The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is closely monitoring the rapidly changing coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, and the responses of the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and US federal and state governments.

In accordance with New York State governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order mandating the closure of all nonessential businesses, the SSRC’s Brooklyn offices are closed until further notice. The Council nevertheless remains devoted to advancing research and knowledge and supporting scholars and scholarship. The SSRC’s dedicated staff are working remotely to continue to carry forward this nearly one-hundred-year-old mission.

We are in a moment that brings the need for social understanding into stark relief. At the Council, we are using every tool at our disposal to cultivate and support social research, drawing on a wellspring of established knowledge and setting agendas for new inquiry.

Our fellowships and grants processes continue. The Council is working with fellows to assess the challenges posed to their research by travel restrictions, quarantines, and other logistical changes. In all situations, fellows are encouraged to take all necessary steps to ensure their health and safety. The Council will be as flexible as possible to help fellows adjust their work plan in order to complete their work, as necessary and within the terms and conditions of the award agreement. Please email fellowships@ssrc.org with any questions about grants or fellowships. In addition, all current grant and fellowship obligations will be fulfilled and the work of peer review and selection committees is proceeding virtually.

Until further notice, planned research workshops and public events have been canceled. In the coming weeks, we will endeavor to reschedule or reimagine these events in other modalities, if possible. Please email info@ssrc.org with any questions about research or public programming.

SSRC leadership will continue to evaluate the rapidly evolving situation and will communicate any updates as efficiently as possible. In the meantime, we encourage you to review the latest information and news, FAQs, and travel advisories from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.