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The Russell Sage Foundation (RSF) has long had the mission to improve social and living conditions in the United States. It pursues this goal by supporting outstanding research in the social sciences that explores how social, economic, and political factors affect the lives of Americans and their children. Support of such research remains the Foundation's core focus. RSF also has a long history of encouraging new scientific advances to strengthen the methods, data, and theoretical core of the social sciences. Two recent intellectual developments have prompted RSF to launch a special research initiative that integrates knowledge from the biological and social sciences. First, there has been a paradigm shift in the life sciences, spurred by the realization that many biological processes, rather than being fixed, immutable mechanisms that consign people to particular life outcomes, are instead fluid, dynamic responses to features of the social and physical environments humans inhabit. Second, this shift led researchers to launch interdisciplinary studies that seek to integrate approaches from the social and biological sciences, recognizing the potential for a deeper understanding of how social inequalities are initiated, maintained, and transmitted from one generation to the next.

The Social Psychology Program at NSF supports basic research on human social behavior, including cultural differences and development over the life span.  Among the many research topics supported are: attitude formation and change, social cognition, personality processes, interpersonal relations and group processes, the self, emotion, social comparison and social influence, and the psychophysiological and neurophysiological bases of social behavior.  The scientific merit of a proposal depends on four important factors: (1) The problems investigated must be theoretically grounded. (2) The research should be based on empirical observation or be subject to empirical validation. (3) The research design must be appropriate to the questions asked. (4) The proposed research must advance basic understanding of social behavior.

One of the oldest foundations in the United States, the Russell Sage Foundation was established by  Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for "the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." In pursuit of that 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 inequality in the United States. The program seeks Letters of Inquiry for investigator-initiated research projects that will broaden  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 related to inequality.

The goal of this FOA is to support short courses geared to behavioral and social scientists who have existing expertise in aging research and can make research contributions in Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) with additional knowledge about the disease and related research resources. Fields of behavioral and social science research relevant for this FOA are health economics, labor economics, health services research, healthcare policy, public policy, demography, sociology, social epidemiology, psychology, and social neuroscience. Priority areas of focus include, but are not limited to, the following: dementia care; dementia caregiver research; cognitive and dementia epidemiology; behavioral and social pathways of AD/ADRD; role of social, contextual, environmental, and institutional factors in AD/ADRD; early psychological changes preceding AD/ADRD onset; prevention of AD/ADRD; disparities in AD/ADRD or dementia-related outcomes; and research resources and methods for studying the determinants and impact of AD/ADRD.

Social science research on many topics has often been hampered by the limitations of survey data. However, the digital age has rapidly increased access to large and comprehensive data sources such as public and private administrative databases, and unique new sources of information from online transactions, social-media interactions, and internet searches. New computational tools also allow for the extraction, coding, and analysis of large volumes of text. Advances in analytical methods for exploiting and analyzing data have accompanied the rise of these data. The emergence of these new data also raises questions about access, privacy and confidentiality. The Russell Sage Foundation's initiative on Computational Social Science (CSS) supports innovative social science research that brings new data and methods to bear on questions of interest in its core programs in Behavioral Economics, Future of Work, Race, Ethnicity and Immigration, and Social Inequality. Limited consideration will be given to questions that pertain to core methodologies, such as causal inference and innovations in data collection.

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. 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 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 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, race and the sociology of science and technology. The Program supports both the collection of original data and secondary data analysis and is open tothe 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. As part of its effort to encourage and support projects that explicitly integrate education and basic research, the Sociology Program provides support to improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation projects undertaken by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) when the dissertation research is conducted in a scientifically sound manner and it offers strong potential for enhancing more general scientific knowledge. The Sociology Program funds doctoral dissertation research to defray direct costs associated with conducting research, for example, dataset acquisition, additional statistical or methodological training, meeting with scholars associated with original datasets, and fieldwork away from the student's home campus. Projects are evaluated using the two Foundation-wide criteria, intellectual merit and broader impacts. In assessing the intellectual merit of proposed research.

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. As part of its effort to encourage and support projects that explicitly integrate education and basic research, the Sociology Program provides support to improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation projects undertaken by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities when the dissertation research is conducted in a scientifically sound manner and it offers strong potential for enhancing more general scientific knowledge. The Sociology Program funds doctoral dissertation research to defray direct costs associated with conducting research, for example, dataset acquisition, additional statistical or methodological training, meeting with scholars associated with original datasets, and fieldwork away from the student's home campus.

With the triad of concepts "utopia, experience and threat", three of the key references to conflicting social value systems from ancient times to today are touched upon: Social movements inspired by utopias determine ideal preconceptions of politics, religion and society and fight for their realization. In societies that see themselves as democracies, people have experiences, which they mobilize in a way that is critical of democracy - be it against democracy as such or against specific aspects of the relevant established democratic order. The historically - and currently - frequently found references to conflicting social value systems is the impression of threat, as a result of which, for example, ruling elites deploy their law enforcement forces against social movements, various social groups fight for re-order and new order, religiously based preconceptions of society or justice come into conflict, or social inequality becomes a political issue. All three points of reference can be utilized for historical research into conflict histories surrounding the correct order and just society. They expand the theme of the funding program beyond the classic fields of protest and revolutionary history, or the history of constitutions, elections and political parties - which are likewise part of it all - to include a multiperspectival history of conflict and culture surrounding the right order in society and politics.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to encourage the establishment of measures of specific behavioral or social phenomena that can be used to test causal hypotheses about behavioral and social contributors to dental, oral or craniofacial diseases. This announcement encourages the development and testing--or the adaptation and testing--of two types of measures: 1) measures of the health behaviors, social interactions, community characteristics, built environments, etc., targeted by behavioral or social interventions to improve oral health; and/or 2) measures of the hypothesized moderators and mediators of a behavioral or social intervention's effect. Regardless of the type of measure being developed, applications should establish reliability and validity of the measure, and demonstrate acceptability of using the measure with the target population. Note that this announcement does not support the conduct of clinical trials, consistent with the NIDCR policy for acceptance, peer review, and funding of clinical trials (see NOT-DE-11-002).

