The Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026–2027 CUF Graduate Research Fellowships, which support interdisciplinary social science projects by advanced graduate students affiliated with CUF member institutions. Each fellowship provides an annual award of $7,500 to a graduate student at one of the member institutions of the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences.
This month our newsletter focuses on the Social Security Act, signed 91 years ago. The Council’s Committee on Social Security, established in 1935, advised the Roosevelt Administration’s Committee on Economic Security, bringing social science to bear on the creation of a national system of social insurance.We highlight how social insurance connects to democracy, risk privatization, and more.
The SSRC and the Japan Foundation New York have awarded new research grants to five teams leading cross-disciplinary, cross-national research teams working on better understanding of important social issues. The projects address informal caregiving in aging societies, populism in the age of artificial intelligence, migrant civic inclusion, healthcare spending, and demographic futures in Japan.
With the FIFA World Cup coming to a close this weekend and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence earlier this month, the depths of social and cultural investments in national identity are on full display. This month our newsletter explores nationalism, a multivalent concept that social scientists, including at the SSRC, have wrestled with since the early 20th century.
Join us for a live session on the LEGO Foundation Fellowship application process. This webinar will walk you through the fellowship opportunity, what makes a strong application, and how to navigate the submission process with confidence.
This Pride month, our newsletter takes a closer look at gender and sexuality, rich fields of study that offer vital insights into broader social life. From 1996 to 2006, the SSRC’s Sexuality Research Fellowship Program (SRFP), with support from the Ford Foundation, catalyzed a new generation of sexuality scholars in a wide range of academic disciplines, including anthropology, communications, history, and sociology.
A new report from the SSRC’s Economic Research Rescue Fund offers new perspectives on the perceived value of economic research and new models for evaluating public research priorities.
It is with great sadness that the Council marks the passing of Kenneth Prewitt, eminent social scientist, dedicated public servant, and organizational leader who served twice as president of the Social Science Research Council (1979–1985 and 1995–1998).
As part of its 40th anniversary, the LEGO Foundation invites applications for the LEGO Foundation Fellowship, a new global research fellowship for early- and mid-career researchers whose work can strengthen the understanding of how children thrive across diverse contexts. The fellowship has been developed in partnership with the SSRC, which will administer the program and oversee the application and selection process.
With generous support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Social Science Research Council is pleased to invite U.S. R1 research universities in SSRC’s College and University Fund for the Social Sciences to apply to join the Public Exchange Network. Public Exchange is a new network that turns university research expertise into real-world action and impact. Foundedat the University of Southern California in 2020 and expanded to Washington University in St. Louis in 2025, Public Exchange connects researchers with government, nonprofit, and industry partners to tackle pressing challenges—from disaster recovery and climate solutions to food insecurity and homelessness prevention.
