The Democratic Innovations program at ISPS aims to promote new ideas and rigorous theoretical and empirical research on how to achieve honest, competent, and effective government. ISPS invites proposals for research that will identify and/or test ideas for improving the quality of democratic governance. This includes work that explores how norms and institutions support effective government and how political institutions can be designed to promote better governance and policymaking.
Examples of research topics in this spirit include, but are not limited to, methods for controlling political corruption, the effects of alternative voting systems, methods for encouraging high-quality candidates, the political economy of evidence use in policy-making, the empirical properties of deliberative assemblies, development of new technologies for collective decisions, studies of existing innovative institutions, or pilot demonstrations or experiments to assess the properties of proposed innovations. We also welcome proposals that create datasets that would help researchers address these research topics.
Successful applications will meet the particular objectives of this RFP. Proposals must describe how the project explores new ideas and/or undertakes rigorous theoretical or empirical research on how to promote honest, competent, and effective governance and policymaking.
The typical award is between $10,000 and $15,000, and the maximum award is $60,000.
The grant is designed to cover a one or two-year project, with an expectation that at least one publication-quality research report will emerge within three years.
Application submission deadline: March 30, 2026, 11:59PM.
ISPS encourages early career faculty and researchers to apply for this funding, although we will give full consideration to proposals from faculty at all career stages.
Before applying
Scholars interested in applying for an ISPS Democratic Innovations Research Fund should review ISPS guidelines,
- Visit this page, General information about ISPS Research Funding, to learn about eligibility and more.
- Visit this page, Information about ISPS Research Procedures, to learn about ISPS requirements.
- Visit our Research page to see information about ISPS research! For original data see the ISPS Data Archive.
To apply
Fill out the ISPS Grant Application Form.
Each proposal will be reviewed based on the soundness of the research design and the importance and innovativeness of the study given the size of the budget request. Pilot projects and projects with the potential to evolve into larger collaborative studies are especially welcome. If an award is granted, some further steps, including a data archiving plan and IRB approval, must be completed before any funds are released. Further details on the project proposal and other requirements are provided on the ISPS website. For logistical questions about funding proposals please email ISPS Associate Director for Research & Strategic Initiatives, Limor Peer, limor.peer(at)yale.edu.