Professional Development Grant for Emerging Scholars (United States)

In addition, grantees will have the opportunity to participate in professional development and networking events organized by the Center, such as training in applying an equity lens to research communications and conducting policy–relevant research.

Funding Information

• The Center provides awards of up to $3,000 that can be used to cover expenses related to professional development or as seed funds to support research activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be a PhD student or early scholar (up to 7 years post-PhD) in economics, public policy, sociology, demography, population sciences, and related social science fields.
• Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in research focused on Hispanic families and children and their economic mobility and well-being.
• The Center is particularly interested in supporting scholars whose work increases the understanding of the economic characteristics, resources, and experiences of Hispanic parents and families, and how basic cash assistance, especially the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and other social assistance programs can best support the economic well-being of Hispanic families. Specific topics of interest include (but are not restricted to):
  • Equitable access to and delivery of human services (i.e., services that address basic human needs such as food, housing, health care, child care, education, and employment);
  • How policies and their implementation shape access to and use of government benefits;
  • Economic stability and how cash assistance and other benefits affect income stability; and
  • Effective strategies for promoting job and education training that can support economic mobility.

Evaluation Criteria

• Upon review for completeness and verification of eligibility, applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
  • Alignment of applicant’s research experience or interests with research focused on Hispanic families and children.
  • Alignment of applicant’s research experience or interests with research focused on poverty, economic mobility, and/or human service delivery.
  • Degree to which applicant’s diverse experiences inform their ability to center equity and cultural responsiveness in their work.
  • Degree to which applicant’s research applies innovative frameworks, methods, or approaches to advance research focused on Latino populations.
  • Extent to which professional development funds will help advance the applicant’s career, relative to resources available. Applicants from HSIs or EHSIs will receive an additional point in this criterion, as these institutions tend to have fewer financial resources available than other colleges and universities.

For more information, visit National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families.