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to encourage the establishment of measures of specific behavioral or social phenomena that can be used to test causal hypotheses about behavioral and social contributors to dental, oral or craniofacial diseases. This announcement encourages the development and testing--or the adaptation and testing--of two types of measures: 1) measures of the health behaviors, social interactions, community characteristics, built environments, etc., targeted by behavioral or social interventions to improve oral health; and/or 2) measures of the hypothesized moderators and mediators of a behavioral or social intervention's effect. Regardless of the type of measure being developed, applications should establish reliability and validity of the measure, and demonstrate acceptability of using the measure with the target population. Note that this announcement does not support the conduct of clinical trials, consistent with the NIDCR policy for acceptance, peer review, and funding of clinical trials (see NOT-DE-11-002).

The Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Science Research (IBSS) competition promotes the conduct of interdisciplinary research by teams of investigators in the social and behavioral sciences. Emphasis is placed on support for research that involves researchers from multiple SBE disciplinary fields and that integrates scientific theoretical approaches and methodologies from multiple SBE disciplinary fields. Emphasis also is placed on the significance of expected intellectual contributions that are likely to yield generalizable insights and information that will enhance theoretical perspectives and advance basic knowledge and capabilities across multiple SBE disciplinary fields. Although the IBSS competition will consider any proposal that addresses a topic for which the proposal makes a compelling case that the research will enhance broader theoretical understanding across multiple social and behavioral science fields, social and behavioral science researchers are especially encouraged to submit proposals for research on one of the following three broadly defined topics: Population Change; Sources and Consequences of Disparities; and Technology, New Media, and Social Networks.

The Association for Jewish Studies is pleased to announce the Berman Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Support of Research in the Social Scientific Study of the Contemporary American Jewish Community. The Berman Fellowships - two awards of $16,000 each for the 2014-15 academic year -aim to support the development and expansion of the field of the social scientific study of Jewish Americans and the contemporary Jewish-American experience; enhance funding opportunities for up-and-coming scholars in the midst of institutional cutbacks in higher education; and encourage graduate students in sociology, social psychology, social anthropology, demography, social work, economics, and political science to expand their research to include the study of North American Jewry. Fellowships will be awarded for one academic year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Preference will be given to applicants seeking support for doctoral research, but requests for funding to support the writing phase of the dissertation will also be considered. Support for this project is generously provided by the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation.

The Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Department of Religious Diversity in Göttingen is offering The Ph.D. fellowships are for 3-4 years. The dissertation will be defended at Utrecht University. The postdoctoral fellowships are for one or two years. The research will be done in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in China at Minzu University in Beijing. The projects have to be on the following topics: 1. Study of the relations between Yi and Miao in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Vietnam 2. Study of the effects on ethnic minorities of the opening up of S.W. China to S.E. Asia 3. Social networks beyond ethnicity in China: Case study of the classmates and alumni of Minzu Requirements: For Postdoc: Ph.D. in Social /Cultural Anthropology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Political Science or other related disciplines of the Social Sciences or Humanities. Fluency in English and Mandarin Chinese is expected. For Ph.D. candidates: MA in Social /Cultural Anthropology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Political Science or other related disciplines of the Social Sciences or Humanities. Fluency in English and Mandarin Chinese is expected.

One of the oldest foundations in America, the Russell Sage Foundation was established by Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for "the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States." In its early years, the foundation undertook major projects in low-income housing, urban planning, social work, and labor reform. The foundation now dedicates itself exclusively to strengthening the methods, data, and theoretical core of the social sciences as a means of diagnosing social problems and improving social policies.

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to stimulate clinical research that applies a social genomics approach to chronic wound risk, presence, progression, and healing. The field of social genomics focuses on how the social environment influences gene expression, and how this gene expression may in turn impact health outcomes. Chronic wounds (e.g., diabetic ulcers, venous or arterial ulcers) are multidimensional and, as such, there is benefit to a holistic approach that goes beyond a focus on the wound (i.e., repairing the skin and underlying tissue) to include an approach that focuses on the person with the wound. A better understanding of social environmental factors (positive and negative) and associated molecular mechanisms is needed to advance therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing chronic wound risk in addition to improving healing outcomes and quality of life.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces the availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 funds for community-based projects for the Social and Economic Development Strategies-Alaska (SEDS-AK) program. SEDS-AK is designed to provide targeted support for Village-specific projects to improve and enhance the core capacity of Alaska Native Village governments, who are central to fulfilling social and economic self-sufficiency in Alaska. This program promotes economic and social self-sufficiency for Alaska Natives and is intended to respond to the unique governmental structures and needs in Alaska. The SEDS-AK supports the principle that social and economic development is interrelated and essential for the growth of thriving Native communities. ANA is interested in supporting community-driven projects that build and strengthen core governmental capacity in the areas of administration and project management at the Alaska Native Village level.