Community Action Research Initiative Grants

Scholarship Sponsored by American Sociological Association

The Community Action Research Initiative (CARI) grants, sponsored by the American Sociological Association, are open for applications. These grants are designed to support projects that apply social science knowledge and methodologies to solve community-based issues. To be eligible, applicants must be either pursuing a PhD in sociology or already hold one, and must be planning to collaborate with community organizations or initiatives.

The Association welcomes applications from individuals in diverse work environments, such as academic institutions, research institutes, private and non-profit organizations, and government agencies. Graduate students are also eligible, but the grant cannot be used to fund dissertation research. While being an ASA member is not a prerequisite for application, it is mandatory for grant recipients. All members of the ASA are expected to adhere to the ASA Code of Ethics. If required, grantees must also provide relevant IRB approval. Grants can cover up to $3,000 in direct costs, but cannot be used for institutional overhead, scholarly meeting expenses, or the principal investigator’s salary.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via Foundant, the ASA's online grant submission platform. If you're a first-time user, you'll need to create a profile. If you've applied for an ASA grant before, simply log in with your existing credentials. New users will need to fill out a registration form with basic personal information, including an email address. After completing the form, ensure you've received an email confirmation and acknowledge it. Make sure your spam filters are set correctly to receive emails from the system. For a step-by-step guide on account creation, click here.

An application should include:

• Principal Investigator(s) contact details: Name, current institution or organization, mailing address, email address
• Title of your project
• A 500-word limit description of the project, its objectives, the strategies to achieve them, and its sociological relevance to a policy issue
• A 500-word limit description of the community organization or initiative you plan to collaborate with, and how your project aligns with their mission
• A 500-word limit description of the anticipated tangible outcomes of the project, including your strategy for disseminating any findings (dissemination can occur post-grant period)
• A letter of support from the community organization or initiative that will be partnering with the project (one-page limit)
• A CV for each Principal Investigator
• A comprehensive project budget and timeline

Key Dates

Application deadline: 5:00 p.m. ET, August 28, 2025

Announcement of awards: By December 4, 2025