Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Dissertation Grants

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) plans to solicit applications for Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Dissertation Grants. Funds support dissertation research by advanced graduate students working on child care policy issues in partnership with a Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) agency or administrator and with faculty mentors. These grants focus on building capacity in the research field by: 1) addressing questions relevant to child care policy decision-making and program administration, and 2) fostering mentoring relationships between faculty members and doctoral students. OPRE is interested in research that addresses issues of significance related to CCDF; aims to inform policy decisions and solutions, particularly for populations that are underserved/understudied; and utilizes the most rigorous research methodology for the selected research question. Applicants must consult with a CCDF agency or administrator in the conceptualization of the research plan, from development and refinement of the research questions, through the proposed data collection or secondary analyses of data, interpretation, and dissemination of findings. Eligible Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and faith-based institutions of higher education are encouraged to apply. The applicant organization must have a history of research and federal funding oversight and must have appropriate research support resources to support the student. The faculty mentor who will serve as principal investigator must have a Ph.D. or equivalent in the respective field and conduct research as a primary professional responsibility. Faculty mentors with doctoral training and research expertise must be able to provide proper supervision and quality control over the project and interactions with participating agencies to help ensure successful completion of sound dissertation research that addresses critical policy questions of interest to local CCDF partner(s) and ACF. The graduate student must provide evidence of an approved dissertation proposal. This is a change from previous years when applicants were given additional time to submit evidence of an approved dissertation proposal after the application due date. The 2025 application due date and the due date for the evidence of an approved proposal will be specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. For further information about prior awards made to Child Care Research Scholars, please refer to Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Dissertation Grants The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov). For more information about OPRE, see OPRE The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov). For information about the Office of Child Care and CCDF, see https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ. Please subscribe to this forecast at grants.gov to receive notifications of any updates.