Institutional Challenge Grant
Sponsor: William T. Grant FoundationInternal Deadline: 08/03/2026Institutional Submission Limit: 1Sponsor Deadline: 09/09/2026Program Website
The William T. Grant Foundation Institutional Challenge Grant supports university-based research institutes, schools, and centers in building sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. The grant requires research institutions to shift policies and practices to value collaborative research, build researchers' capacity to produce relevant work, and build agency or nonprofit partners' capacity to use research.
The Foundation welcomes applications from partnerships in youth-serving areas such as education, justice, child welfare, foster care, mental health, immigration, and workforce development. The partnership's research agenda must focus on reducing inequality in academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes for young people ages 5-25 in the United States. The Foundation especially encourages proposals from teams with African American, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American members in leadership roles.
The program asks grantees to pursue four goals: grow an existing institutional partnership with a public agency or nonprofit organization; pursue a joint research agenda to reduce inequality in youth outcomes; create institutional change to value research-practice partnerships; and enhance both partners' capacity to collaborate on producing and using research evidence.
At least two awards will be made. Each award provides $650,000 over three years, including up to $60,000 for up to nine months of joint planning activities, funding for two years of a full-time equivalent mid-career fellowship, up to three years of support for the partnership to conduct and use research, and resources to advance institutional shifts and partner capacity.
Eligible partners include state or local public agencies and tax-exempt nonprofit organizations that are open to the general public and provide or coordinate services for youth ages 5-25 in relevant areas.
The Foundation is most interested in supporting existing research-practice partnerships that will use the grant to continue learning and growing. Partnerships should be far enough along to conduct the proposed work, but not so established that the grant adds little value to what is already in place.
There will be only one award per cycle.
Submission Process
Faculty interested in submitting for this opportunity should submit the following materials as a single PDF to Corporate and Foundation Relations at USCCFR@sc.edu by 5:00 p.m. on August 3, 2026.
· A 3–4-page concept summary written for a non-expert/lay audience that addresses the existing partnership, the public agency or nonprofit partner, the joint research agenda, the youth inequality
focus, proposed institutional changes, capacity-building activities, and the anticipated mid-career fellowship structure.
· A brief description of the PI's leadership role, influence on institutional policies/practices, and access to resources needed to implement the award.
· A brief description of the public agency or nonprofit lead's authority, influence, and role in institutionalizing the partnership and use of research evidence.
· A preliminary budget summary for the $650,000 request.
· A 2–3-page CV or resume for the PI and the lead from the public agency or nonprofit organization. If fellows have already been identified, please also include a brief CV or resume for each fellow.
· If available, a brief memorandum of understanding, partnership agreement, data-sharing agreement, or other document describing partnership goals, roles, governance, principles for working together, and timelines.
For questions regarding the following, please contact:
Jenni Asman, Corporate and Foundation Relations, University Development; asmanj@mailbox.sc.edu