Center for Research Quality: Faculty:

Research & Applications for Social Change Grant

Walden realizes that the scholars and social change practitioners within the university community may be engaged in social change activities or have a desire to develop research and applied projects that directly relate to social change. The Research and Applications for Social Change Grant was established to enable members of the Walden community to make a significant and meaningful change in academic and social communities, both locally and globally.

The grant will be awarded to the applicants who submit outstanding proposals that reflect the university’s mission to foster social change through research and the education of scholar-practitioners as well as Walden’s determination to uniquely effect positive social change worldwide.

Please contact grants@mail.waldenu.edu with questions about the Research & Applications for Social Change Grant Program and the Social Change Fellows Program.

Social Change Fellows

Application Deadline: November 1st annually

Recipients Announced: December 1st annually:

Research or Project Completion Date: December 31st of following year

• Must be a Walden University employee in good standing for at least 2 years.
• Must not have been a recipient of a Presidential Research Fellowship or a Research and Applications for Social Change grant sponsored by Walden University within the last 5 years.
• Must have at least 2 years of documented social change activities, research, initiatives, etc., in keeping with the Walden University Mission and Vision.
• Must have research ethics (IRB) approval for proposed project, if applicable.

This request for proposals (RFP) is for one-time, short-term (1 year, maximum) projects. Projects must be completed within 1 calendar year from the date the grant was awarded as specified in the grant proposal. In order for any grant monies to be disbursed to the recipient, proof of compliance with Walden University regulations regarding the protection of human subjects in research and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is required.

The availability of grant funds varies depending upon the type of candidate (faculty, student, staff, alumni, or external candidate) as well as the structure of the proposed research or applied project team. While only research proposals or applied social change projects that are determined to be of exceptional scholarly merit will be funded, proposals submitted by students will be considered for funding from a separate pool in an effort to recognize newly emerging scholar-practitioners. The grant funds cannot be used for tuition at Walden or another institution.

Grant funding will be scaffolded to prioritize transdisciplinary collaborative approaches to research and applications of social change projects. As such, applicants are encouraged to apply for the grant level that best aligns with the structure of their proposed research and/or project. The number of grants awarded in each funding level will be determined by the quality and size of the applicant pool as well as the availability of program funds.

Note: Students may be included within the research team, but the team must be led by faculty or staff members.

There are three levels of funding:

• $17,500 grant ceiling for multi-partner, collaborative, transdisciplinary approach to research and applications for social change.
  • The research or project team must be composed of at least two, if not more, Walden faculty or staff members working in different disciplines.
  • The research or project team must also include colleagues and/or partners external to Walden in addition to the two Walden faculty or staff members.
• $12,500 grant ceiling for collaborative approaches to research and applications for social change.
  • The research or project team is composed of two, or more, Walden faculty, or staff working in different disciplines or from the same discipline.
  • In addition to two, or more, Walden faculty, or staff from the same discipline, the research and/or project team may also include colleagues or partners external to Walden.
• $7,500 grant ceiling for a single Walden faculty or staff investigator submitting a social change research proposal or applied project. 

“Transdisciplinary Research is defined as research efforts conducted by investigators from different disciplines working jointly to create new conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and translational innovations that integrate and move beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem.”

“Transdisciplinary Research Definition: Harvard University School of Public Health

The overall merit of the proposed social change research or applied project will be considered and evaluated by Walden’s Chief Academic Officer, working with a review committee. Since faculty and staff may submit a grant application that proposes either an applied social change project or social change research, the specific selection criteria for each type of grant proposal is detailed below.

Social Change Research-Based Proposals

The final selection will be made based upon the following general criteria:

• Intrinsic scientific and technical merit of the work.
• Generation of new knowledge and/or innovative solutions to improve social, economic, or environmental conditions.
• Potential impact of the proposed activity on the academic field of study (publishability).
• Demonstration of potential for long-term application of knowledge or practices that can lead to significant positive change for people, organizations, communities, or society.
• Likelihood that the award will provide significant progress on research that will serve as the basis for future studies.
• Evidence of collaboration or willingness to collaborate with other faculty, staff, or students as appropriate.
• Demonstration of efficient and effective use of resources.
• Likelihood that the proposed work would be completed during the award period.
• Potential for the award to provide a basis for further research support from external sponsors.

Applications in Social Change Project Proposals

The final selection will be made based upon the following general criteria:

• Intrinsic technical merit of the work.
• Generation of applied knowledge and/or innovative solutions to improve social, economic, or environmental conditions.
• Demonstration of potential for long-term application of knowledge or practices that can lead to significant positive change for people, organizations, communities, or society.
• Evidence of collaboration or willingness to collaborate with other faculty, staff, or students as appropriate.
• Likelihood that the award will provide significant progress on a project that will serve as the basis for sustained practices that foster ongoing positive social change.
• Demonstration of an effective plan for dissemination of the knowledge acquired.
• Demonstration of efficient and effective use of resources.
• Potential for the award to provide a basis for further funding support from external sponsors. 

Please submit a grant application containing all of the items specified below, including all requested attachments. Each applicant may submit or be included as part of only one grant proposal.

Applications should be submitted electronically to the Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), at grants@mail.waldenu.edu.

Applications should include, and be ordered, as follows:

1. Cover Page
2. Project or Research Abstract
3. Project or Research Description
4. Project or Research Budget and Timetable (Excel Attachment)
5. Human Subjects Review
6. Plans for Dissemination of Project Impact and/or Research Findings
7. Intended Deliverables and Measurable Outcomes
8. C.V. or NIH-formatted Bio-sketch

Specific instructions about how to complete each section of the itemized proposal elements above is available in the Faculty & Staff Required Proposal Elements document.