2024 Professional Development Grant for Emerging Scholars Studying Poverty and Economic Mobility among Latino Populations

The Center’s 2024 Professional Development Grant for Emerging Scholars Studying Poverty and Economic Mobility among Latino Populations aims to support professional development activities that will enhance the professional growth of doctoral students and early career scholars whose research focuses on poverty and economic mobility among Latino populations.

The Center provides awards of up to $3,000 that can be used to cover expenses related to professional development or as seed funds to support research activities. In addition, grantees will have the opportunity to participate in professional development and networking events organized by the Center, such as training in applying an equity lens to research communications and conducting policyrelevant research.

Call for Applications Closed

The application period for the 2024 Professional Development Grant for Emerging Scholars Studying Poverty and Economic Mobility among Latino Populations cohort is closed. The Center encourages applicants to learn more about this opportunity by reviewing and following the information below. The application period closed on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 5 p.m. EST.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be a PhD student or early scholar (up to 7 years post-PhD) in economics, public policy, sociology, demography, population sciences, and related social science fields.
  • Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in research focused on Hispanic families and children and their economic mobility and well-being.

The Center is particularly interested in supporting scholars whose work increases our understanding of the economic characteristics, resources, and experiences of Hispanic parents and families, and how basic cash assistance, especially the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and other social assistance programs can best support the economic well-being of Hispanic families. Specific topics of interest include (but are not restricted to):

  • Equitable access to and delivery of human services (i.e., services that address basic human needs such as food, housing, health care, child care, education, and employment);
  • How policies and their implementation shape access to and use of government benefits;
  • Economic stability and how cash assistance and other benefits affect income stability; and
  • Effective strategies for promoting job and education training that can support economic mobility.

For more information about the TANF program please visit the Office of Family Assistance.

Our team values equity and recognizes that systemic discrimination has negatively impacted the well-being of individuals, families, and communities who are also underrepresented in the research field. We strongly encourage scholars from populations that are historically underrepresented in research and academic fields (e.g., Latinx/o/e, first-generation graduate students, first-generation immigrants) to apply.

Application requirements

Applications are no longer being accepted and were due Wednesday, August 21, at 5 p.m. EST, with the following components:

  • A Letter of Interest that describes (in no more than 500 words):
    1. How the applicant’s research agenda and work support Latino families and children.
    2. The applicant’s interest and experience in research focused on poverty and economic mobility, and/or human service delivery, particularly as it relates to Latino families.
    3. The amount of funds requested, including the specific professional development activities that the grant will support and how they will help advance the applicants’ research career.
      Please include the cost of each activity in the description. Examples of professional development activities that would be covered are as follows:
      • Workshops, trainings, or courses;
      • Conference-related expenses (e.g., registration, travel, lodging, poster printing);
      • Research-related hardware or software (e.g., analysis packages, recorders, laptops/tablets for data collection);
      • Database fees;
      • Publication expenses (e.g., open access articles);
      • Stipends for participants;
      • Books;
      • Professional association membership dues; and
      • Journal subscriptions.

Note: Applicants requesting that funds go through their institution should include overhead expenses in the amount requested (see Frequently Asked Questions). Funds cannot be used to cover beverages or meals.

    1. The extent to which their institution provides funds (if at all) for professional development and research activities, and how the professional development grant would supplement those funds or fill a gap.
  • Statement of diverse experiences with relevant background, lived-experiences, coursework, and skills that will inform the applicant’s ability to center equity and cultural responsiveness in their work, and/or interest in this area. This statement is limited to 100 words and should be submitted in the application form in the indicated question.
  • Curriculum vitae or resume with information about the applicant’s educational background, publications, presentations, and any other relevant professional or personal experience.
  • Proof of current PhD student status or degree conferral such as an unofficial transcript or a copy of the applicant’s diploma for those who have completed their doctoral degree.

Submission guidelines

The submission period is closed. Applicants were to submit their application materials using this form by Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 5 p.m. EST. Applicants will be notified of award decisions by mid-September 2024.

Evaluation criteria

Upon review for completeness and verification of eligibility, applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Alignment of applicant’s research experience or interests with research focused on Hispanic families and children.
  • Alignment of applicant’s research experience or interests with research focused on poverty, economic mobility, and/or human service delivery.
  • Degree to which applicant’s diverse experiences inform their ability to center equity and cultural responsiveness in their work.
  • Degree to which applicant’s research applies innovative frameworks, methods, or approaches to advance research focused on Latino populations.
  • Extent to which professional development funds will help advance the applicant’s career, relative to resources available. Applicants from HSIs or EHSIs will receive an additional point in this criterion, as these institutions tend to have fewer financial resources available than other colleges and universities.

