2023 Professional Development Grant for Early Career Faculty at Hispanic Serving Institutions/Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions
Call for Applications
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families (the Center) is pleased to announce the 2023 call for applications for our grant program for early career faculty at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) or Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions (EHSIs). This grant program is aimed at supporting professional development activities that will enhance the professional growth of scholars and educators at HSIs and EHSIs. The Center will provide awards of up to $2,500 to cover expenses related to early career scholars’ professional development. 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 policy relevant research.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be an early career faculty (up to 7 years post PhD) at a Hispanic Serving Institution or an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution.
- Applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in research focused on Latinx families and children and one or more of these areas: poverty reduction and economic self-sufficiency, access to early care, and education and safety net programs.
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 due Friday, February 10, 2023, at 5pm EST, with the following components:
- A Letter of Interest on letterhead from the respective HSI/emerging HSI that describes (in no more than 500 words):
- How the applicant’s research agenda and work support Latinx families and children;
- The applicant’s interest and experience in research focused on one or more of these areas: poverty reduction and economic self-sufficiency, access to early care and education, and safety net programs;
- 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:
- 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.
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.
- Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume with information about the applicant’s educational background, publications, presentations, and any other relevant professional or personal experience.
- Proof of degree conferral such as an unofficial transcript or a copy of the applicant’s diploma to show proof of doctoral degree completion.
Submission guidelines
Applicants should submit their application materials using this form by February 10, 2023, 5pm EST. Applicants will be notified of award decisions on March 3, 2023.
Evaluation criteria
Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Inclusion of all application components and demonstration of eligibility.
- 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 one or more of these areas: poverty reduction and economic self-sufficiency, access to early care and education, and human service delivery.
- Extent to which professional development funds will help advance the applicant’s career.
Please note that the Center reserves the right to award grants for a lesser amount than requested if certain activities are not deemed to be aligned with the goals of the grant.
Applicants are encouraged to review our Frequently Asked Questions before submission. Please send additional questions to [email protected]. No phone calls please.
Visit our website to sign up for our Jobs, Funding, and Opportunities Alert and follow us on Twitter to learn about opportunities from the Hispanic Center and the larger field.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many grants do you expect to award?
We anticipate awarding up to $7,500 in awards across grantees. The number of awards will depend on the amount awarded per grant. - 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 for stipends paid to directly to applicants. Awardees are responsible for reporting this stipend as income in 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 $2,500. - 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. - Where can I find information about workshops and trainings available to support my professional development?
Several organizations regularly organize meetings, workshops, and/or trainings aimed at developing methodological skills. The list below offers some examples, although this list is not exhaustive:
American Evaluation Association
Coursera
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
National Council on Family Relations
Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation
The Evaluators’ Institute
Applicants are encouraged to sign up for the Center’s Jobs, Funding, and Opportunities Alert to learn about additional opportunities. - Who do I reach out to for questions about allowable expenses?
Please reach out to [email protected] to ask questions about allowable expenses. - Do I need to request the full amount ($2,500)?
No. This is the maximum amount that will be granted per award.
2022 Professional Development Grant Awardees
Read below to learn about our 2022 grant awardees and how they will use their awards to grow professionally.
Gerilyn Slicker, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Slicker’s research interests are in early childhood policy, with a specific focus on investigating and evaluating the influence of federal, state, and local policies on children’s equitable access to early care and education. She will be using the funding to attend NCFR’s “How to be an Anti-Racist Researcher” webinar, an interactive mixed methods and qualitative research workshop offered at the University of Michigan, and to purchase software licenses for her qualitative work.
Carolina Valdivia, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Valdivia’s work explores how various forms of legal and social exclusion impact the lives of immigrant youth and their families, including their educational trajectories, mental health, and political participation. She will be using the funding to attend and participate in annual conferences of the the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
Irene Vega, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Vega’s broad areas of expertise are in Latinx sociology, educational inequality, international migration, and sociology of law. Her current book project examines the moral and racial logics that undergrid the U.S. immigration bureaucracy. She will be using the funding to attend the American Sociological Association’s annual conference.
Cynthia A. Wiltshire, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. Wiltshire’s work examines the relationships that exist between teachers and Hispanic children in early childhood education settings, specifically the associations between teacher stress, teacher warmth, and child outcomes in cognitive and socioemotional development. She will be using the funding to attend the 2023 American Educational Research Association conference and to purchase a new laptop that will be used for data collection activities related to her research.