W E Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $29,934,192 (2023)
Total Assets: $251.3 million (2023)
Grant Range: $2,500 - $10,000 (research grants)
Success Rate: 14.5% (2025 Early Career Research Awards)
Decision Time: Approximately 3 months (applications in January, decisions in April)
Geographic Focus: National/International (research grants focus on U.S. employment policy)

Contact Details

Main Office: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Grant Application Portal:

Early Career Research Awards: https://www.upjohn.org/form/ecra
Dissertation Award: Information available at https://www.upjohn.org/dissertation-award

Overview

The W E Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation was established in 1932 by W.E. Upjohn, founder of the Upjohn Company, six weeks before his death. Tax-exempt since March 1933, the organisation created what is today the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research on July 1, 1945. With assets of $251.3 million, the Institute functions as one of the world's leading independent, non-partisan, and non-profit labour economics research organisations. The organisation's mission is to conduct research into the causes and effects of unemployment and to devise ways and means of alleviating hardships caused by unemployment. The Institute has earned a 4/4 Star rating on Charity Navigator with a 100% Accountability & Finance beacon score. Dr. Upjohn's generous gift continues to provide unique opportunities of long-term sustainability, consistency in purpose, and the freedom to research issues and experiment with innovative approaches.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Early Career Research Awards: $7,500 per award

For junior researchers within six years of earning a PhD
Policy-related research on employment issues
Applications accepted annually in January, awards announced in April
256 awards granted since programme founding in 2007
10 awards made in 2025 from 69 applications (14.5% success rate)
Online application portal

Dissertation Research Grants (with Russell Sage Foundation): Up to $10,000 per grant

For current doctoral students at U.S. institutions
At least six grants awarded annually
Must have completed all requirements except dissertation
Particular interest in research affecting BIPOC communities
Deadline typically in early February

Dissertation Award: First prize $2,500; Honourable mentions $1,000

For completed dissertations accepted in prior 24 months
Any academic discipline with substantial policy focus
Sponsored annually since 1995
Deadline in mid-July

Priority Areas

Research proposals on all issues related to:

Employment and public workforce policy
How policies affect overall labour market outcomes
Labour market outcomes of different demographic groups
Causes and effects of unemployment
Measures for alleviating unemployment
Workforce development
Automation and labour force participation

Disciplines welcomed: Economics, sociology, public policy, political science, and related fields

What They Don't Fund

The Upjohn Institute research grants are specifically for academic researchers and policy-relevant employment research. They do not fund:

Non-research activities
Operational support for organisations
Projects without employment policy focus

Note: The Trustee Corporation also makes larger grants to workforce development organisations in Michigan, including substantial funding to Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency Foundation ($2.4 million) and Michigan State AFL-CIO Workforce Development Institute ($1.5 million), but these grants appear to be awarded through internal decision-making rather than open application processes.

Governance and Leadership

President

Michael W. Horrigan (since March 2019) - Former associate commissioner with the Bureau of Labour Statistics, with over 40 years at BLS before joining the Upjohn Institute. Horrigan oversees policy-related research to understand and alleviate unemployment problems, changing employment relationships, and place-based policies for community prosperity.

On the Institute's strategic vision, Horrigan has stated: "We absolutely will want to go deeper. We want to leverage the things we know how to do really well, in a way that's intentional. We'll also look at going broader, while at the same time be disciplined about which initiatives we undertake." Regarding the research team, he noted: "The researchers are doing exceptional work and I'm looking forward to building on that research in a way that has even greater impact."

