These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.
VUMC may select one nominee per major school/division for the William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program.
The award amount is $350,000 distributed over five years, and the goal of the program is to support career development for promising early career researchers in one of two focus areas:
1) Programs, policies and practices that reduce inequality in youth (ages 5-25) outcomes, and
2) Strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit youth.
The program funds research and mentoring plans that significantly expand junior researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods and content areas. The foundation recognizes that early career researchers are rarely given incentives or support to take such risks, so this award includes a mentoring component as well as an emphasis on community and collaboration.
A list of previous awardees can be found here.
Eligibility criteria
- Applicants must have received their terminal degree within seven years of submitting their application. This is calculated by adding seven years to the date the doctoral degree was conferred. In medicine, the seven-year maximum is dated from the completion of the first residency.
- Applicants must hold a tenure-track position.
- Applicants should have a track record of conducting high-quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers.
See the program website for more information and the 2022 guidelines, including recommended components of the Research Plan and Mentoring Plan.
Internal Application Process:
Anyone interested in being considered as VUMC’s nominee must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on April 7. See the program website for recommended components of the Research Plan and Mentoring Plan.
- Research plan including summary budget (1-2 pages);
- Mentoring plan (1-2 pages);
- Statement of support from department chair/center director;
- NIH Biosketch
Submissions should reference “William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Award” in the subject line of the email. Please contact LSO@vanderbilt.edu with any questions.
