CAROW Grant Application Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in the grant funding opportunities made available through Cornell ILR School’s Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW). The Center for Applied Research on Work supports innovative research projects and partnerships that put academic study into practice.
CAROW’s seed funding is meant to encourage faculty to experiment with novel tools, methods, partnerships, and interventions, which is critical as the field of labor, employment, and work continues to face radical transformation and new challenges. Through grant funding opportunities, CAROW seeks to catalyze positive impact for workers and their families, employers, and communities.
We are excited to spark change through research seed grants and conference grants that support innovative work by faculty at ILR and the broader Cornell community. We look forward to learning about your plans through the application process. Please refer to the guidelines below for more information about what we are looking for in your application. These submission guidelines are for informational purposes and will be updated and subject to future change.
Feel free to contact carow@cornell.edu if you have any questions.
Eligibility
All PI-eligible Center for Applied Research on Work Faculty Affiliates and Cornell faculty conducting applied research on labor, employment, and work are eligible to apply for these awards. Those not already affiliated with CAROW will be required to affiliate when they apply. Applications should include faculty from two or more departments/institutes/programs across ILR or Cornell University.
Research Seed Grants
The primary goal of CAROW Research Seed Grants is to pilot innovative research on labor, employment, and work. Projects should be collaborative in nature and involve at least two units (i.e., departments, institutes, programs, etc.) across ILR or Cornell. We are particularly interested in funding projects that directly address contemporary critical policy or practice concerns, as well as those likely to lead to external funding. We also support research by faculty teams spanning social science disciplines or units and interdisciplinary projects led or co-led by social scientists. The maximum award is up to $50,000.
Conference/Workshop Grants
CAROW supports funding for collaborative, interdisciplinary conferences/workshops that are held at Cornell, openly publicized, and address applied research or substantive policy on work. The maximum award is up to $10,000.
Funding
The maximum grant award is up to $50,000. Priority will go to first-time recipients. Faculty can have one active CAROW research seed grant at a time and are eligible for another research award the year following the prior grant’s completion.
Research seed grants and conference grants are tracked separately and do not impact an awardee's ability to apply for and be awarded one of each in the same calendar year.
CAROW approval is required for the principal investigator to reallocate more than 25 percent of the funds at any point after the award is issued; please contact carow@cornell.edu. Please note that funds not used within one year will be returned to the CAROW for reallocation to other small grant awardees unless an extension is granted. In the event that the principal investigator resigns from Cornell, the remaining funds are to be returned to CAROW.
Reporting
Grantees agree to submit a mid-year update that describes project progress to date as well as challenges that have arisen, and includes a funds tracking table that compares budgeted to actual spend.
Findings and Dissemination
A key goal of CAROW grants is to translate academic research into clear findings for policy makers and participants. As such, CAROW grant recipients agree to write an external-facing piece for CAROW (such as a blog post) or similar piece for an external media outlet within two years of receiving a grant. Recipients also agree to notify CAROW when work funded by a CAROW grant has been shared publicly (examples include: white papers, journal articles, op-eds, blog posts).
Unforeseen Circumstances
If unforeseen circumstances shift or impact the agreed upon research outcomes during the duration of the grant the grantees will immediately notify CAROW and submit a plan outlining amended outcomes for review. Likewise, if unforeseen circumstances impact a collaboration receiving CAROW grant funding causing it to be altered or discontinued during the duration of the grant award year the recipients will notify CAROW immediately, submit a report of funds used to date as well as a report outlining outcomes of the project and submit a proposal for how to use the research collected. The remaining funds will be returned to CAROW unless otherwise agreed upon.
Data Accessibility
CAROW supports data transparency and accessibility as fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and information sharing. CAROW strongly supports publicly releasing anonymized data where possible from research conducted using CAROW funds. If you need help determining appropriate storage for your project data please contact carow@cornell.edu.
IRB
If your project will require IRB approval, you must receive approval before engaging in the research and provide it to your departmental finance liaison before drawing funds from your award.
Eligible activities
CAROW research seed grants support direct research expenses. Examples include the costs of collecting data, participant incentives, traveling to and from research or training sites, data replication and archiving costs, meetings with collaborators or potential funders, undergraduate or hourly graduate research assistance (summer grad RA stipends are also acceptable) supporting the faculty project, and specialized hardware or software necessary to conduct the research.
Examples of expenses ineligible for a CAROW grant award are: publication fees, travel costs for caregivers (for such funding, see here), general-use hardware or software, and training (such as on an survey technique). CAROW does not support undergraduate or graduate student research projects or conferences with faculty CAROW grant funds. If funding is allocated to support graduate research assistants, their role in the project must be specified.
Application
Review Process
CAROW will review each grant application on a case-by-case basis and strive to notify applicants in a timely manner.
Acknowledging CAROW
For projects selected for funding, please acknowledge the Cornell ILR Center for Applied Research on Work in any presentations or publications resulting from the project. We recommend using the phrase, “This research was supported by a Cornell ILR Center for Applied Research on Work Grant.” Please also let the CAROW know when papers are accepted and/or publicly available so we can help publicize them!
Questions
Contact CAROW if you have questions about any of these policies