Vice President and Director of Research

Alfonso Flores-Lagunes - Succeeded Susan Houseman, who transitioned to full-time Senior Economist

Board of Trustees

Donald R. Parfet, Chair - Managing Director of Apjohn Group LLC, General Partner of Apjohn Ventures; former executive at Pharmacia; serves on boards of Kelly Services, Inc. and Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Chair of Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees
Sydney E. Parfet, Vice Chair
Kathryn Fink - Experience in human resources at Stryker
Jorge G. Gonzalez
Bill Manns
Jesse Rothstein - Professor of Public Policy and Economics at UC Berkeley; holds Carmel P. Friesen Chair in Public Policy and David Pierpont Gardner Chair in Higher Education; co-director of California Policy Lab; former Chief Economist at U.S. Department of Labour
La June Montgomery Tabron - President and CEO of W.K. Kellogg Foundation since 2013; first woman and first African American CEO of the Foundation; holds MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management
Amanda Van Dusen

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Early Career Research Awards:

Submit online at https://www.upjohn.org/form/ecra
Deadline: Typically in January
Award announcement: April
Programme announcement PDF and FAQs available on website

Dissertation Research Grants:

Application through Russell Sage Foundation website
Deadline: Typically in early February
Application form downloadable from Russell Sage Foundation
Requires dissertation supervisor verification

Dissertation Award:

Deadline: Typically in mid-July
Requires letter of endorsement from dissertation advisor
Dissertation must be accepted during 24-month period ending 30 June

Decision Timeline

Early Career Research Awards: Applications submitted in January, with decisions and announcements in April (approximately 3 months)

Dissertation Research Grants: Applications in early February, awards announced in spring

Dissertation Award: Applications in mid-July, winners announced in autumn

Success Rates

Early Career Research Awards (2025): 10 winners selected from 69 applications = 14.5% success rate

Historical context: 256 Early Career Research Awards have been granted since the programme began in 2007 (average of approximately 14 awards per year).

Dissertation Research Grants: At least 6 grants awarded annually; total number of applications not publicly disclosed

Dissertation Award: First prize and up to two honourable mentions from all eligible submissions

Reapplication Policy

The Institute accepts applications annually for each programme. No specific restrictions on reapplication are mentioned in available materials.

Application Success Factors

Policy Relevance is Critical: The Institute emphasises "policy-related research on employment issues." Applications should clearly articulate how the research will inform employment policy decisions and have practical implications for addressing labour market challenges.

Clarity on Research Impact: Award recipients are expected to write a research paper for submission to the Institute's working paper series and prepare a synopsis for use as a policy brief and possible publication in Employment Research newsletter. Applications should demonstrate understanding of these expectations and ability to communicate research to policy audiences.

Alignment with Institute Focus Areas: Recent award winners (2023-2025) have researched topics including:

Criminal justice and later-life social safety net benefits
Internal and external job ladders in the U.S. labour market
Strategic firm behaviour under advance notice regulations
Homelessness (2024 Dissertation Award winner Angela Wyse)
Immigration policy and international remote work

Broad Yet Focused Scope: President Horrigan has articulated a strategy to "go deeper" in areas of strength while "going broader" in a disciplined way. Applications should demonstrate both depth of expertise and breadth of policy relevance.

Cross-Disciplinary Welcome: While many awardees come from economics, the Institute explicitly welcomes researchers from sociology, public policy, political science, and related fields. Don't be deterred if your primary discipline isn't economics - policy relevance and methodological rigour matter most.

For Dissertation Research Grants: Special emphasis on "policy-relevant work that advances understanding of issues faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities." Applications addressing equity and racial justice in employment contexts are particularly valued.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Apply early in your career: Early Career Research Awards target researchers within six years of PhD - this is a prime opportunity for junior faculty to secure funding and build their research portfolio
Emphasise policy applications: Every grant programme stresses policy relevance over purely theoretical contributions; clearly articulate how your research will inform decision-makers
Understand the modest funding levels: Awards range from $2,500 to $10,000 - these are designed to support specific research projects, not comprehensive programme funding
Prepare for public dissemination: Recipients commit to working paper series submission and policy brief development; demonstrate your ability to translate research for policy audiences
Competitive but achievable: With a 14.5% success rate for Early Career Awards, the competition is significant but not insurmountable for well-aligned applications
Timing matters: Annual deadlines in January/February require planning ahead; awards announced in spring allow for summer/academic year research
Long-term institutional commitment: 256 Early Career Awards since 2007 and annual Dissertation Awards since 1995 demonstrate sustained commitment to supporting emerging researchers in employment policy

References

All sources accessed December 22, 2025

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