Supporting Sexuality Research
Where We Work
In the United States and globally, we support efforts to strengthen and expand research that addresses the diverse social and cultural dimensions of sexuality and reproductive health.
What We Fund
All of our current support for U.S. research is provided through a request for proposals (RFP) titled—"Sexuality, Health and Rights Among Youth in the United States: Transforming Public Policy and Public Understanding Through Social Research." Grants are made to accredited U.S. colleges and universities, university consortiums and nonprofit research institutions.
We consider proposals for the following:
- Social science research on sexuality, sexual and reproductive health and rights
- Graduate student training on social science sexuality research
- Strategic communications to translate research findings into policies and programs to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights
Globally, the foundation supports efforts to scale up training and networking on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health rights. With an initial focus on Africa and Latin America, we are collaborating with a core set of grantees including:
- Regional academic training centers and universities focusing on developing the capacity of graduate-level trainees to conduct policy relevant research
- Sexuality research networks and associations focusing on disseminating new frameworks and findings to improve and protect the health and rights of those from the Global South
Status of Grant Making
The request for proposals process is now closed. We expect selected applicants to begin work on their projects between August and October 2010.
During this time, we encourage grant seekers to review the closed RFP. It provides a comprehensive overview of our U.S. work and priorities. This information may be instructive as you consider future application plans.
We anticipate our next research RFP to be issued in the fall of 2011.
In the meantime, we are always open to engaging with potential SRHR grantees on new capacity building and networking opportunities for the foundation.
Additional Selection Criteria
This initiative does not provide support for the following:
- Independent research projects that do not fall within the parameters described on this page
- Research and training programs outside of the Global South
- Tuition for Ph.D. or master's training programs
- Travel to conferences
- Stand-alone research conferences or workshops
To Apply for a Grant
Follow these steps:
- Review the Initiative(s) most relevant to your work.
- Read our Grant Application Guide, which describes our grant-making process.
- If you determine that your work aligns with our priorities, submit a Grant Inquiry. (While we welcome submissions, please keep in mind that our funds are limited in relation to the large number of worthwhile inquiries we receive. In a typical year, less than 1 percent of unsolicited inquiries result in a grant.)
Please Note:
It is important that you use our grant inquiry form—and refrain from contacting program officers directly. Given the volume of inquiries we receive, this allows us to log, track and respond quickly to your application.
Fellowships
The vast majority of foundation grants go to organizations. We provide a very limited number of fellowship opportunities for individuals through the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships Program, which aims to diversify the faculties of American colleges and universities.
The foundation does not have any other active fellowship opportunities at this time.
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