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Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

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Call for Internal Research Funding Proposals

About the Funding

The Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics (IDDP) invites research proposals from full-time, regular faculty members at The George Washington University. Through this funding opportunity, IDDP will support innovative, policy-relevant research that advances understanding at the intersection of data, democracy, and politics.

Any full-time, regular faculty member who is an employee of The George Washington University is eligible to apply for IDDP funding. It is anticipated that 4-6 research proposals will be funded ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 each. Funding may be used for research staff/student time and/or non-personnel expenses critical for implementation of the study. Indirect expenses are not allowable and any travel or conference costs must be directly related to the proposed research. Expenses for other George Washington University faculty (including those not affiliated with IDDP), research staff, and students may be included in the proposal.

Eligibility & Selection


Proposals will be evaluated by a group of peer reviewers, who will give particular priority to research projects that:

  • Align with IDDP’s mission and core work;
  • Contribute to the field by addressing gaps in the literature, examining a meaningful
    challenge related to politics and digital technology or refining existing theories or debates;
  • Involve interdisciplinary collaboration -- understood as cross-school, cross-cluster, and/or cross-disciplinary;
  • Involve innovative approaches or novel concepts or frameworks;
  • Include efforts to amplify research findings to journalists, policymakers, and/or civil society representatives;
  • Demonstrate careful attention to scientific, legal, and other research best practices, including data ethics;
  • Are feasible and practical in scope and actionable within the project timeline;
  • Include efforts to involve junior and/or under-resourced scholars;
  • Are reasonable in cost.

To meet our obligations to IDDP’s funder, the Knight Foundation, project funds must be expended by December 31, 2026.

Proposals should be no more than 5 single-spaced pages (Arial, 11-point font, standard 1-inch margins), excluding references, and contain a(n):

  • Abstract of no more than 250 words;
  • Scope of work, including research questions, objectives, and methodology;
  • Clear description of anticipated outputs or deliverables;
  • Project timeline, to include major milestones;
  • Budget and budget justification (not counted against the 5 page limit).

Proposals should be submitted via email to IDDP Executive Director John Penn (john [dot] pennatgwu [dot] edu) by March 6, 2026.

Requirements upon funding:

  •  The project period is April 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027.
  • No-cost extensions are not permitted.
  • Brief quarterly updates and project summaries and highlights upon request.
  • A final report will be due March 1, 2028.
  • All funded personnel must report conflicts of interest.
  • IDDP requires that recipients acknowledge the institute in publications and public fora and support institute communications related to the funded research.
  • IDDP reserves the right to adjust the payment schedule or withhold payments if recipients cannot meet project deliverables.
  • IDDP requires that all data collected and/or created using Institute funds must be made available for use by all IDDP affiliates. Project PIs have a “first-use” right to publish with such data, but after initial publication, these data must be made available for use in other IDDP research.