The Brady Education Foundation is currently accepting Research Project (RP) proposals and Existing Program Evaluation (EPE) proposals that have the potential to provide data that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and family income.
Aims
Existing Program Evaluation (EPE proposals):
Primary aim:
What works: The primary aim must concern evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to promote positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years) with the goal of informing ways to close the educational opportunity gaps associated with race, ethnicity, and income.
Secondary aims may also focus on one or more of the following:
What works for whom, under what conditions: Investigate variations in program effects; that is, test for moderation effects that inform whether effects are stronger for certain groups and/or under certain conditions than other groups or conditions.
Reasons for effects: Investigate mechanisms through which effects occur; that is, test for mediation effects that inform why the program is effective.
Cost-benefit analyses: Compare the total costs of the program (start-up and ongoing operational costs) with its estimated monetary benefits to determine the net cost or benefit associated with the program.
Research Project (RP) proposals:
Primary and secondary aims:
The Primary and any secondary aims must concern obtaining information that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and/or family income.
Funding Information
Indirect costs may not be charged on grants that have a total project budget (including all years of the grant) of $50,000 or less (i.e., the indirect costs rate on grants $50,000 or less is 0%).
For grants that have a total project budget (including all years of the grant) over $50,000, the Foundation caps indirect costs for both primary institutions and subcontracts at 10% of the direct costs of the project.
Primary institution may not charge additional indirect costs on subcontract funds.
Duration
The proposed project may span up to three years.
Eligibillty Criteria
The Foundation favors projects that:
Represent strong collaborative relationships between researchers and practitioners and other community stakeholders (as appropriate).
Projects that include a member of the team (not necessarily the PI) who has experience leading projects of similar or greater scope. Applicants at all career stages may apply; teams are evaluated in terms of their abilities to successfully carry out the proposed work.
Projects that investigate ecocultural strengths (the set of sociocultural practices sustained by community values and beliefs and embedded in children’s daily life which enable the development of foundational skills in racially minoritized and linguistically diverse children).
For Existing Program Evaluations, specifically:
Projects that evaluate programs consistent with strength-based approaches rather than deficit models and consider the specific and unique assets and needs of children from diverse racial and ethnic groups and/or from low-income communities. Concerning race and ethnicity, the Foundation seeks to increase understanding of what works best for children from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds (e.g., Black / African Heritage, Latine, Indigenous Peoples).
Projects for which operational funding for the program is already secured so that funding from the Foundation is used only for evaluation activities.
Projects that employ randomized control designs (including wait-list control designs when assignment to wait-list condition is randomized) to assess the impact of the program. Comparison group designs may also be employed when strong efforts are made to control for potential confounding variables (e.g., due to selection effects). The Foundation very rarely funds evaluation projects that employ neither randomized control nor comparison group designs.
Projects that evaluate programs that show promise of being feasible, accessible, and sustainable
Projects that evaluate effects on measurable child outcomes.
Ineligibility Criteria
The Foundation does not fund:
Scholarships
Capital projects
Continuing education for providers
Projects outside of the United States or its territories
Support for scaling up programs already found to be effective
Evaluations conducted by for-profit organizations
Evaluations of for-profit programs
Evaluation of programs for children at risk for poor cognitive and academic outcomes due to medical conditions (including developmental delays or disabilities associated with biological causes) or substance abuse
