Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System Grant

Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Russell Sage Foundation
Amount: Up to US $100,000
Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Summary

The Russell Sage Foundation is launching the Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System Grant to support early-career scholars in conducting causal research related to the criminal justice system, including police, courts, and probation. This initiative aims to build a pipeline of researchers and enhance collaboration through a capstone conference. Eligible applicants must be tenure-track assistant professors in the U.S. The next deadline is expected in April 2026, with a budget limit of $100,000 for one-year projects.

Overview

NOTE: The next deadline is expected to be in early April 2026 Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System The Russell Sage Foundation (RSF), in collaboration with the Criminal Justice program at Arnold Ventures (AV) is pleased to announce its first annual grants competition for early-career scholars, "Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System" (CRCJ). Our goal is to cultivate a pipeline of researchers conducting causal research on the criminal justice system. Criminal justice policies and practices include the work of police, courts, jails, prisons, probation and parole, and immigration detention. Guidelines Research Conference Grantees must present their findings at a capstone conference at the end of the 1-year grant. Investigators, mentors, advisory committee members, and other experts will participate. The conference will focus on improving the quality of the research and fostering collaboration among researchers. Administrative Procedures The grant must be administered by the PI’s university. RSF will pay the entire grant amount upon submission of all completed due diligence documents. At the end of the grant period, the PI must submit a final substantive report to RSF along with an official financial report from the university/college and copies of all research papers supported by the grant. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System Competition How are mentors selected?RSF will pair grantees with mentors working in the same field and provide an honorarium for the mentors. The PIs suggest potential mentors, our reviewers and advisory committee suggests potential mentors, and RSF facilitates a match.What do the mentors do?While each mentor/mentee relationship is different, RSF expects the mentorship to be both for the project and for the PIs. There should be semi regular check-ins to discuss the project, questions on navigating academia, etc.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. EligibilityApplicants must be tenure-track assistant professors at a college or university in the U.S. by August 1 of the application year. Associate professors are eligible to be co-PIs on projects but cannot receive salary support. Budget GuidelinesA budget is not required at the time of submission.For general budget guidelines, see our budget requirements. The following are special budget exceptions that are specific to this competition.The budget guidelines listed here supersede any conflicting guidelines listed on the general budget webpage.Budgets are limited to $100,000 (including up to 15 percent for indirect costs)Projects are limited to 1-yearPI/co-PI salary support is limited to $15,000 per eligible investigatorCourse buyouts are allowed as equivalent salary supportUS-based conference travel is allowed, limited to $3,000 per investigatorRepresentative categories of expenditure that should be described in the budget narrative include:Salary Support or Course Buyouts(Total request cannot exceed 2 summer months per assistant professor)Data acquisition, such as data access fees or the purchase of data setsData collectionIncluding at least two survey firm quotes if applicableResearch assistanceTravelFor data collection or conferences.RSF will reimburse participants for reasonable travel expenses to attend the conference (separately from the grant budget).Other research expenses will be considered on a case-by-case basis. ProposalProjects must align with the competition’s funding priorities. Proposals must include causal research designs that can reliably isolate the treatment effects of a policy, practice, or intervention.Examples include difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variables, and randomized controlled trials.Mixed methods projects will be considered if a causal research design is central to the proposal.The foundation’s mission specifies that projects must focus on the United States. In some exceptional cases, RSF may consider data collected outside the U.S. (e.g., experimental data, survey data, etc.) if the researcher can demonstrate that the data needed for the project is not available/collectable in the U.S., and that the data has direct and strong relevance to understanding social and living conditions in the U.S.Proposals are limited to ten single-spaced pages (with standard 12-point font, and 1-inch margins), and must include a very brief literature review, detailed information on the research question, hypotheses, research methods and data, analytic plan, and project timeline.Also required are an abbreviated CV (5 pages max) for the PI and any co-PIs.If a proposal is selected for funding, RSF will require a detailed budget and a budget justification (1-2 pages).All proposals must include a detailed justification and breakdown of costs to support the budget, including a detailed justification and breakdown of all line items in subcontracts, consultants, data collection fees, survey firms, etc.

Ineligibility

Post-doctoral fellows are not eligible to be PIs or co-PIs but can be included on and receive funding on a grant if an assistant professor is the PI.We do not require or accept letters of inquiry for this competition.References do not count towards the page limit.Applications will be accepted or rejected with no possibility of subsequent negotiation.However, you may apply again in future competitions.RSF does not provide funds for any of the following expenses:Rent or other payments for office space.Sabbaticals or fellowships at other institutions, even if the PI will be working on an RSF project.Tuition remission for graduate or undergraduate students.Personnel or other costs related to editing or communications or dissemination or publication, including journal publication fees.Travel for collaboration purposes (meetings among PIs/collaborators) or dissemination/presentation of findings (conference travel).The development of the data collection instrument and sample design as part of the proposed project.Generic costs, such as copying, printing, mailing, phone calls, office supplies, information/computer services, etc., as these are typically considered to be a part of indirect costs.