William T. Grant Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $16,470,600 (2023 tax year)
• Success Rate: Highly competitive (4-6 Scholars selected annually for Scholars Programme)
• Decision Time: Approximately 3 months from application deadline
• Grant Range: $25,000 - $1,000,000
• Geographic Focus: United States (research benefiting youth ages 5-25)

Contact Details

Website: https://wtgrantfoundation.org
Phone: 212-752-0071
Email: info@wtgrantfdn.org
Address: 60 East 42nd Street, 43rd Floor, New York, NY 10165
Social: Twitter @wtgrantfdn | LinkedIn: William T. Grant Foundation

Overview

The William T. Grant Foundation is a philanthropic foundation dedicated to supporting high-quality research to improve the lives of young people in the United States. The foundation focuses specifically on youth ages 5-25 and funds research in two primary areas: reducing inequality in youth outcomes and improving the use of research evidence in policy and practice. Led by President Adam Gamoran, the foundation supports both established and early-career researchers through various grant programmes ranging from small exploratory studies to major multi-year research initiatives. The foundation particularly encourages proposals from underrepresented institutions including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality

• Major Research Grants: $100,000 - $600,000 (2-3 years) - Supports studies examining programmes, policies, or practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes
• Officers' Research Grants: $25,000 - $50,000 (1-2 years) - For exploratory or pilot studies
• Application Method: Online portal, annual deadline January 7

Research Grants on Improving Use of Research Evidence

• Major Research Grants: $100,000 - $1,000,000 (2-4 years) - Funds research on strategies to improve use of research evidence
  • Secondary data analysis: $100,000 - $300,000
  • New data collection: $300,000 - $600,000
  • Experimental studies: Potentially above $600,000
• Officers' Research Grants: $25,000 - $50,000 (1-2 years)
• Application Method: Online portal, annual deadline January 7

William T. Grant Scholars Programme

• $425,000 over 5 years (including up to 7.5% indirect costs)
• For early-career researchers (within 7 years of doctoral degree)
• Application Method: Annual competition

Institutional Challenge Grant

• Amounts vary
• Supports institutional capacity building for research

Youth Service Grants

• Capacity-Building Grants and Improvement Grants
• Amounts and details vary by programme

Priority Areas

• Reducing inequality in academic, social, behavioural, or economic outcomes for young people ages 5-25
• Research on inequality dimensions including race, ethnicity, economic standing, sexual/gender minority status, language minority status, or immigrant origins
• Improving the use of research evidence in policy and practice
• Studies on research use in politically charged contexts (priority theme for upcoming cycles)
• Mixed-methods approaches that advance theoretical understanding

What They Don't Fund

• Studies primarily focused on physical health outcomes
• Research that only documents causes or consequences of inequality without examining solutions
• Non-research activities such as programme implementation or service delivery
• Studies using vague categorisations like "at-risk youth" without specific inequality dimensions
• Proposals that don't directly benefit U.S. youth ages 5-25

Governance and Leadership

President: Adam Gamoran
Board of Trustees includes: Donna Bullock and Stefanie DeLuca

The foundation values diverse perspectives and actively encourages applications from researchers at underrepresented institutions. Leadership emphasises the importance of rigorous research methods, strong theoretical grounding, and clear potential for informing policy and practice.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through the SmartSimple online platform. The foundation offers multiple grant programmes with coordinated application cycles:

1. Create an account in the SmartSimple system
2. Submit Letter of Inquiry (for some programmes) or full proposal
3. Applications open: November 12
4. Deadline: January 7 at 3:00 PM EST
5. Important: Only one application per cycle allowed as Principal Investigator (recent policy)

Pre-application support includes information sessions and webinars. Email enquiries to info@wtgrantfdn.org are encouraged.

Decision Timeline

• Application deadline: January 7
• Review process: Approximately 3 months
• Scholars Programme: Interviews in February, decisions by end of March
• Research Grants: Decision timeline approximately 3-4 months from deadline

Success Rates

• William T. Grant Scholars Programme: Highly competitive with 4-6 scholars selected annually
• Research Grants: Specific success rates not publicly available but described as competitive

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in subsequent cycles. The foundation encourages applicants to carefully review feedback and strengthen proposals before resubmitting.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's stated review criteria and priorities:

• Strong conceptualisation of inequality: Proposals must clearly identify specific dimensions of inequality (race, ethnicity, economic standing, etc.) rather than using vague terms
• Alignment with foundation interests: Explicitly connect research to reducing inequality or improving use of research evidence
• Rigorous methods: Demonstrate appropriate research design and analytical approaches for the research questions
• Feasibility: Show realistic timelines, appropriate team expertise, and institutional support
• Practice and policy relevance: Clearly articulate how findings will inform real-world applications
• Mixed methods encouraged: The foundation values creative approaches combining qualitative and quantitative methods
• Practitioner involvement: Including policymakers or practitioners in research design strengthens proposals
• Indirect costs capped: Maximum 15% for research grants, 7.5% for Scholars Programme

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Focus explicitly on youth ages 5-25 in the United States - this is non-negotiable
• Choose one specific dimension of inequality and examine solutions, not just problems
• The foundation prioritises research with clear pathways to policy or practice application
• Recent policy: You can only submit one application per cycle as PI, so choose your strongest project
• Consider the foundation's interest in research use in "politically charged contexts" for upcoming cycles
• Budget requests should align with project scope - they offer different funding tiers based on data needs
• Underrepresented institutions (HBCUs, HSIs, Tribal Colleges) are especially encouraged to apply

References

• William T. Grant Foundation Homepage. https://wtgrantfoundation.org
• Research Grants on Reducing Inequality Programme Page. https://wtgrantfoundation.org/grants/research-grants-reducing-inequality
• Research Grants on Improving Use of Research Evidence Programme Page. https://wtgrantfoundation.org/grants/research-grants-improving-use-research-evidence
• William T. Grant Scholars Programme Page. https://wtgrantfoundation.org/william-t-grant-scholars-program
• Foundation Contact Page. https://wtgrantfoundation.org/contact