Spencer Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: ~$20 million
Total Assets: ~$500 million
Success Rate: ~4.4% (98 funded out of 2,229 applications)
Decision Time: 5-8 months depending on program
Grant Range: $50,000 - $3,500,000
Geographic Focus: International (U.S. and worldwide)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.spencer.org
Address: 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-337-7000
Office Hours: 8am-4pm (Central Time)
Technical Support: Doris Fischer at dfischer@spencer.org
Application Portal: https://spencer.smartsimple.us
Pre-Application Support: Program officers available via "office hours" appointments through the website

Overview

The Spencer Foundation was established in 1962 by Lyle M. Spencer, founder of Science Research Associates (SRA), to investigate ways education, broadly conceived, might be improved. The Foundation received its major endowment upon Spencer's death in 1968 and began formal grant making in 1971. Since that time, it has awarded over $500 million in grants. With total assets of approximately $500 million and annual giving of around $20 million, the Spencer Foundation is one of the largest private funders dedicated exclusively to education research.

Under the leadership of President Na'ilah Suad Nasir (since 2017), the Foundation has deepened its commitment to equity, collaborative cross-disciplinary scholarship, and support for rigorous research that can transform educational systems. The Foundation supports researchers from the U.S. and internationally, funding studies across the entire life course and across diverse settings—from classrooms to workplaces to family and community contexts.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Small Research Grants on Education: Up to $50,000

Projects 1-5 years in duration
Field-initiated (no specific topic required)
Two application cycles per year
May include additional supplemental funds for course release

Large Research Grants on Education: $125,000 - $500,000

Three funding tiers: $125,000-$250,000; $250,001-$375,000; $375,001-$500,000
Projects 1-5 years in duration
Two-stage process: pre-proposal then full proposal by invitation
Moving to single annual cycle starting 2026

Racial Equity Research Grants: Up to $75,000

Focus on understanding and ameliorating racial inequality in education
Projects 1-5 years in duration
Current emphasis areas: youth and educator mental health, political challenges around DEI, youth civic education and engagement

Vision Grants: $75,000

Research planning grants (6-12 months)
For collaborative development of ambitious, large-scale research projects
Prerequisite for Transformative Research Grant applications

Transformative Research Grants: Up to $3,500,000

Available only to Vision Grant recipients
For large-scale research projects transforming education systems

Research-Practice Partnerships: Up to $400,000

Collaborative research between researchers and practitioners

Four Areas of Inquiry

The Relation Between Education and Social Opportunity
Organizational Learning in Schools, School Systems, and Higher Education Systems
Teaching, Learning, and Instructional Resources
Purposes and Values of Education

Field-initiated proposals not fitting these categories are also accepted.

What They Don't Fund

Program evaluation
Capital campaigns
Creation or maintenance of research centers
Scholarships
Direct grants to individuals (must go through administering organization)
Projects where PI lacks an earned doctorate (with limited exceptions)
Graduate students as PI or Co-PI

Governance and Leadership

President

Na'ilah Suad Nasir - President since 2017. Former UC Berkeley faculty in education and African American studies, former vice chancellor for equity and inclusion at UC Berkeley, and former faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Education. Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education. Served as AERA president 2021-2022. Her research examines the racialized and cultural nature of learning and schooling.

"Lyle Spencer charged the foundation with supporting research that would build knowledge for 'lasting improvement in education.'" — Na'ilah Nasir

Board of Directors

Cecilia Rios-Aguilar - Chair
Prudence Carter
Tyrone Howard
Kirabo Jackson
Nonie K. Lesaux
Eduardo Padrón
Jane R. Patterson
Rob Reich
Mike Williams

Senior Staff

Liz Carrick - Vice President for Administration and Chief of Staff
Andreason Brown - Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Leah Bricker - Director of Programs
Rhoda Freelon - Senior Program Officer for Strategic Engagement
Ezekiel Dixon-Román - Senior Advisor
Elizabeth Tipton - Senior Fellow
Michal Kurlaender - Senior Fellow

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Register at https://spencer.smartsimple.us
Small Grants: Submit full proposal by deadline
Large Grants: Submit pre-proposal first; if invited, submit full proposal
All proposals submitted in English with budgets in U.S. Dollars
Acknowledge compliance with AI policy guidelines

