in care. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to award up to five 5-year cooperative agreements for the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies that focus on better adoption outcomes by improving basic social work, legal, and judicial practice in order to eliminate systemic barriers to: adoption; preventing entry into foster care; and other forms of permanency. Due to the intersection of permanency, safety, and well-being, an effective system reform effort focused on improving adoption outcomes by improving concurrent planning and reducing time to permanency will also require attention to safety and well-being outcomes.

This announcement's synopsis has been updated. The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) invites applications from eligible entities to apply for funds to support a social science researcher (the proposed Principal Investigator) to become a member of the Family Self-Sufficiency and Stability Research Network (the Network). The goal of the Network is to support productive partnerships between social science scholars and state or local human services agencies. As such, applicants are required to demonstrate a partnership or potential partnership with one or more state or local human services agency responsible for administering benefits or programming to assist and support family self-sufficiency, including close coordination with the agency responsible for administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, as an integral part of their research plan development and execution. In addition to supporting the proposed Principal Investigator (PI) to pursue their individual programs of rigorous and relevant research, entities must also support PIs in participating in a multidisciplinary learning community by collaborating with other members of the Network funded under this announcement. For more information on the previous cohort of scholars and their work, please see: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/family-self-sufficiency-and-stability-scholars-2013-grantees and the most recent year-in-review: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/family-self-sufficiency-and-stability-research-consortium-year-in-review-2017 Initial awards will be made for the first 12-month budget period; annual continuation awards for the four remaining 12-month budget periods will be awarded subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the grantee, and a determination that continued funding would be in the interest of the federal gove

The SBIR program is Congressionally mandated and intended to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of federal research funds to build a strong national economy by stimulating technological innovation in the private sector; strengthening the role of small business in meeting federal research and development needs; increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results; and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The SBIR program at NSF solicits proposals from the small business sector consistent with NSF's mission to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense. A main purpose of the legislation is to stimulate technological innovation and increase private sector commercialization. The NSF SBIR/STTR program is therefore in a unique position to meet both the goals of NSF and the purpose of the SBIR/STTR legislation by transforming scientific discovery and innovation into both social and economic benefit, and by emphasizing private sector commercialization.

This notice solicits applications for the R40 Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Field-Initiated Innovative Research Studies (FIRST) Program. The purpose of the MCH FIRST Program grant is to advance the health and wellbeing of MCH populations by supporting innovative, applied, and translational intervention[1] research studies on critical issues affecting MCH populations. [1] For the purpose of this NOFO, an "intervention" is defined to include behavioral, social, or structural / health systems approaches, as well as combination applied clinico-medical and behavioral, social, or structural / health system approaches that contribute to the prevention of diseases or improvement of health (including clinical) outcomes for mothers, children and families at a population level.

Fellows receive an annual stipend of $30,000 for up to two years for completion of their dissertation and related research at their academic institution. Up to fifteen fellowships are awarded annually. Fellows must be enrolled in a doctoral program at an accredited academic institution in the United States and are selected from a range of academic disciplines, including but not limited to social work, public health, medicine, public policy, education, economics, psychology, and epidemiology.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS) announces the availability of approximately $5,900,000 to be competitively awarded for the purpose of operating a National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement (NC PFCE). The NC PFCE will provide training and technical assistance (TTA) that reflects current evidence, is research-informed and promotes best practices. The NC PFCE will strengthen professional development outcomes for staff and improve outcomes for children and families enrolled in Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs. The NC PFCE TTA efforts will lead to improved family outreach and recruitment; improved family well-being; expanded family engagement in children's learning and development; and enhanced community partnerships that support families. Because of the complex work the NC PFCE will conduct, the grantee will be expected to bring together knowledgeable subrecipients within the fields of human services, early childhood, social work, mental health, parenting, leadership, and family economic mobility.

Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation is accepting applications from behavioral or psychological research studies based in the United States or Canada. Through its Faculty/Post-Doctoral Fellows program, the fund will award grants of up to $20,000 in support of studies aimed at developing, refining, evaluating, or disseminating innovative interventions designed to prevent or ameliorate major social, psychological, behavioral, or public health problems affecting children, adults, couples, families, or communities. The fund will also consider studies that have the potential for adding significantly to knowledge about such problems. Projects must be focused on the United States or Canada or on a comparison between the U.S. or Canada and one (or more) other country. To be eligible, applicants must be a faculty member at an accredited college or university or an individual affiliated with an accredited human service organization that is tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the principal investigator must have an earned doctorate in a relevant discipline and relevant experience.