The Institute of Politics at Florida State University is seeking proposals from FSU faculty for public policy research on civic engagement and political participation.

Apply for an Institute of Politics Civic Engagement and Political Participation Grant for up to $20,000 by October 16, 2022. FSU faculty and graduate students are welcome to apply. Funds can be used for summer salary, equipment, travel or other research-relevant expenses. 

The Institute was established by the 2020 Florida legislature to create and promote research on politics, public service, and citizen involvement and to motivate university students to become aware of the significance of government and civic engagement. The institute is housed in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.

The IOP is interested in funding research proposals in the areas of civic engagement, political participation, and public service, broadly defined. We welcome proposals addressing access to government institutions and processes (at all levels), participation in the community and in democratic institutions, and community and political awareness. Researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Funding up to $20,000 will be available for research proposals; graduate students may receive the funding as principal investigator but must work with a faculty member on the project. We are especially interested in projects that are underway and can be completed by Spring 2023. Half of the funding will be available to the researcher when the project is approved. The remaining will be provided when the final products are submitted to the IOP. The expectation is the final research products will be submitted by June 2023. The funding may be used for summer salary, equipment or data purchases or other necessary aspects to facilitate the research, or travel.

The research proposal should include a brief discussion of the importance of the problem, the research question, relevant research literature, how research questions will be answered, a research design including statistical approach, expected findings, a project budget, and a timeline for project completion. The proposals should be 6-8 pages in length. A CV for the Principal Investigator and others participating in the research should also be included (but not counted in the 6-8 pages). Graduate student applicants should clearly indicate their role in the research project relative to their faculty advisors.

The expected products are as follows: A two or three-page technical report written for a general audience for the IOP website; a one-page public-facing document summarizing your project and outcomes for the College blog; a tweet-length summary of the project as well as a three to four sentence summary of the project for Facebook and Instagram; and one or two news-ready quotes highlighting the importance of your research.

Awardees are expected to present their research at an IOP event and to serve on the Institute of Politics Civic Engagement and Political Participation Research Grant Program Committee in the future. If you have applied for and received an IOP grant in the past, you are not eligible to apply again for two calendar years following the submission of your final research products.

New ideas, bold thinking and meaningful implications are welcomed.

Proposals should be submitted by Oct. 16th to Deana Rohlinger at deana.rohlinger@fsu.edu. Please direct any questions to Professor Rohlinger as well.