Limited Submission Opportunity 

William T. Grant Scholars Program  

Number of slots: 1 slot for each major university division 

Internal Deadline: May 8, 2026 

Mentor & Reference Letter Deadline: June 10, 2026 

Application Deadline: June 30, 2026 

The Award & Eligibility Criteria 

Applicants are invited to apply for an institutional nomination to the 2026 William T. Grant Scholars Program sponsored by the William T. Grant Foundation. The Foundation supports research in two distinct focus areas: 1) Reducing inequality in youth outcomes, and 2) Improving the use of research evidence in policy and practice. Proposed research must address questions that align with one of these areas. 

The program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The program funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas. Each Scholar receives exactly $425,000 over five years, including up to 7.5% indirect costs. 

Applicants must be nominated by their institutions. Major divisions of an institution (e.g., College of Arts and Sciences, Medical School) may nominate only one applicant each year. Applicants of any discipline are eligible. Applicants must have received their doctorate within 7 years of application submission and must be employed in career-ladder positions. 

Guidance for the Nomination Process 

An internal competition will be held to assign the slot(s). Interested applicants should submit pre-proposal materials (3-page project description and CV) through SLU’s OpenWater portal by 5pm on May 8, 2026: https://slu.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/239/home  

A SLU faculty selection committee will review and select the most suitable applicant(s) and notify all applicants of the outcome by May 22, 2026, barring any unforeseen circumstances. 

For further details on the program, including award details and full eligibility criteria, please click here.  To download the application guidelines, please click here.   

Please contact Christine Luebbert at christine.luebbert@slu.edu with any questions.