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Call for Applications

Applications are currently closed for this program.
 
 
Small Grants Program
Themes: "Youth" and "Urban Spatial Inequalities" in the Arab Region
Applications are open for three rounds during the year: Each round has a distinct deadline.
 
The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) launched in 2017 the Small Grants Program (SGP) on the themes of “Youth” and “Urban Spatial Inequalities.” The ACSS Small Grants Program is a funding opportunity that aims to support scholars and professionals in the Arab region in undertaking five kinds of activities: conference presentations, internships, pilot studies, dissemination events, and organizing workshops.

This competition is funded by grants provided to ACSS by the Ford Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Small grants of $4,000 on average will be available to individual Arab researchers and activists residing in the Arab region, and whose work focuses on Arab societies.
 
Program Themes

The two themes of the Small Grants Program are “Youth” and “Urban Spatial Inequalities.” The first topic, “Youth”, encompasses topics related to youth (defined roughly as those between the ages of 14 and 25) in the Arab world, and issues related to this age group (health, education, family, employment, civic engagement, etc.). The second topic, “Urban Spatial Inequalities”, focuses on systems, processes, and policies that increase or mitigate unequal access to housing, land, property and services in urban settings.
 
The dual themes of the program are intended to be broad enough to encourage applications from a wide range of applicants who are working on these issues. The SGP targets professionals, activists and researchers whose work builds on social science perspectives and methods to achieve change. The proposed activity or research could focus on one or more Arab countries and can use qualitative or quantitative methods. The duration of grants offered under this program is a maximum of 6 months.
 
The Small Grants Program is a competitive grant, and thus we are particularly interested in innovative, cutting-edge proposals that question existing paradigms, or contribute to establishing and advancing new paradigms and move them forward. We are particularly interested in proposals that work at the intersection of both themes of the program. Addressing new topics, methodologies, and audiences is necessary to advancing social and research agendas in the region. Thus, the selection committee will particularly favor proposals that focus on innovation.
 
Program Activities

The aim of the program is to provide small amounts of funding ($4,000 on average) in a timely manner. The program funds five kinds of activities:
  1. Travel grants (conferences/workshops)
  2. Internship support
  3. Organizing workshops
  4. Pilot studies
  5. Dissemination events
Travel Grants
We accept applications to fund travel to present a paper at academic conferences organized inside and outside the Arab region, namely disciplinary conferences (e.g. the Middle East Studies Association, the American Sociological Association, or the European Educational Research Association, to name only a few) or conferences that are not disciplinary but focus on the Arab region or issues related to the Arab region. Please note that we will not fund attendance without presenting at a conference.
 
We also welcome travel grant applications to attend training workshops in special methodologies, skills, and approaches. Applications to attend workshops that are designed to explore the intersection of theory and practice are particularly encouraged.
 
Internship Support
Internships provide opportunities to gain meaningful hands-on experience or to immerse oneself in an intensive research environment. The ACSS will welcome applications for supplemental funding for those who have already secured an internship at an NGO/research organization/university within the Arab region. We welcome applications for internships outside the applicant’s country of residence. Funding should mainly be used to cover costs of travel and accommodation. Other expenses may also be eligible. 
 
Organizing Workshops
Workshops bring together participants to engage on a particular theme, to explore new topics, exchange ideas, influence policy, or to plan future activities. The selection committee is particularly interested in proposals that introduce or explore innovative methods and approaches in research and activism. The ACSS will only fund workshops held and organized in the Arab Region.
 
Pilot Studies
The Small Grants Program will provide seed funding to conduct pilot studies (no longer than 6 months) that will lead to larger projects or collaboration. A pilot study is a small-scale preliminary study conducted in order to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, and effect size in an attempt to predict an appropriate sample size and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research project. (Please note: For funding of larger, longer-term projects, please consider applying to our Research Grants Program, if your proposal fits within the theme of the RGP.). The ACSS will only fund pilot studies in the Arab Region.) The ACSS will only fund pilot studies in the Arab region.
 
Dissemination Events
Dissemination events are ones in which findings of a completed research are presented. These are not conferences at which a paper or research are presented. Dissemination events are targeted at a wide audience ranging from policy makers, teachers, industry workers, schools, colleges, universities, students, parents and more. Members of the public are also invited to attend the events. The ACSS will only fund dissemination events held and organized in the Arab region.

Eligibility Guidelines
 
Nationality/Residence
  • Applicants must be citizens of an Arab League member state or nationals of an Arab country (defined as long-term residents, even if they do not hold citizenship as in the case of refugees or stateless residents).
  • Applicants must reside in the Arab region.  This program does not fund applicants who reside, work, or study outside the region. 
  • Priority will be given to scholars and professionals who are marginalized, at risk, or dispossessed.
Educational Degree
  • Applicants must hold at least a Master’s degree in a core social science or a field allied to the themes of the Program. The core social science fields are anthropology, demography, economics, education, political science, psychology and sociology. Allied disciplines include architecture, cultural studies, development studies, gender studies, geography, law, and urban planning/studies. 
Age
  • Preference will be given to applicants under the age of 40. 
ACSS grantees (principal and co-investigators) who have benefited previously from another ACSS grant are only eligible if their grants were closed one year prior to submitting their application for the Small Grants Program.
 
