News

By Lauren Slagter
Poverty Solutions 

ANN ARBOR – Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan is awarding up to $200,000 to support faculty research on ways to prevent and alleviate poverty. Most grants will range from $20,000 to $30,000, with the possibility of awarding up to $50,000 per grant.

Past research supported by Poverty Solutions has led to the development of new ways to measure transportation security, recommendations for how to make mortgage lending more equitable within Detroit, and a strategic plan for responding to racism as a public health crisis. 

Proposals are due March 13, and award decisions will be announced mid-April. Faculty from all three U-M campuses are encouraged to apply, with preference given to junior faculty, applicants using new approaches and innovative research methods, and faculty who haven’t been granted an award from Poverty Solutions in the last two years. See the request for proposals.

Natasha Pilkauskas

“In light of the tight research funding environment, Poverty Solutions is relaunching its faculty grant program, which began in 2017. We look forward to supporting programs that aim to make a real difference in the lives of people with low incomes,” said Natasha Pilkauskas, associate director of faculty engagement at Poverty Solutions. 

Poverty Solutions will evaluate research proposals against the following criteria: 

• the degree to which the study builds knowledge that informs the understanding of interventions, programs, or policies that seek to prevent or alleviate poverty;
• the quality of the research design and suitability of research methodologies;
• the feasibility of the proposed study to be completed during the one-year funding period;
• inter-disciplinary collaborations that feature a combination of primary investigators, scholars, and mentors from several disciplines or different academic units;
• degree to which the budget is feasible for the stated goals and aligned with realistic assumptions for the funds available; and
• plans to disseminate results to peer academic and public audiences.

Additional preference will be given to projects that incorporate U-M students and include multi-campus research teams. The faculty grants may support self-contained research projects or act as seed funding to pursue larger external awards. 

For more information, contact PSGrantSubmissions@umich.edu