Behavioral Interventions Scholars

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is soliciting applications for Behavioral Interventions Scholars grants to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students who are using approaches grounded in behavioral science or behavioral economics to examine research questions of relevance to social services programs and policies. These grants are meant to build capacity in the research field to apply a behavioral science or behavioral economics lens to issues facing families in the United States with low incomes, and to foster faculty mentorship of high-quality doctoral students. Applicants are required to demonstrate how their research is grounded in behavioral economics/behavioral science and the applicability of their research to practices or policies serving children, adults, and families with low incomes, especially those that seek to improve their well-being.

The specific goals of the Behavioral Interventions Scholars grants are to:

1. Facilitate the completion of high-quality research projects that will add to the growing body of knowledge on effective interventions that are grounded in behavioral economics/behavioral science and have direct relevance to issues facing families with low incomes and other vulnerable groups.
2. Directly support graduate student engagement in behavioral science research as it relates to ACF programs and/or populations, especially programs authorized by the Social Security Act as well as programs related thereto, as well as graduate student training and professional development. Students are expected to become autonomous researchers with specialized knowledge of the intersection of behavioral insights and issues affecting ACF populations.
3. Foster mentoring relationships between faculty members or other experienced researchers and graduate students who are pursuing doctoral-level research in the field of applied behavioral science or related fields. Each student will work in partnership with a mentor to foster the skills necessary to build a graduate student's career trajectory. Within this mentoring relationship, scholars are expected to become independent researchers with the skills necessary to carry out behavioral science studies with a high level of technical quality.
4. Encourage active communication, networking, and collaboration among the group of graduate student participants, their mentors, and other prominent researchers in the field, both during the graduate students’ training, as well as into the early stages of their research careers.
5. Disseminate information about effective behavioral interventions, including an increase in knowledge-sharing with human services practitioners. 

Research Topics of Interest can be found starting on page 5 of the FOA. See RFP & Supporting Documents.

• City or township governments
• County governments
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Independent school districts
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
• Small businesses
• Special district governments
• State governments

Estimated Total Program Funding: