A call to action for the UC Santa Cruz community
The Institute for Social Transformation serves as an incubator for new ideas and an accelerator for scholarship in the public interest. The institute supports boundary-crossing research, creative interactions, and rigorous policy-oriented scholarship. Our partners and audience include community organizers, elected officials, policy makers, philanthropists, prospective students, and the general public.
This campus is known for cutting-edge work that benefits people and the planet, and the Institute for Social Transformation shares that commitment to social justice. Our scholarship promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. We provide hands-on research opportunities for students, and we partner with local and global actors. We believe in the power of collaboration and are eager to foster innovative solutions to pressing social and environmental problems.
The institute builds on the campus’s progressive values and areas of existing strength by providing support to faculty, graduate students, undergraduates, and teams of interdisciplinary researchers.
Funding for Faculty Research
The Institute for Social Transformation’s competitive grant program is designed to spur new ways of thinking about old problems and to jump-start new initiatives that show promise in advancing theoretical concepts, socially relevant research, community engagement, and public scholarship.
Call for Applications
We are pleased to offer awards to catalyze innovative research and convene thought leaders. We invite proposals from UCSC Social Sciences Division faculty members to “Seed,” “Sprout,” and “Harvest” innovative research that contributes to efforts to foster more equitable and sustainable social futures. We also offer small grants to support emerging scholars and pre-tenure faculty in their efforts at completing significant research outputs. Additionally, we have funding through the Building Belonging program to fund students to work on faculty-led research projects.
NEW Call for Applications: deadline May 23, 2025
Catalyze awards for innovative research and convening thought leaders
Seed Grants ($500 – $3,000)
Sprout Grants ($2,500 – $18,500)
Harvest Grants ($500 – $1,800)
Emerging scholar /
Research accelerator
support
Book Manuscript Accelerator Workshop
Article Publication and Research-Building Program
(up to $6,000)
- See also
Funding for Experiential Learning
Transforming Futures:
Summer Internships
Scholarships up to $8,000
Funding for students to participate in summer internships.
Building Belonging
Program
Scholarships $1,500
Funding for undergraduate students to participate in high-impact research alongside faculty mentors.
IST Programs and Outreach Intern
Scholarships $5,500
Join our team! Applications now open for the 2025-2026 school year. Funded through the CUIP program.
- See also
- Labor Summer
- Center for Labor and Community’s Graduate Student Grants
- Student Awards in Social Sciences Division
- UCSC Undergraduate Research Opportunities Website
- UCSC Career Success Internship and Experiential Learning Opportunities
- UCSC Global Internships
- Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program (CUIP)
