Core Research Grants - Future of Work

The Future of Work program by the Russell Sage Foundation investigates the decline in quality of low-wage jobs in the U.S. It explores factors such as outsourcing, immigration, union decline, and technological changes. Current research focuses on minimum wage impacts, offshoring effects, and job search behaviors influencing employment outcomes, particularly for women and minorities in the post-recession labor market. This grant aims to enhance understanding of these critical issues affecting low-education workers.

The Future of Work program examines the causes and consequences of the deteriorating quality of low-wage jobs in the United States. Projects sponsored by the program have examined a wide range of causal factors, from foreign outsourcing and immigration to the decline of unions and technological change, that may have depressed the wages of low-education workers. Current research under this program includes a new investigation to re-assess how minimum wage increases affect employment and the broader labor market; a new study of the extent of offshoring of production by U.S. firms and its impact on the economy; and a project that examines the role of job search behaviors on the employment and wage outcomes of women and minorities in the post-recessionary U.S. labor market, among others.

Eligibility

All applicants (both PIs and Co-PIs) must have a doctorate. In rare circumstances, RSF may consider applications from scholars who do not hold a doctorate but can demonstrate a strong career background that establishes their ability to conduct high-level, peer-reviewed scholarly research. Students may not be applicants.

Submit a letter of inquiry through RSF's Fluxx application portal by October 28, 2026, 2 p.m. ET. About 15% of LOIs are invited to submit a full proposal (due February 22, 2027); funding decisions June 2027, grants start on or after September 1, 2027.