Steven H. Sandell Grant Program

The Center for Retirement Research sponsors the annual Steven H. Sandell Grant Program for scholars in the field of retirement or disability research and policy. The program is funded by the U.S. Social Security Administration to provide opportunities for junior or non-tenured scholars (within seven years of receiving their Ph.D.) from all academic disciplines to pursue cutting-edge projects on retirement or disability issues. Research focal areas include:

Trends in disability;
Determining disability;
Requirements of work in the modern economy;
Informing long-term projections and models;
Improving communication and outreach;
State and local pensions for non-covered workers;
Modernizing totalization agreements;
Economic security of SSA beneficiaries;
Work-activity retention of disabled beneficiaries with overpayments; and
Improving service delivery.

Grant Awards

Up to three $45,000 grants are awarded based upon the quality of the applicant’s proposal and the proposed budget. Applicants are required to complete the research outlined in the proposal within one year of the award. Grant recipients may be required to present their work to the Social Security Administration in Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD.

“Virtual Office Hours” Service

The CRR offers the opportunity for potential applicants to ask questions about topics, datasets, and research design. The goal of this service is to strengthen the quality of the applications and ensure that proposals closely align with the U.S. Social Security Administration’s research focal areas. Please contact CRR Senior Economist Gal Wettstein during the month of November to take advantage of this service.

Submission

The deadline for the 2021 Sandell Grant Program is January 31, 2021. Download the proposal guidelines and the budget matrix. Review sample proposals that received awards: Sample 1, Sample 2.