Application Deadlines (Current)

Large Research Grants:

Applications Open: December 10, 2025
Pre-Proposal Deadline: February 24, 2026, 12:00 PM CT
Full Proposal Deadline: June 23, 2026, 12:00 PM CT

Research-Practice Partnerships:

Full Proposal Deadline: March 31, 2026, 12:00 PM CT

Small Research Grants: Currently closed; typically two cycles per year

Decision Timeline

Small Grants: Plan project start 8+ months from submission deadline
Large Grants: Pre-proposal review → invitation to full proposal → final decision (6-8 months total)
Racial Equity Grants: 5-6 months for review, plus 1-2 months for award processing
Vision Grants: Plan start 7-8 months after proposal deadline

Notification Process

All submitters receive light feedback on pre-proposals. Selected applicants invited to submit full proposals. Final decisions communicated directly.

Success Rates

Highly competitive: approximately 4.4% acceptance rate (98 funded out of 2,229 applications in one cycle). The Foundation notes that tier one of Large Grants ($375,001-$500,000) has historically been the most competitive, while lower tiers have had better odds of funding.

Reapplication Policy

Spencer does not prohibit resubmission of revised proposals. However, resubmissions are considered among all new proposals without special status. Even addressing all reviewer feedback offers no guarantee of funding given the <10% funding rate.

Application Success Factors

What Spencer Looks For

The Foundation evaluates proposals on:

Research quality: Clarity, rigor, and feasibility
Relevance to education: Significance for advancing the field
Impact potential: Contribution to educational improvement or policy
Methodological soundness: Appropriate use of methods that best address research questions

Spencer's Own Guidance

Budget appropriateness: "Applicants are often encouraged to apply to the highest tiers and amounts of funding. However, in the case of Spencer's large grant program, we prefer that budgets are well-suited to the project design."
Tables and figures: "It is important that you describe or explain any tables or figures in the narrative portion of your proposal. Do not assume that tables and other figures are self-explanatory."
Vision Grants specifically: "We expect collaborations with practitioners, policymakers, young people, educators, non-profit organizations, governments, or communities. At the time of submission, proposals should name specific collaborators across sectors who have already agreed to participate."

Resources Available

Spencer provides extensive applicant resources:

"A Guide to Writing Successful Field-Initiated Research Grant Proposals"
"A Guide to Quantitative Research Proposals" by Elizabeth Tipton (Senior Fellow)
"Communicating Your Qualitative Research Design" by Frederick Erickson
Research-Practice Partnerships Writing Guide
Office hours with Program Officers for pre-submission consultation

Recent Funded Projects (Examples)

"Writing With ChatGPT: The Learning Promises and Perils of Co-Writing with Generative Models in College"
"Creating Transformative Possibility in Schools and Communities: Asian American Studies in Divergent Political Contexts"
"Focusing on Multiplicative Foundations to Enhance Access to Calculus"
"A Mixed Methods Examination of the Impacts of Climate Change Education on Students"

Budget Considerations

Indirect costs: 15% allowed on grants over $75,000; no indirect costs on grants $75,000 or less
Subcontracts: May include 15% IDC but excluded from main budget IDC calculation
Budget reallocation: Under 20% shifts don't require approval; email reallocation@spencer.org for larger changes

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Highly competitive: With ~4.4% success rate, proposals must be exceptional. Lower budget tiers historically have better odds than the highest tier.
Field-initiated flexibility: No specific topics required—propose research aligned with Spencer's four areas of inquiry or make a compelling case for why your work matters for education.
Budget-to-design fit: Don't request maximum funding—match your budget to what the project genuinely requires. Spencer explicitly states they prefer well-suited budgets.
Use their resources: Consult Spencer's writing guides by Tipton and Erickson. Schedule office hours with Program Officers before submitting.
Plan for timeline: Project starts should be 7-8 months after submission. Current unprecedented application volumes mean review processes are evolving.
One grant at a time: PIs/Co-PIs cannot hold multiple active Spencer grants or have multiple proposals under review simultaneously.
Equity focus: Under President Nasir's leadership, equity considerations are increasingly important. The Racial Equity Research Grants program emphasizes mental health, DEI challenges, and civic engagement.

References

Accessed December 2025