ISSBD Grants

For many years, ISSBD has been committed to the Early Career Scholars' development. In line with the vision and goal of creating cohesion and strengthening the network of relationships, ISSBD offers grants and support for the Society’s young members in the early stage of their careers.

Care Everywhere Grant

Understanding and Nourishing the Development of Character Strengths Globally.



About

ISSBD is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for its CARE EVERYWHERE grant (Understanding and Nourishing the Development of Character Strengths Globally). Supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, this grant targets research conducted by ISSBD members that aims to understand and nurture character strengths across the lifespan and contribute to a better understanding of what is common and what is specific in caring  across the world. Examples of research questions are:

  •   How do young children acquire empathy and caring? 
  •   What does courage look like in different contexts?
  •   How can we conceptualise and measure the development of shared humanity across contexts?
  •   How can we nurture kindness and caring among adolescents? 

Eligibility

  • Scholars must be in an early- or mid-career stage: Early-career: Postdoctoral fellows or those who completed their PhD within the last 7 years. Mid-career: Scholars who are 7-15 years post-PhD or equivalent degree.
  • The two scholars must apply together and be located in different countries or regions, ideally from different continents.
  • Preference for one applicant from a majority-world/underrepresented country.
  • Preference for co-applicants representing different disciplines and demonstrating complementary research and methodological skills.
  • Be committed to engaging with and contributing to the activities. 
  • ISSBD membership is required if awarded the grant

Amount

Up to US$32.000 (non-renewable). A maximum of 2 grants will be awarded. 

Application Documents

You will need to submit a single file (preferably in PDF format) containing the following documents:

  • 5-page research proposal (excluding references). It should include background, research question(s), hypotheses, method/analysis plan, and timeline. All projects must involve data and analysis (quantitative or qualitative). Proposals longer than 5 pages will not be reviewed.
  • A separate budget and justification should be included. Itemized budget and justification for each item (it can include the cost of any equipment, such as recording equipment, data analysis and collection costs, and other costs related to the project’s operations.). The budget and justification are not part of the five pages proposal. Please keep the budget justification to two pages. Include a request for how the funding should be allocated.
  • CV of each applicant. Max. 3 pages each.
  • Institutional Agreement: While submitting this agreement with your application is preferable, it is not mandatory at this stage. However, please note that if your application is successful, the agreement will be required by the project’s start date.

Dates

Submission Due Date: January 31st, 2025; at 23.59 (GMT)

Awardees Notified: March 15th, 2025

Start of awardee research projects: April 4th, 2025

Questions 

For questions about the nature of the grant, please reach out to:

For issues on the application process, please contact:

More information here!

Apply Now 

Interested applicants are invited to submit their proposals through the official ISSBD member platform.

Please note that you will be redirected to the Membership Website. To apply for the grant, you must have an account and be logged in. Once logged in, the option will appear in the top bar under the SUBMISSIONS menu.

ISSBD 2 x 2 Grant for Early Career Scholars

Applications are closed

The 2 x 2 Grant for Early Career Scholars (ECS) reflects ISSBD’s commitment to supporting early career developmental scholars of all backgrounds worldwide.

The “2 x 2” element means that 2 Early Career Scholars located in 2 different countries or regions (ideally different continents and one applicant from a majority-world/under-represented country) must apply together. Preferably, the co-applicants should also study different disciplines and show complementary research and methodological skills.

 

Eligibility

Each pair of applicants must be:

  • ISSBD early career scholars located in different countries or regions (ideally different continents and ideally at least one applicant from a majority-world/under-represented country).
  • Have a mentor available.
  • Active current doctoral or postdoctoral students at a college or university, or within 7 years of being awarded a doctoral degree (time out for caring responsibilities or other commitments are considered).
  • Proposed projects can cover any research study related to a science that cares about a better understanding and/or promotion of human development and flourishing across the lifespan; given the short time period of the grant, proposals for original research, secondary data analysis, and meta-analytic reviews are welcome.
  • Importance of proposed project to developmental science needs to be explicitly stated and clear (e.g., by the use of developmental theory to inform the study and interpret results)
  • Past collaboration between the applicants would be beneficial.
  • A cross-cultural element may be included with a stated rationale for how incorporating diversity and/or data from two different cultures, regions, or perspectives will contribute to the goals of the proposed research project.
  • ISSBD membership is required if awarded the grant.
Amount

Up to US$5,000 for 1 year (non-renewable). A maximum of 2 grants will be awarded.

Dates

Submission Due Date: October 31st, 2024; at 23.59 (GMT)

A selection committee will review the application and decision notification emails will be sent in late January 2025. 

Past Awardees

For more information about the previously awarded grantees, please visit this page.