Departmental Seed Grants for Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion

This one-time award is open to US-based economics departments in an amount up to $5,000 to help establish a new "bridge program" or training program for groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the field of economics. For example, a department might create a mentoring program for graduate or undergraduate students, opportunities for students to do meaningful research assistant work, or a program that allows students who need additional preparation for graduate school to take a lighter class load in the first year.

2025 Award Winner

The 2025 Departmental Seed Grant for Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion was awarded to Syracuse University, Department of Economics. The department proposed the establishment of the Research Advancement & Impact in Syracuse Economics (RAISE) program—an initiative designed to broaden participation in the economics profession by providing structured, supported, and financially accessible research experiences to low-income and first-generation undergraduate students.

Criteria

• An outline of the program to increade minority representation in the department and profession, including a budget and faculty support.
• A clear statement of the goals of the program with respect to increasing diversity in the profession and how success will be measured.
• A statement of previous efforts to increase representation in the department.
• A "Plan to Degree Completion," identifying the steps that will ensure student integration into a(?) graduate program and graduation time frame.
• Identification of a dedicated faculty member for mentoring the student(s) in the program.
• The program must not already exist in the department, and there must be institutional financial support from the upper administration (Dean, Graduate College, etc.) that would allow the program to continue for at least five years post-award.
  
  

Application Process and Deadline

Applications meeting the criteria listed above should be submitted to info@csmgep.org by 5 pm ET on the second Friday of October with the subject line: "Department Seed Grants for Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion."

Notification

The award winner(s) (up to 4) will be notified by early December.

Previous Award Winners