Competition

* Unless explicitly noted, all times indicated for deadlines are for the appropriate NL timezone (NST or NDT)

The goal of the Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative is to support community-based and community-led research partnerships with postsecondary institutions that are grounded in the lived experience of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups and that analyze the causes and persistence of systemic racism and discrimination. Leadership by people from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups in research projects about race, gender and diversity is important to help ensure the research is grounded in the complexities of the lived experiences and histories of diverse groups and individuals, and to inform more rigorous and relevant policy and program design. The ultimate purpose of this initiative is to support partnership research and related activities to meet the needs of organizations working toward removing barriers and disparities for women; First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples; Black, Asian and other racialized peoples; people living with disabilities (both visible and invisible); LGBTQ2+ people; religious minorities; and others marginalized on the basis of their ethnicity and other identity factors.

This initiative encourages an intersectional approach. Intersectionality—a term first coined by African-American scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw—is an approach to research that helps us understand how identities (e.g., race gender, class and sexuality) and power structures intersect to create various modes of discrimination and privilege, advantage and disadvantage. Research under this initiative can include learning from grant-supported or prior pilot projects to achieve greater justice and equity.

The initiative will seek to support a diverse portfolio of projects to ensure that complementary subthemes are addressed. The following represent examples of possible research topics, but applicants may choose other areas of focus relevant to the call.

• Hate, racism and xenophobia
• Gender discrimination
• Disability discrimination and ableism
• History, methodology and research on partnered research

Objectives

The main objective of the Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative is to award approximately 20 grants to support community-led and community-based formal partnerships between one or more partner organizations from the not-for-profit, public and/or private sectors and at least one postsecondary institution, to support connection, research and training activities. These three-year partnership grants offered under the Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative will serve as hubs for challenge-oriented, community-led and community-based intersectional research and knowledge mobilization activities, and can be used to incubate new research partnerships.

The funded partnerships will use collaboration and mutual learning to foster the co-creation of new knowledge, capacity-building and knowledge mobilization on critical issues for non-academic partner organizations pertaining to systemic racism and discrimination of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups, including but not limited to women; First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples; Black, Asian and other racialized peoples; people living with disabilities (both visible and invisible); LGBTQ2+ people; religious minorities, and others marginalized on the basis of their ethnicity and other identity factors; as well as individuals who identify as or belong to more than one of these groups.

Specific objectives include support for:

• partnerships addressing antiracist, equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in research practice (e.g., by supporting diversity in the composition of the partnerships and teams and in the recruitment of trainees; by fostering equitable and inclusive research work environments; and by highlighting diversity and equity in mentoring, training and access to development opportunities) and in research design (e.g., through approaches such as intersectionality, antiracist frameworks and gender-based analysis plus [GBA+]);Footnote*
• partnered research activities responding to the needs of partner organizations from the not-for-profit, public and/or private sector, and which will inform their decision-making;
• intersectoral collaborations and connection activities, such as public outreach activities, workshops and conferences;
• innovative approaches that enrich partnered research training experiences for students and postdoctoral researchers; and
• leveraging contributions from all partner organizations (cash and/or in-kind contributions).

As part of SSHRC’s and the federal research funding agencies’ commitments outlined in Setting new directions to support Indigenous research and research training in Canada 2019-2022—and, more specifically, to support the key principles of self-determination, decolonization of research, accountability and equitable access—at least three grants will be awarded to Indigenous not-for-profit organizations to conduct research and knowledge mobilization activities with partner organizations, provided such applications are recommended by the adjudication committee in the merit review process. There is no requirement for Indigenous not-for-profit organizations with a research mandate to partner with the postsecondary sector.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

HSS Requests for Advanced Draft Feedback (optional): Memorial applicants may request detailed feedback on full draft applications or on application components. Normally, HSS Research Support Services would require draft applications to be submitted a minimum of 45 business days ahead of the internal HSS deadline (see below for all deadlines - Advanced Draft Feedback deadlines may vary depending on the workflow of the HSS Research Support Services office). If you wish to request this service, please contact Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050) as soon as possible.

Note: Because additional SSHRC programs involving partnerships are involved, applicants are advised to pursue partnerships at the earliest opportunity. Applications require issuing invitations to partners and receipt of Letters of Support (for the Partnership Development program only this also includes Memorial University). Partners must accept Invitations in the Convergence portal and upload Letters of Support prior to the internal HSS Deadline.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Faculty of HSS Submission Procedures (mandatory): In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this opportunity must also be submitted for Departmental, HSS Faculty, and Research Grants and Contracts Services (RGCS) institutional reviews and approvals via Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP). In order to facilitate the HSS Faculty’s administrative review, please ensure "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)" and “Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)” are added as "Team Members" on your RP file. 

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols, all tabs of the RP file must be completed, the completed application must be uploaded to the “Attachments” tab, all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support must also be uploaded, and “Submit” must be pressed prior to the HSS internal deadline listed below. HSS cannot guarantee completion of an administrative review for application files that are incomplete and/or are submitted after the HSS deadline. For more detailed submission instructions and information, please consult the HSS Research Support Services website.

If you plan to apply to this competition or other research funding opportunities (as either PI or CI), e-mail an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050), to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. E-mailing the intent to apply as early as possible will help to facilitate an efficient review. A Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures and may also be able to help with proposal development.