Please note that the Center reserves the right to award grants for a lesser amount than requested if certain activities are not aligned with the grant’s goals.

Applicants are encouraged to review our Frequently Asked Questions before submission. Please send additional questions to [email protected]. The period for questions will closed on August 12. No phone calls please.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Are postdoctoral fellows eligible to apply?
    Yes.
  2. How many grants do you expect to award?
    We anticipate awarding up to five grants of up to $3,000 each. The number of awards will depend on the amount awarded per grant.
  3. Will stipends go directly to the applicant or the institution?
    Stipends can be paid directly to applicants or their institution. Please note that we will issue a 1099 form for stipends paid directly to applicants. Awardees are responsible for reporting this stipend as income on their taxes. Applicants who prefer to receive funds through their institution should include overhead expenses in the amount requested. The total amount requested, including overhead, should not exceed $3,000.
  4. Are there exceptions to the early career status definition (up to 7 years post PhD)?
    The Center recognizes that there may be circumstances that lead to lapses in investigators’ careers (e.g., childbirth, medical leave, natural disasters). Applicants have an opportunity to request an extension of early career status eligibility and provide a justification for their request in the online application for the review committee’s consideration.
  5. What are my responsibilities as a grantee?
    Grantees are expected to use funds for the activities requested. In addition, they are invited to participate in the professional development and/or networking activities planned by the Center.
  6. Where can I find information about workshops and training available to support my professional development?
    Several organizations regularly organize meetings, workshops, and/or training aimed at developing methodological skills. The list below offers some examples, although this list is not exhaustive:

    Applicants are encouraged to sign up for the Center’s Jobs, Funding, and Opportunities Alert to learn about additional opportunities.

  7. Who do I reach out to for questions about allowable expenses?
    Please reach out to [email protected] to ask questions about allowable expenses.
  8. Do I need to request the full amount ($3,000)?
    No, you do not need to request the full amount. The maximum amount that can be awarded per grant is $3,000, but you can request a lesser amount based on your specific professional development needs.
  9. Is research conducted outside of the United States (e.g., Latin American regions) eligible for this grant?
    No, the grant only supports research conducted in the United States.
  10. If I am a doctorate student in a different type of doctoral program (e.g., D.H.Sc., DrPH), am I eligible to apply?
    If your doctorate is research-focused, then you are eligible to apply.

Read below to learn about our 2024 grant awardees and how they will use their awards to grow professionally and in the field.

2024 Professional Development Grant for Emerging Scholars Studying Poverty and Economic Mobility among Latino Populations Grantees


Mariana AmorimDr. Mariana Amorim is an assistant professor of sociology at Washington State University. Her research specializations include family demography, poverty and inequality, and social policies. Amorim’s work sheds light on the role of public, private, and “shadow” safety nets in promoting the well-being of parents and children. With the help of the grant, Amorim will implement community-based participatory research with Hispanic serving organizations in Washington to learn more about the role of safety nets in the lives of Hispanic grandparent caregivers.


Karla FotoDr. Karla Cordova is a Chau Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Pomona College. She earned her PhD in economics from the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on migration, gender, and economic inequality, with a particular emphasis on Hispanic populations. With the help of the grant, Cordova will fund research projects that focus on the effects of local unemployment shocks on Hispanic children’s academic achievement and the effects of immigration enforcement policies on child maltreatment in Hispanic households. Cordova is originally from Caborca, Sonora, Mexico.


EsquiveVanessa Esquivel is a first-gen doctoral student in the Human Development and Family Sciences program at the University of Connecticut and research associate of the UConn Applied Research on Children lab. Esquivel’s research seeks to understand the experiences of Latine and Immigrant families; increase access to human service programs; and improve policies for healthy family development. She will use the grant to attend professional conferences and fund her research project that focuses on understanding parent-provider relationships among Latino parents and Early Head Start providers.


Ashley RojasAshley Rojas is a first-generation Latina and a third-year PhD student in Economics at the University of South Carolina. Shaped by her own experiences witnessing the impacts of immigration enforcement on affected communities, Rojas’ research interests center around how local immigration enforcement policy relates to Latino children’s educational outcomes and uptake of resources such as food banks. With the help of the grant, Rojas will attend two professional conferences as an opportunity to network with others in the immigration field to better understand the chilling effects of local immigration enforcement policy on Hispanic families.


J SalasJulio Fernando Salas is a Chancellor’s Fellow and sociology PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. Centering immigrant families, his research interests and projects lie at the nexus of immigration, emotion, race and ethnicity, social stratification, and health. Salas received an associate’s degree in health sciences from Queensborough Community College and a bachelor’s degree in human development from Cornell University. Salas will use the grant to support research costs on several projects including quantitative studies on financial distress due to caregiving on Latino adults.