RSF: Visiting Scholars Program Grant

The Russell Sage Foundation's Visiting Scholars Program offers a prestigious opportunity for scholars in social sciences to conduct research and writing at their New York City headquarters. Annually, 15 to 17 fellowships are awarded to applicants at least two years post-Ph.D. Scholars engage in diverse projects related to vital social issues while benefiting from office space, resources, and financial support for their salary. This program emphasizes intellectual engagement and collaboration among scholars across disciplines.

The Russell Sage Foundation’s Visiting Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for select scholars in the social, economic, political and behavioral sciences to pursue their data analysis and writing while in residence at the foundation’s headquarters in New York City.
The foundation annually awards 15 to 17 Visiting Scholar fellowships. Applicants must be at least two years beyond the Ph.D. when applying, and if selected, typically work on projects related to the foundation’s core programs (Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context; Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration; Social, Political and Economic Inequality) and special initiatives.
Current and previous scholars represent the diversity of the social sciences including anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology, as well as many other related fields (e.g., behavioral sciences, criminal justice, demography, education, history, law, public and social policy, public health, social epidemiology, social work, statistics, and urban planning, among others).
The Visiting Scholar fellowship is one of the preeminent fellowships of its kind within the social sciences. During their time at the Foundation, scholars will interact with other scholars from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, as well as Visiting Journalists, Visiting Researchers, Margaret Olivia Sage Scholars, and RSF staff in programs, communications, and publishing. This residential fellowship requires significant Foundation resources and scholars are expected to fully engage in the intellectual life of RSF. For that reason, scholars are expected to be in their office at least 75 percent of the days that RSF is open.
The 10-month residential fellowship runs from September 1st through June 30th. The Foundation also welcomes applications for half-year visits to occur during the 5-month period from either September through January or February through June.
Scholars are provided with an office at the foundation, a computer, and software, access to research materials including online journals and databases, and salary support of up to 50 percent of their academic year salary – up to a maximum of $125,000 for the full year, or $62,500 for half of the year – when unavailable from research grants or other sources. RSF support will be limited to less than 50% when funds from other sources (including university sabbatical support) provide more than 50% of the academic year salary. Scholars who reside outside the greater New York City area are provided with a partially subsidized apartment near the Foundation offices. If scholars are fully funded by external sources, the RSF apartment may be fully subsidized. Childcare subsidies are also available for children below the age of 13.
In exceptional cases, applicants may request more than 50% of their current academic salary (up to a maximum of $125,000) when their employer does not provide paid sabbaticals. The following circumstances will receive consideration when sabbatical support or funds from other sources are not available:
tenure track faculty within 7 years of having completed a PhD (excluding time off for parental leave); scholars in non-tenure track research positions (excluding post-doctoral fellows); or researchers at non-profit organizations, government agencies, or other similar research-focused positions.
Because of the high cost of living in New York City, RSF provides a minimum salary for scholars who are offered a fellowship. Under certain circumstances and conditional on the guidelines above, those earning less than $90,000 per year may receive a salary supplement from RSF that is in addition to its standard 50% contribution. The sum of the supplement and the scholar’s annual salary would total $90,000 for the fellowship period ($45,000 for one-term visitors).

Eligibility

All applicants must have a Ph.D. or comparable terminal degree, or a career background that establishes their ability to conduct high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly research. Applicants must be at least two years beyond the Ph.D. at the application deadline.
Individuals are allowed a maximum of two visits to RSF as a Visiting Scholar. A former visiting scholar may apply for a second fellowship that would begin no earlier than seven years after their first visit. However, because of the limited number of scholars selected each year and the high quality of the applications, first-time applicants, all else equal, receive priority.