This is a project to provide peer-reviewed small research grants through the Advancement of the Discipline program of the American Sociological Association. It is a continuation of a very successful program that assisted a significant number of promising sociologists to undertake pilot research projects or to complete limited but innovative and creative studies. The maximum amount for an NSF/ASA small research grant will be $4,000. Half of the funding for these grants will come from NSF, and half from the ASA. Proposals are reviewed for scientific merit. The selection committee consists of four members of the ASA Council, the ASA Vice President, the ASA Executive Officer, and one representative from NSF. The structure of the selection committee assures that a panel of distinguished social scientists evaluates the proposals. %%% Through the coordination and outreach of the American Sociological Association, funds are allocated expeditiously and in accord with scientific merit for scholars to engage in exploratory research where support from other sources would be difficult to acquire. Thus, these small grants constitute an invaluable form of venture capital for research that has the potential for challenging the discipline, for stimulating new lines of scientific research, and for facilitating new networks of scientific collaboration.
