Funding for Independent Scholars
Power on the Margins - Open the Gates!
The Misogynoir to Mishpat Research Network continues to seek ways to fill the gap for African descended women in Religious Academia, Activism and Religious Leadership. In particular, those working within the Religious Academy will find a resolute resistance to hiring African descended women - particularly within the UK. We desperately need your academic insights as contributions to higher education. With that in mind, here is a bit of assistance.
There are a few ways to continue your academic work despite these roadblocks. One is to ensure you work is multi-disciplinary and to begin working with other schools or departments who are more open to diversification. Another is for you to navigate your space on the margins as an Independent Scholar if you are not hired. We have already provided initial resources, but here's a list of additional resources by Dr. Helen Kara. (Please see the link below.)
https://the-sra.org.uk/SRA/SRA/Blog/Funding%20for%20Independent%20Researchers.aspx
In this blog, Dr Helen Kara, (Director, We Research It Ltd. and the first fully independent Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences), provides a tour of the, very limited, funding landscape for Independent Researchers.
The British Academy offers Small Research Grants, in partnership with Leverhulme, of between £500 and £10,000 which may be spread over two years. These grants are for research expenses only, in the humanities and social sciences. Projects may be solo or collaborative. If collaborative, the lead scholar must be based in the UK, but beyond that, people from other countries may be involved in the project. The funders look for a clearly defined piece of work with an identifiable outcome.
The Wellcome Trust offers Research Fellowships for health-related researchers in the humanities and social sciences who do not hold established academic posts. These are for up to three years (or even longer, if part-time) and can be of a total value up to £275,000. You need to work at a ‘host organisation’ and the grant can cover a basic salary, personal removal expenses, and research expenses.
The Independent Social Research Foundation offers Independent Scholar Fellowships for European researchers. They are intended to buy out someone’s time for up to a year, with a maximum award of £25,000 or €28,500 depending on location, to enable them to work on a research project or an article or book.
The Leverhulme Trust offers Research Fellowships for experienced researchers in any discipline, including independent researchers, to complete a piece of original research. The fellowships may last for 3-24 months and the maximum value is £55,000. The awards provide research expenses over and above normal living costs and/or provide a contribution towards reasonable replacement costs or loss of earnings.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust offers Fellowships for travel in one or two continents, for 4-8 weeks, to find ‘innovative solutions to today’s most pressing problems’ from experts abroad. The grant covers all the costs of travel: transport, accommodation, food, visas, travel insurance, and so on. It does not cover loss of earning or replacement costs.