2025-26 Center for Political Economy Faculty Grant Opportunity

About the CPE Faculty Grants

CPE Faculty Grants are for one year, and are intended to support research and the generation of new knowledge and new networks. Awards are anticipated to range from $10,000 to $60,000.

Topics

This round of grants will support work that aligns with the Center’s four Idea Labs or the cross-cutting themes of International Political Economy and Political Economy and Democracy.

• Work and Labor focuses on the empirical study of labor and labor markets, including collective worker action and the future of domestic and international labor movements. 
• Firms and Industrial Policy seeks to strengthen the knowledge base for smart industrial policy through explorations of firm behavior, drivers of innovation and technology adoption, conceptual issues in the design of industrial policies, and practical issues faced in implementation.
• Money and Finance explores the relation of money and finance both in theoretical terms and in institutional configurations, including the design of financial intermediaries and their relation to central banks and financial market regulators.
• Political Economy of Climate: Forests and Fossil Fuels explores how political and economic forces shape policy and societal responses to climate change. This year, the Lab particularly welcomes projects focused on the political economy of forests and how communities dependent on fossil fuel extraction adjust to shifts in demand.
• Political Economy and Democracy considers challenges emanating from the relationship between economic structures and democratic politics, such as economic and political inequalities and polarization and challenges to democratic institutions and processes.
• International Political Economy considers of any of the above themes from an international perspective, as well as topics relevant to the theme of international macroeconomics and geopolitics.

In evaluating proposals, Center faculty reviewers will prioritize collaborative and multidisciplinary initiatives with the potential to break new ground in understanding the intersections of economics and political and social processes in the US and elsewhere and advancing theoretical, conceptual, and methodological innovation. 

Eligibility

Columbia University faculty from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Principal Investigators must be full-time faculty members at Columbia University or its affiliates. Faculty may serve as Principal Investigator on only one proposal. Collaborators may include other faculty members, research scientists, and external partners such as organizations and individuals from the nonprofit, higher education, public, or private sector.

Allowable Grant Expenses

Grants will support research and convening activities. The funds will cover a wide range of expenses. For example, they might be utilized to: 

• Purchase data or computing resources
• Hire student research assistants and consultants
• Cover honoraria and logistical costs for workshops and conferences
• Cover domestic and/or international travel
• Purchase supplies and equipment

Key Dates

The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, March 3rd at 5:00PM EST. Award announcements will be made in May 2025 and the award period will run from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

Proposal Requirements

A completed application includes the following: 

• Project proposal (see application for additional details);
• Budget narrative and budget template (i.e., a summary table with a clear description of how the grant funds would be spent on participant payment, fees, travel costs, etc.); and
• Contact information and curricula vitae for project team members.

Please contact politicaleconomy@columbia.edu with any questions.