The CLOSUP Small Grants Program

Summary

NOTE: The Small Grants Program is not active at this time. For more information, contact CLOSUP staff. Information about the SGP program is provided below for archival purposes.

The purpose of the CLOSUP Small Grants Program is to provide partial support for applied policy research and/or policy-relevant outreach efforts that simultaneously generate new research insights and link the University of Michigan research community with the state and local public policy communities. Each project is organized around a set of problems or issues that are both theoretically motivated from within one or more academic disciplines, and that are of practical importance to state and/or local policy-makers. The Program makes available resources for state and local-policy relevant research and outreach-related activities such as graduate student salaries, data collection and management, workshops, conferences, publication preparation, and dissemination of results. Funds may be used as seed money or to support ongoing activities. Priority is given to projects that include an outreach component.

The purpose of the CLOSUP Small Grants Program is to sponsor applied policy research and/or policy-relevant outreach efforts that link the University of Michigan research community with the state and local public policy communities.  Many scholars within the University are currently engaged in cutting-edge research that is directly relevant to the problems that policy-makers grapple with every day. However, due to a lack of resources, contacts, or expertise, we often find it difficult to communicate the results of this research to 

policy-makers in the field. This is especially true of research that impacts the state and local policy processes. Likewise, policy-makers understand that the University holds a wealth of knowledge that would prove beneficial in their decision making process. Yet often they do not know where to look or who to ask for this information.

The Small Grants Program is designed to provide partial support in sponsoring research projects and/or outreach efforts that will simultaneously generate new research insights and will help achieve these linkages with the policy community.  Each project should be organized around a set of problems or issues that are both theoretically motivated from within one or more academic disciplines, and that are of practical importance to state and/or local policy-makers.    Although there is no specific funding ceiling, most awards under the Small Grants Program will be for less than $5,000 and will cover a relatively short time frame (usually not to exceed one year).

The Small Grants Program will make available resources for state and local policy-relevant research and outreach activities such as graduate student salaries, data collection and management, workshops, conferences, publication preparation, and dissemination of results. Funds may be used as seed money or to support ongoing activities. Priority will be given to projects that include an outreach component.  Proposals are accepted for review throughout the year, and will be acted on as quickly as possible.  Initial conversations between the project director and the CLOSUP Director are strongly encouraged.