Community Action Research Initiative Grants

The American Sociological Association encourages applications for the Community Action Research Initiative (CARI) grants. CARI grants are for projects that bring social science knowledge and methods to bear in addressing community-based problems. Applicants must be seeking to work with community organizations or community action initiatives, and must hold a PhD in sociology or be enrolled in a graduate program that grants a PhD in sociology.

Applications are encouraged from individuals working in a variety of settings including academic institutions, research institutes, private and non-profit organizations, and government agencies. While graduate students are eligible to apply, CARI funds cannot be used to support dissertation research. ASA membership is not a criterion for applying but membership is required to receive a grant. All ASA members are obligated to follow the ASA Code of Ethics, and grantees must provide pertinent IRB approval if necessary. Grants are for up to $3,000 of direct costs. Funds cannot be used for institutional overhead, scholarly meeting expenses, or the principal investigator’s salary.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online through Foundant, ASA’s grants submission platform. Please note that you will need to create a profile for the online grant platform. If you have previously applied for an ASA grant, log in with your existing username and password. If you are creating a new account, you will need to complete a registration form providing basic information about yourself, including your email address. Once you have filled out the registration form, be sure to check that you have received an email confirmation and click the box confirming you have received it. It is important to be sure your spam filters are set properly so that you can receive emails from the system. For video instructions on creating an account, please click here.

A complete application consists of:

• Contact Information: Name(s) of Principal Investigator(s), current institution or organization, mailing address, email address
• Your project title
• A description of the project, including its goals, how those goals will be met, and the sociological connection to a policy issue (500-word limit)
• A description of the community organization or community action initiative with which you are planning to work, and how your project relates to the mission of the organization or initiative (500-word limit)
• A description of the expected tangible outcomes of the project, including your dissemination strategy for any findings (dissemination need not occur during the grant period) (500-word limit)
• A one-page letter of support from the community organization or community action initiative that will be partner to the project
• A CV for each Principal Investigator
• A detailed project budget and timeline

Application Timeline

Application deadline: August 28, 2025 (by 5:00 p.m. ET)

Awards announced: By December 4, 2025