Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System

The Russell Sage Foundation, in collaboration with Arnold Ventures, has launched its inaugural annual grants competition targeting early-career scholars conducting causal research on the criminal justice system. This initiative supports rigorous analysis of policies and practices affecting various components of the system, including policing, courts, incarceration, probation, parole, and immigration detention. The primary aim is to foster a new generation of social science researchers employing experimental or quasi-experimental designs, such as randomized controlled trials, difference-in-differences, or regression discontinuity models. The program is specifically open to tenure-track assistant professors at U.S. institutions, with the goal of promoting disciplinary diversity and improving access for scholars from underrepresented groups or under-resourced universities. The program invites proposals for one-year projects, with awards capped at $100,000 inclusive of 15% indirect costs. Allowable expenses include limited principal investigator (PI) salary support (up to $15,000), course buyouts, research and conference travel, data collection and access, subject payments, and general research-related costs. Grantees will benefit from mentorship through pairings with senior scholars working in related areas. Additionally, they will be expected to present research findings at a Russell Sage Foundation-hosted conference in Fall 2026. Travel and lodging expenses for this convening will be reimbursed by the foundation, and the event is designed to foster networking, feedback, and collaboration among scholars and mentors. The research focus areas encouraged for this opportunity include, but are not limited to, sentencing policy and post-prison outcomes, rehabilitative programs, effects of crime and victimization, disparities in justice outcomes, and innovations in policing and prosecution. Proposals must clearly articulate causal inference strategies and may incorporate mixed methods, provided the causal design is central. Applications are due by April 1, 2026, at 2 PM ET via the Russell Sage Foundation’s FLUXX portal. Applicants should select “Causal Research on Criminal Justice” under the “Apply for a Small Grant (for Emerging Scholars)” option. Submissions must include a detailed 10-page proposal and a five-page CV for each investigator. Budget estimates are requested initially, with full budget documents required only from those selected for funding. This program is expected to recur annually, with the next deadline anticipated in Spring 2027. Applicants are encouraged to consult RSF’s grant writing resources and contact programs@rsage.org for guidance on eligibility and submission processes.

Proposals must isolate causal effects through robust design; non-causal projects are not eligible.