We want to fund your research on student voting (again)
SVRN is opening a new call for proposals - apply by June 1. We hope this call can address key questions that emerged at our research workshop.
Dear Friends,
We launched the Student Vote Research Network (SVRN) last April to discover what it will take to reach 100% student voter participation. Last July, we issued a call for proposals for grants of up to $15,000 to fund research projects. And just last month, we met in Chicago to hear presentations and results from those projects. We have made major progress in understanding what happens when faculty include voter engagement in their curricula and classrooms, what messages connect with student voters, and how to overcome policy environments that are unfriendly to student voters. Now we are looking to build on that progress.
SVRN is opening a new call for proposals - apply by June 1!
We’re excited now to share with you an opportunity for a second round of subgrants, again for up to $15,000 each.The turnaround time is tight–we’re looking for proposals by June 1, 2023 and decisions will be made by June 15, 2023. But if you’ve got a great idea for a research project this coming fall, especially somewhere with odd-year elections (hello, New Jersey and Virginia, but local elections too!), we would love to support your work. Projects should finish collecting data by the end of 2023, and subgrantees will share progress and results at the April 2024 SVRN Workshop.
We want to hear from YOU! Please begin your application (or just a conversation!) by replying to this email to schedule a time to connect with an SVRN steering committee member in the coming weeks. Whether you have a fully prepared research proposal or just an idea you want to explore, we want to learn from your ideas and experiences.
SVRN funding priorities include proposals that use RCTs and multi-campus designs to learn more about strategies using the college curriculum and classroom.
There are two areas where we are particularly interested in supporting research to build on the progress made during the first round of subgrants.
1) How might we discover the full potential of the college curriculum and classroom to move us towards 100% student voting?
Anybody can walk into a college or university and try to start engaging voters. But only faculty and university leadership can use the full power of the college curriculum and classroom to move us towards 100% student voting. In the SVRN we have explored how the use of learning management systems can help create a higher “floor” for student voter engagement and ensure that 100% of students get at least a basic level of support. In our most recent round of subgrants, Crystal Harris at Governor’s State and Amber Wichowsky and Savannah Charles at Marquette both looked at deliberative strategies for teaching students about why voting is important. When we launched our network in April 2022 we highlighted a key review paper from Elizabeth Bennion and David Nickerson that summarized the state of experimental tests of voter mobilization tactics targeted to student voters.
The college curriculum and classroom present unique opportunities to dramatically expand both the breadth and depth of student voter engagement programs. We seek proposals to update and expand this body of work, especially with regards to the actions that are entirely within the control of individual faculty members.
2) How do we expand the use of randomized controlled trials and multi-campus studies to establish more generalizable findings about the most effective strategies for moving towards 100% student voting?
In order to reach 100% student voting, we need to be able to more precisely understand and predict the impact certain strategies have in diverse campus and political contexts. And in order to do that, we need to expand the use of the randomized controlled trials and multi-campus studies in studying the student vote. These tools help us build on the insights developed from surveys, focus groups, and engagement with practitioner and community expertise that is also emerging from the network. We seek proposals that use randomized controlled trials and multi-campus studies to complement ongoing efforts in the movement for 100% student voting to study how we cultivate grassroots leadership, implement high-impact tactics, and mobilize civil society.
The Next Step: Reply to this email to schedule a time to discuss your idea and apply by June 1!
Funded projects should include plans to acquire Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and grantees will be invited to share preliminary results at the National Student Vote Summit in November 2023. Budgets should include travel for at least one researcher to attend and share progress and findings at the April 2024 SVRN Research Convening.
We can’t wait to see what you propose! Please forward this email far and wide to anyone who might have a great research idea.
Best,
Melissa R. Michelson
Dean of Arts and Sciences, Menlo College
Chair, Student Vote Research Network Grant Committee