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Funding callSocial sciences · United States

Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants – letter of inquiry

The Russell Sage Foundation’s Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants offer up to US$750,000, plus 15% indirect costs, over three years to multi- or interdisciplinary teams led by doctorate-holding PIs studying US social, economic and political challenges. This guide covers research areas consistent with the scheme, eligibility and readiness checks, what assessment panels typically value and how to prepare a letter of inquiry before the 1 December 2026 deadline.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Next deadline
1 December 2026
Last checked
10 November 2026
Funder
Russell Sage Foundation
Sources
1
Apply through the official call

Key dates

Application deadline
1 December 2026
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Apply through the official call

About the call

Funder
Russell Sage Foundation
Country
United States
Scheme type
Project grant
Funding
Up to US$750,000 (plus 15% indirect costs) over three years
Eligibility
Multi- or interdisciplinary teams led by doctorate-holding PIs studying US social, economic and political challenges (democracy, societal impacts of AI, inequality and affordability, data infrastructure).
Scope
Social sciences

Topics consistent with the call

  • Challenges to democracy and political institutions in the United States
  • Societal impacts of artificial intelligence on work, institutions and inequality
  • Economic inequality, affordability and household financial security
  • Data infrastructure for social science research on American society
  • Interdisciplinary studies of social mobility and opportunity

Based on the published scope; the official page sets out the full themes and requirements.

Is your work a fit? Check before you apply

  1. Confirm the project addresses a US social, economic or political challenge named in the call.
  2. Assemble a multi- or interdisciplinary team led by a doctorate-holding PI.
  3. Plan a three-year project within US$750,000 plus 15% indirect costs.
  4. Check letter of inquiry requirements on the Russell Sage Foundation website.
  5. Submit a complete, institutionally approved letter of inquiry before 1 December 2026.

Why This Funding Call Matters

The United States faces pressing questions about democratic institutions, the effects of artificial intelligence, rising costs of living and persistent inequality. Addressing these questions often requires teams that combine methods and perspectives from several disciplines, along with strong data. The MOS Grants offer substantial, multi-year funding for such teams, allowing ambitious social science projects that would be difficult to undertake with smaller individual grants.

Who Should Apply

Academic backgrounds

  • Sociology
  • Economics
  • Political science
  • Public policy
  • Data science and computational social science

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities
  • Independent research organisations
  • Policy research institutes

What Reviewers Typically Value

  1. A significant research question about US society with clear scholarly and public relevance.
  2. Genuine integration of disciplines rather than parallel separate studies.
  3. Rigorous methods and access to suitable data.
  4. A feasible plan and team capable of delivering within three years.

Ideas You Could Develop

AI and job qualityA mixed-methods project examining how adoption of artificial intelligence tools affects wages, job quality and worker autonomy.
Housing affordability and family wellbeingAn interdisciplinary study linking housing costs to household finances, mobility and child outcomes.
Local news and civic participationA project combining data science and political science to study how declines in local news affect voting and civic engagement.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 1 December 2026. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 6 Oct 2026

    Read the call documents; confirm eligibility, budget limits, assessment criteria and institutional requirements.

  2. By 20 Oct 2026

    Agree the research question, aims, team and partners; contact your research office.

  3. By 3 Nov 2026

    Draft the case for support, methods, impact and budget.

  4. By 17 Nov 2026

    Obtain internal review, letters of support and institutional sign-off.

  5. By 26 Nov 2026

    Final checks against the funder’s guidance and formatting rules.

  6. By 1 Dec 2026

    Submit through the funder’s system before the deadline.

What you gain

  • Funding for the research, team and resources it needs.
  • Recognition from a competitive, peer-reviewed process.
  • Reviewer feedback that strengthens future applications.
  • A track record for larger grants and fellowships.

What happens after you apply

  1. Eligibility check: the funder confirms the application meets the call rules.
  2. Peer review: external reviewers assess the proposal against the published criteria.
  3. Panel: a committee ranks proposals; some schemes include an interview.
  4. Decision: outcomes are released on the funder’s timetable.
  5. Award: successful applicants agree terms and reporting requirements before starting.

What the Funder Are Looking For

The Russell Sage Foundation is looking for multi- or interdisciplinary teams, led by doctorate-holding PIs, proposing research on US social, economic and political challenges such as democracy, the societal impacts of AI, inequality and affordability, and data infrastructure. Strong letters of inquiry typically present a significant question, an integrated team and rigorous methods. Eligibility and requirements should be confirmed on the Russell Sage Foundation website.

Read the official pageThis guide summarises the opportunity. Confirm deadlines, eligibility and requirements on the official page before you plan your work, and record the date you checked it.Open the official page

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help

Pubrica’s subject specialists can help you prepare a competitive proposal, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Grant writingProposal writing structured to the funder’s guidance and assessment criteria. Literature review and gap analysisThe evidence base and the gap your proposal addresses. Study designStudy design and methods that reviewers can assess. Statistical analysis planSample size and analysis plans for the proposal. Data management planData management and sharing plans to funder requirements. Proposal editingEditing of the full proposal for clarity and consistency.
Go to the official page

FAQs

Questions Researchers Ask

The next published deadline is 1 December 2026. Dates can change, so confirm them on the official page before you plan your work.

The scheme is described for multi- or interdisciplinary teams, so a single-discipline team may not meet its aims. Check the eligibility and team requirements in the Russell Sage Foundation announcement before submitting a letter of inquiry.

Multi- or interdisciplinary teams led by doctorate-holding PIs studying US social, economic and political challenges (democracy, societal impacts of AI, inequality and affordability, data infrastructure). Confirm the full eligibility rules in the call documents.

Yes. Pubrica’s specialists can review, write, edit and format your proposal. You remain the author and the person responsible for the submission.

Sources

  1. Russell Sage Foundation. (2026). Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants – letter of inquiry. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://www.russellsage.org/news/new-margaret-olivia-sage-grants-competition

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants – letter of inquiry. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/margaret-olivia-sage-mos-grants-letter-of-inquiry/

  • Russell Sage Foundation
  • Social sciences
  • Interdisciplinary research
  • Inequality
  • United States

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Margaret Olivia Sage (MOS) Grants – letter of inquiryNext deadline 1 December 2026

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