Small Grant Program for the Advancement of the Discipline

American Sociological Assoc, Bethel Park PA

Investigators

Abstract

SES-0417832 Roberta Spalter-Roth American Sociological Association This grant allows the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue its partnership with the American Sociological Association's (ASA) Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD), a highly successful joint supported small grants program that ASA administers at a minimal cost. Through their dollar-for-dollar match, the ASA and NSF have been able to double their investment in new science under the auspices of the FAD program. The award represents steady state funding from the previous (2001-2004) cycle and provides support an additional six rounds of competitive grants. During the 2001-2004 cycle, FAD received 110 applications, and awarded 30 peer-reviewed grants to a larger percent of young investigators at a wider array of institutions than in previous cycles. These small grants (with a maximum of $7,000 per grant) represent a strong record of intellectual merit. The 2001-2004 cycle advanced sociological theory and concepts. New areas that were explored included connections between global integration and social movements, globalization and gender regimes, geographic space and inequality, and identity and institutional structure. FAD projects also re-conceptualized and refined sociological methods and techniques. Some of these advances included new techniques for measuring and analyzing wealth, household structural, geographic space, the constructions of social problems and public policy, and the impact of technology on communities. Some of the indicators of the merit of these projects include an average of 2.7 publications and 4.0 presentations per project. For every $1.00 spent through ASA/NSF funding, award-winning projects subsequently received an additional $5.33 in research funding from other organizations. The broader impact of these projects includes substantial student training, curriculum modification, and media attention. The scholarly and educational impacts of FAD projects far outweigh the cost of these small grants. In addition, ASA will increase its outreach activities by disseminating findings that result from FAD awards to the media.