Sponsor

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Program

Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative

For More Information

SSHRC News Release [3]

Description

The goal of the Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative is to support community-based and community-led research partnerships with postsecondary institutions that are grounded in the lived experience of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups and that analyze the causes and persistence of systemic racism and discrimination. Leadership by people from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups in research projects about race, gender and diversity is important to help ensure the research is grounded in the complexities of the lived experiences and histories of diverse groups and individuals, and to inform more rigorous and relevant policy and program design. The ultimate purpose of this initiative is to support partnership research and related activities to meet the needs of organizations working toward removing barriers and disparities for women; First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples; Black, Asian and other racialized peoples; people living with disabilities (both visible and invisible); LGBTQ2+ people; religious minorities; and others marginalized on the basis of their ethnicity and other identity factors.

This initiative encourages an intersectional approach. Intersectionality—a term first coined by African-American scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw—is an approach to research that helps us understand how identities (e.g., race gender, class and sexuality) and power structures intersect to create various modes of discrimination and privilege, advantage and disadvantage. Research under this initiative can include learning from grant-supported or prior pilot projects to achieve greater justice and equity. The initiative will seek to support a diverse portfolio of projects to ensure that complementary subthemes are addressed. The following represent examples of possible research topics, but applicants may choose other areas of focus relevant to the call:

• Hate, racism and xenophobia
• Gender discrimination
• Disability discrimination and ableism
• History, methodology and research on partnered research

Eligibility

Subject matter: Proposals may involve any disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas eligible for SSHRC funding. See subject matter eligibility [4] for more information. Projects whose primary objective is curriculum development are not eligible for funding under this funding opportunity.

Applicants: Applications may be submitted by a team of researchers (consisting of one applicant [5] / project director and participants such as co-directors [6], co-applicants [7] and collaborators [8]). The applicant / project director prepares the application with the team on behalf of the partner organizations [9] of the formal partnership [10]. Applicants must be affiliated with an eligible Canadian institution [11] (universities, colleges, not-for-profit organizations) at the time of application. Researchers who maintain an affiliation with a Canadian postsecondary institution, but whose primary affiliation is with a non-Canadian postsecondary institution, are not eligible for applicant [5] status.

Maximum Project Value

Grants are valued at up to $80,000 annually for the first two years and up to $290,000 in the third year, for an overall total maximum of $450,000. A two-year automatic grant extension without additional funding is also available under this strategic initiative.

An in-person or virtual knowledge mobilization forum will take place three years after the grant has been awarded to promote research findings with cross-sectoral stakeholders and knowledge users. The format of the forum has yet to be determined. Grant applicants must include travel costs for a one-day forum in Ottawa as part of the budget submitted with their applications. If the forum takes place virtually, the funds set aside for travel can be reallocated towards additional knowledge mobilization activities. Successful applicants will receive further details on the forum after the grants are awarded.

Indirect Costs

0%

Project Duration

3 years

Special Notes

Equity, diversity and inclusion: Applicants are required to consider equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in both research practice (EDI-RP) and research design (EDI-RD):

• EDI-RP involves promoting diversity in team composition and trainee recruitment; fostering an equitable, inclusive and accessible research work environment for team members and trainees; and highlighting diversity and equity in mentoring, training and access to development opportunities.

• EDI-RD involves designing the research so that it takes EDI into account, through approaches such as intersectionality, antiracist frameworks, gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) and disaggregated data collection, and analysis that includes consideration of diversity and identity factors such as, but not limited to, age, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, gender expression and gender identity, immigration and newcomer status, Indigenous identity, language, neurodiversity, parental status/responsibility, place of origin, religion, race, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

EDI-RP and EDI-RD will be evaluated as part of the Challenge and Feasibility evaluation criteria. For more information, see the Guide to Addressing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Considerations in Partnership Grants Applications [12].

How to Apply

Applicants must complete the application form [14] in accordance with accompanying instructions [15]. Applications must be submitted electronically by an authorized research grants officer, or equivalent, from the host institution, or by a representative of the not-for-profit organization that has financial signing authority and is not participating in the project. 

You must complete the application using the Convergence Portal [16]. 

• Sign in to the Convergence Portal [16]. If you currently have an account on the SSHRC Research Portal [17], please use your existing credentials.
• Select Funding Opportunities, then select the Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative funding opportunity.

Webinars on how to apply [18]:
English—Tuesday, September 21, 2021; 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (eastern)
English WebEx link [1]

French—Tuesday, September 21, 2021; 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (eastern)
French WebEx link [2]