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SECC Dissertation Research Funding Awards

Society for Research in Child Development

Established in 2008 by SRCD and the Student and Early Career Council (SECC), these non-renewable awards in the amount of up to $2,000 USD are given to doctoral students for dissertation research proposals that merit special recognition and display strong potential to contribute to the field of child development. Submissions should be for dissertation research in the proposal stage (i.e., not completed), and money is to be used for research costs or professional development related to the proposed dissertation project.

SRCD SECC is committed to anti-racism and anti-bias efforts as informed by scientific evidence and diverse epistemologies. Projects that reflect this charge are encouraged.

SECC members and the Governing Council Representative to SECC evaluate all submissions. Evaluation criteria include the following:

Quality and feasibility of research proposal (based on significance of the research question, theoretical rationale, methodological appropriateness, and innovation);
Qualifications of the applicant (based on CV and letter of recommendation);
Extent to which the award will contribute significantly to the applicant's professional development and productivity; and
Extent to which the proposed work contributes to the field of child development.

Text

2026 Call for Proposals

The deadline for the 2026 submissions is May 18, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The Student and Early Career Council (SECC) of the Society for Research in Child Development is pleased to announce the 17th annual competition for graduate student dissertation research funding.

Submission Criteria:

Submissions should be in the proposal stage (i.e., not completed).
Award funds are to be used for research costs (e.g., participant incentives, standardized measures, research equipment) and/or methodological training (e.g., fees to attend a statistical workshop) needed to complete the dissertation.
All expenses must be justified as needed for the completion of the dissertation.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

👶 1. Strong Focus on Child & Adolescent Development (Non-Negotiable)

Projects must directly address:
- Child or adolescent development
Includes:
- Cognitive development
- Social-emotional development
- Education
- Mental health
- Family and environmental influences

👉 Adult-only psychology or unrelated education research → low success probability

🧠 2. Strong Developmental Science Framework (Top Predictor)

SRCD prioritizes:
- Rigorous developmental science
Successful proposals clearly explain:
- Developmental mechanisms
- Age-related processes
- Longitudinal implications

👉 Key question:
“How does this advance understanding of child development?”

🌍 3. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (Critical)

One of SRCD’s strongest priorities:
- Reducing developmental inequities
High-priority themes:
- Racial/ethnic disparities
- Poverty and adversity
- LGBTQ+ youth
- Cross-cultural development

👉 Equity-centered developmental research scores highly.

🔄 4. Policy & Real-World Application (Major Differentiator)

SRCD strongly values:
- Research that:
  - Informs education
  - Improves child policy
  - Shapes interventions

👉 Translation into practice or policy improves competitiveness substantially.

📊 5. Methodological Rigor & Longitudinal Design

High success for studies using:
- Longitudinal data
- Advanced developmental methods
- Mixed-methods approaches
- Large cohort datasets

👉 Strong methodological sophistication is heavily weighted.

👩‍🔬 6. Early-Career Investigator Development (Major Priority)

SRCD strongly supports:
- Graduate students
- Postdocs
- Junior faculty

Programs emphasize:

Leadership development
Career mentorship
Policy training

👉 Career potential is a major review criterion.

🤝 7. Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Competitive projects often integrate:
- Psychology
- Education
- Neuroscience
- Public health
- Sociology
- Policy science

👉 Cross-disciplinary child development research performs well.

🚀 8. Innovation in Child Development Research

High-success areas include:

Digital environments & youth
AI/social media impacts
Early adversity and resilience
Developmental neuroscience
School mental health
Precision prevention/intervention

👉 Innovation must remain grounded in developmental theory.

🧪 9. Feasible, Ethical & Child-Centered Design

Strong emphasis on:
- Ethical child research practices
- Appropriate developmental measures
- Feasible recruitment/retention plans

👉 Weak child-centered methodology is a common rejection factor.

🌐 10. Community & Stakeholder Engagement

Increasing emphasis on:
- Schools
- Families
- Community organizations
- Youth participation

👉 Community-engaged developmental science is growing in importance.

📈 11. Dissemination & Broader Impact

Strong proposals include:
- Plans for:
  - Policy briefs
  - Educational dissemination
  - Public communication
  - Community implementation

👉 Broader societal relevance matters significantly.

🧑‍⚖️ 12. Policy Fellowship & Leadership Potential

For SRCD policy fellowships especially:

Strong predictors include:
- Communication ability
- Policy interest
- Leadership trajectory
- Public engagement skills

👉 SRCD values scientist-policy leaders, not just researchers.

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

🔥 Highest impact factors:

Child development focus
Strong developmental science framework
Equity and inclusion relevance

⚖️ Major differentiators:

Policy/practice impact
Methodological rigor
Early-career leadership potential

📌 Supporting factors:

Interdisciplinary collaboration
Innovation
Community engagement
Dissemination strategy

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to NIH or general psychology funders:

Society for Research in Child Development is:
👉 highly focused on:
- developmental theory
- equity and context
- policy translation
- leadership development

👉 Winning formula:
Developmentally grounded research + equity relevance + strong methods + policy/practice impact

✔️ What wins:

Longitudinal developmental studies
Equity-focused child research
School and family-based interventions
Policy-relevant developmental science

❌ What struggles:

Weak developmental framing
Adult-focused psychology
Poor methodological rigor
Limited real-world relevance

Specialties

Pediatrics

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be SRCD student members at the time of application and membership must be maintained throughout the award period.
- International members and members from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Consistent with the SRCD initiative to improve multidisciplinary collaboration in the child development field, applications that reflect multidisciplinary research aims and/or are from non-traditional disciplines are encouraged to apply.
Applicants must be doctoral students in a field related to child development, in good standing with their university, and have their dissertation proposals approved by their advisor.
- Students may apply for the award prior to dissertation committee approval, but funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the dissertation committee and the university's institutional Review Board.
Preference will be given to applicants whose project start date falls within the next year.
Proposed research must focus on child development, with study populations under age 18 (e.g., children, their parents, or K–12 teachers). Applications centered on young adult or college student populations will only be considered if they clearly justify their relevance to child development, such as through retrospective inquiry.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Society for Research in Child Development

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1100 13th Street, NW Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 20005

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