Deadline: 1 October 2023
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is proud to announce proposals for the second cycle of Free Inquiry Grant program, supporting research that advances the understanding of free speech and academic freedom.
Funding Information
- A total pool of $200,000 will be available in 2023, with a maximum amount of $65,000 per grant and no minimum amount.
Eligible Uses of Grant Funds
- Research expenses, paid access to polling and datasets, interviews and data collection, software, travel for the purpose of interviewing subjects, travel for the purpose of accessing archival materials, wages for research assistants paid hourly to work on grant project, journal submission fees and/or publication fees.
Eligible Fields
- They currently have the capacity to evaluate grant applications related to freedom of expression and academic freedom in the following fields: economics, education, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.
- They are open to proposals in other fields and, should they receive them, will seek evaluators for that field. If they are unable to find evaluators in said field, you will unfortunately not be eligible to receive a grant. Projects with an output consisting of a discrete piece of art — such as a film, painting, or poem — will not be eligible for funding through this grant program.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must currently be one of the following:
- Faculty — tenured, tenure-track, adjunct or otherwise — at an accredited institution of higher education.
- A Ph.D. student at an accredited institution of higher education.
- A postdoctoral researcher at an accredited institution of higher education.
- A researcher or fellow at a governmental or independent scholarly institution such as a laboratory or think tank.
- All grant recipients must sign a Grant Agreement as a condition of receiving grant funds. Previous applicants are eligible to apply.
- International eligibility: They accept grant applications from outside of the United States. However, FIRE does not distribute grant funds to individuals or organizations in countries subject to sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (OFAC) or that are listed on the Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List maintained by OFAC.
Submission Requirements
- All applications must include:
- An abstract summarizing the research project (no more than 300 words).
- An explanation of how the project will advance the understanding of freedom of expression or academic freedom (no more than 300 words).
- A detailed outline of the methodology of your proposed project (no more than 5 pages, single-spaced).
- A proposed itemized budget detailing how the requested funding will be used.
- Your CV/resume.
- Two suggestions for grant reviewers within the same field of your proposal who do not have a conflict of interest with your receipt of the grant.
Ineligible uses of Grant Funds: Retroactive funding of expenses prior to grant disbursement, computer hardware expenses, living expenses, salary supplementation.
For more information, visit Free Inquiry Grant Program.
