Good Afternoon,
The Templeton World Charity Foundation has launched a new funding opportunity, Listening and Learning in a Polarized World. This program will support projects that advance the knowledge base for researchers seeking to measure and map polarization between and within societies and cultures. More information can be found in the synopsis below:
Templeton World Charity Foundation: Listening and Learning in a Polarized World
FAS/OSP Deadline: January 17, 2023
Sponsor Deadline: January 24, 2023
Award Amount: $250,000 for 1-2 years including up to 15% for indirect costs
Templeton World Charity Foundation will support research for new scientific discoveries that can help humans flourish in a world confronted with increasing polarization. The goal is to understand the underlying mechanisms of polarization and depolarization, with clear and measurable indicators of these mechanisms. The essential question to answer is: what are the internal underlying mechanisms of individuals, and their biology and social networks, leading to states of polarization (or depolarization) under the influence of external sociocultural forces? And, what are the measures to assess whether these mechanisms are in play? The outcome of this research is expected to advance the knowledge base for researchers seeking to measure and map polarization between and within societies and cultures. Ultimately, the aim is to discover culturally relevant polarization preventative and mitigating innovations.
Successful proposals will have several essential components:
- MODELS: Successful proposals will generate, modify, validate, or falsify models (theoretical representations of the mechanisms of polarization) which provide insights into detailed underlying internal mechanisms of polarization and will illuminate key root causes.
- MEASUREMENTS (indicators of underlying internal mechanisms): Successful proposals will provide specific measurements which can be used to experimentally probe the mechanisms.
- POLARIZING AND DEPOLARIZING EXTERNAL FORCES: While polarizing and depolarizing external forces may be integral to the model, with a systems perspective these forces can be seen as the inputs or feedback loops, that the internal mechanisms may transform into the output of states of polarization.
- CROSS-CULTURAL: Funded research should be tested in two or more cultural contexts (within or between societies) and carefully consider how measurements selected are best utilized for cross-cultural studies and mapping of polarization.
- MULTIDISCIPLINARY: Successful proposals will bring multidisciplinary expertise to the work required to achieve robust, integrative models and measurements applicable to cross-cultural mapping.
This is a funding call for open and collaborative research, and the successful applicants will be required to share outputs of their research. They will be expected collaborate with the funding cohort by sharing and discussing early/null findings and team resources with members of the LLPW research cohort, as well as ongoing and meaningful intra- and inter-team communication as the research progresses.
The Foundation will be hosting two webinars to discuss the RFP application process and answer any questions potential applicants may have. The first webinar will be held on December 8, 2022 at 11 AM, and it will focus on the scope of the call and the application process. The second webinar is scheduled for January 18, 2023 at 11 AM, and it will address last minute questions regarding submission.
Questions about this announcement may be directed to Erin Hale (erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu) or Susan Gomes (sgomes@fas.harvard.edu).