Application Process and Materials
 
Applicants are required to create a profile page on the ACSS applications platform and submit both an online application and supporting documents depending on the type of funding requested. Application materials can be submitted in Arabic, French or English. Only completed applications will be examined by the Selection Committee.
 
A complete application includes:
Material needed to complete an application for a travel grant
  1. Confirmation of presentation/participation at a reputable conference/training workshop (letter or email from the organizers indicating acceptance and whether any expenses will be covered, and a website link to the conference/workshop)
  2. Dates of conference/workshop
  3. Abstract of paper (maximum 250 words)
  4. Full paper to be presented (if applicable/available)
  5. Rationale for attending this conference/workshop and how this will advance the applicant’s research agenda/teaching pedagogy/activism/etc. (maximum 250 words)
Material needed to complete an application for an internship
  1. Confirmation of having secured an internship
  2. Description of the organization (including a link to its website)
  3. Narrative of the internship and how it relates to the themes of the Program (150 words)
  4. Letter from internship supervisor indicating learning outcomes for the intern and project(s) to be completed/researched
  5. Statement from the applicant on how the internship fits into the applicant’s career/research goals (maximum 500 words)
Material needed to complete an application to organize a workshop
  1. Background and rationale for workshop (250 words)
  2. Proposed format of workshop (including a draft agenda)
  3. Intended presenters/audience and location of workshop
  4. Innovative approaches to be introduced in this workshop
  5. Proposed outputs of workshop (publication, activism, policy work, further collaboration, etc.)
Material needed to complete an application for a pilot study
  1. Background and rationale for/significance of project (250 words)
  2. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework (maximum 2 pages)
  3. Methodology (maximum 1 page)
  4. Activities to be undertaken (e.g. interviews, fieldwork, proposals, etc.)
  5. Timeline for pilot study (short-term and limited to a maximum of 6 months)
  6. Proposed outputs of pilot study (publication, monograph, policy work, further collaboration, etc.)
Material needed to complete an application for a dissemination event:
  1. Background of project (250 words)
  2. Timeline for dissemination
  3. Activities to be undertaken as part of the dissemination
Prospective applicants should consult the list of Frequently Asked Questions for further clarifications on Eligibility, Application Process and Grant Details.
 
Application Deadlines
 
The Selection Committee will meet three times per year to review applications. Each round will close on the date specified below at 11:00 PM (Beirut time).
 
Round
 Applications Open
Application Deadline
Applicant Notified by
Funds Disbursed by
1
 November 19, 2018
December 20, 2018
January 20, 2019
End of February 2019
2
 February 15, 2019
April 19, 2019
May 20, 2019
End of June 2019
3
 June 3, 2019
August 20, 2019
September 20, 2019
End of October 2019
 

These deadlines are provided to allow you to plan accordingly. For example, if you have secured an internship that begins on June 1, 2019, please ensure that your application is submitted by the December 2018 deadline. Similarly, if you are presenting a paper at a conference in August 2019, please submit your application by the April 2019 deadline. 

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we cannot review incomplete applications. Please note that the application system will be closed during the months of January, May, and September 2019, and we will not accept any applications during that time. Furthermore, receiving money on time is dependent on the applicant’s responsiveness to emails and returning documents to the ACSS in a timely manner.

Selection Process
 
An independent selection committee composed of three Arab scholars and professionals in the region will look carefully at each proposal and evaluate it on its own merits. In addition to determining the relevance of the proposal to the theme(s) of the Program, the selection committee will use the following criteria to evaluate proposals:
  • Travel grants: Academic/professional value of conference, quality of paper/presentation
  • Internships: Design of internship, quality of learning outcomes, relationship between internship and professional goals of applicant
  • Workshops: Rationale for holding the event including its relationship to ongoing research/activism projects, well thought out criteria for participants invited and audiences targeted, presentation methods and organization of discussions, clear aims and outcomes
  • Pilot studies: Innovative approaches to research, contribution to knowledge, proposed outputs, potential of the research to lead to larger research projects and new collaborations
  • Dissemination events: Innovative dissemination strategy, scope of audience, involvement of external stakeholders
By submitting the electronic application, applicants affirm that they agree, without any objections, to the evaluation and selection results as decided and announced by the selection committee and the Arab Council for the Social Sciences. The ACSS will not provide feedback to applications that are rejected.
 
Overview of Grant Conditions
 
Awarded individuals are expected to abide by the following project requirements:
  • Submit final narrative and financial report within 30 days of the end of the grant term (Financial reports should include the original receipts for all project expenses).
  • Produce project related content for the ACSS website (such as project descriptions and profiles of researchers).
 
The ACSS Secretariat encourages prospective applicants to get in touch with any questions or queries concerning proposal preparation, the selection process or conditions of the grant. Kindly read the list of Frequently Asked Questions carefully before contacting the ACSS with queries.

Please direct your questions to grants@theacss.org.
Grants Available:
  1. Travel grants 
  2. Internship support 
  3. Pilot studies
  4. Organizing workshops
  5. Dissemination events
Application Material: 

Please note that the application form will be temporarily inactive in January, May, and September, while the Selection Committee reviews the applications for the running round. The form will be reactivated as soon as the Selection Committee completes its review. In the meantime, you can prepare the documents needed to complete your application.