The Sociological Initiatives Foundation supports social change by linking research to social action, with a focus on funding research projects that explore the impact of laws, policies, institutions, regulations, and normative practices on equality in the U.S. It prioritizes projects addressing issues such as racism, xenophobia, classism, gender bias, exploitation, and the violation of human rights and freedoms, as well as research that supports language learning and the intersection of language with social and policy issues.
The Foundation's grant program aims to support research that contributes to social change by focusing on improving services, systems, and conditions for positive social and physical outcomes. Specifically, it supports projects involved in policy development, shaping policy agendas, policy adoption or implementation, and blocking policies detrimental to equality. It also focuses on increasing advocacy capacity and political influence, shaping public sentiment, and addressing challenges related to language and literacy. Key language issues of interest include literacy, bilingualism, language policies, and the intersection of language with various societal aspects, including law, health, and education.
The grant seeks to fund projects that offer insights into sociological and linguistic issues to help communities expand opportunities and challenge injustices, focusing on institutional rather than individual or behavioral change. Projects should have a well-defined research design and demonstrate a clear connection to public or community impact, beyond mere reporting or inclusion of a focus group. The grant highlights a thematic focus on violence and society, specifically looking for community-based research in the Southern United States that explores innovative ways to understand, investigate, and address violence, advocating for freedom and safety. The Foundation favors projects that challenge traditional notions of violence, encourage intersectional approaches, foster learning, promote a civic agenda, and address the urgency of engaging deeply with questions of violence. It invites applications from community-led academic partnerships, advocacy or community groups with rigorous research capabilities, and academics connected with communities through their research.
Concentration on Southern Initiatives: The Foundation directs its support towards the southern region, in acknowledgment of the area's historically lower levels of philanthropic funding. This region is not only host to a diverse array of organizations championing equity across various dimensions—such as race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual identity, and migrant status—but its residents also face some of the country's most backward public policies and the severest instances of violence based on race and gender in numerous manifestations.