The Spencer Foundation invests in research to improve education, broadly conceived. 

The Vision Grants program is designed to support the field in producing research that disrupts long-standing inequities toward more just and equitable systems. While we are in a time of major challenges in education, we are also in a moment of possibility. We believe that visionary and cross-disciplinary/multi-method scholarship, conducted in generative and equitable collaboration with stakeholders in the field, including policymakers, practitioners, and communities, can contribute to reimagining and transforming educational systems toward equity.   

Vision Grants will provide planning funds for teams to develop proposals for research projects that:  

• Are focused on key challenges and opportunities that have the potential for increasing equity in education 
• Engage multiple PIs across distinct disciplinary and/or research methods approaches 
• Collaborate equitably with practitioners, policymakers, and communities (and other stakeholders) 
• Have clear sightlines to transformational change through research at a systemic level 

Eligibility

Proposals to the Vision Grant program must be for planning research projects that study education and/or learning, broadly conceived, though they can include other sectors in addition to education. Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Vision Grant must have appropriate experience or an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or terminal degree in a professional field. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.  

The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Examples include non-profit private or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS (or equivalent non-profit status if the organization is outside of the United States).  

PIs and Co-PIs may apply for a Vision Grant if they have another active research grant from the Spencer Foundation or if they have another Spencer grant proposal in review.  

Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally. All proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars.  

• Email: visiongrants@spencer.org