We want to create an academic study of How the Empathy Circle practice, as developed by Edwin Rutsch, can help resolve polarization between democrats and republicans. Give me a detailed strategy and plan on how to fund this study with URL links to the organizations and references mentioned?
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/we-want-to-create-an-academic-JCMjZfkPQiuDP7qHV.E.2w#0
To fund an academic study on how Edwin Rutsch’s Empathy Circle practice can help resolve polarization between Democrats and Republicans, a multi-pronged, grant-focused strategy is recommended. This involves targeting foundations, academic research initiatives, grassroots funders, and piloting robust impact measures to appeal to both philanthropic funders and academic institutions.
Begin with a diversified approach incorporating grants, academic partnerships, donations, and potentially membership models. Rutsch himself suggests aligning with both grassroots support and formalized grant programs, while concrete impact data will be necessary for persuasion.empathycircle
Carnegie Corporation of New York: Offers $200,000 fellowships through its Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program specifically focused on polarization research. Applications are competitive and prioritized for projects with originality, high impact, and strong dissemination strategies.
URL: https://www.carnegie.org/fellowscarnegie
Raikes Foundation: Funds democracy resilience and community-rooted organizing, especially for organizations building civic infrastructure and cross-partisan dialogue. Contact their grants program for partnership and support.
URL: https://www.raikesfoundation.org/grantsraikesfoundation
Polarization Research Lab: Actively solicits short proposals on polarization, with selected projects run in partnership with YouGov surveys. Suitable for researchers affiliated with universities or established nonprofits.
URL: https://polarizationresearchlab.org/request-for-proposals/polarizationresearchlab
C-SPAM, Ohio State University: Offers collaborative research seed grants up to $7,500 for studies targeting polarization and misinformation.
URL: https://cspam.osu.edu/opportunities/apply-for-fundscspam.osu
Democracy Fund: Major philanthropic supporter of pro-democracy work and democracy resilience projects, receptive to proposals promising measured impact and broad-based cultural engagement.
URL: https://democracyfund.org/apply-for-funding/democracyfund
Other models include direct donations, fee-for-service for facilitated circles, and memberships—already discussed by the Empathy Circle team as possible options for their movement’s growth.empathycircle
Collaborate with academic institutions for rigorous study design, impact assessment, and independent validation—crucial for credibility with most major funders.carnegie+1
Use surveys and experimental designs with pre/post measures on polarization, empathic practices, and partisanship.
Consider presenting proposals to funders emphasizing practical pilot projects in politically diverse communities, using bipartisan facilitators and participants.
Empathy Circle’s official site features more on their development, collaborations, and ongoing funding efforts: https://www.empathycircle.com.red-slice+1
Empathy Center/Affiliated Programs: Rutsch’s team is actively seeking collaborators and hosts various outreach and impact efforts. Contact for letters of support or partnership roles.red-slice
Draft a detailed project proposal including research aims, methodology, expected outcomes, and potential social impact.
Gather letters of academic support and community partnerships (especially bipartisan).
Apply to the above funders—tailor the application to each funder’s specific requirements.
Develop a parallel crowd-funding or membership option as a secondary income stream.
Publish early findings to strengthen future grant applications and broaden reach.
Funding Organization
Target Area
Grant Size/Type
Application Link
Carnegie Corporation
Polarization, democracy
$200,000 (fellowship)
https://www.carnegie.org/fellowscarnegie
Raikes Foundation
Civics, democracy resilience
Strategic grants
https://www.raikesfoundation.org/grantsraikesfoundation
Polarization Research Lab
Academic polarization research
Survey project inclusion
https://polarizationresearchlab.org/request-for-proposals/polarizationresearchlab
Ohio State C-SPAM
Polarization/misinformation study
Seed grants up to $7,500
https://cspam.osu.edu/opportunities/apply-for-fundscspam.osu
Democracy Fund
Pro-democracy institutional grants
Major grants
https://democracyfund.org/apply-for-funding/democracyfund
This strategic, multi-source plan gives the best chance of funding a rigorous study on the bipartisan impact of Empathy Circles, combining traditional philanthropy, academic grants, and innovative grassroots strategies.raikesfoundation+5
https://www.empathycircle.com/schedule/schedule-2025/2025-03-23-finance
https://www.raikesfoundation.org/news/resourcing-democracy-state-grants
https://democracyfund.org/idea/field-in-focus-the-state-of-pro-democracy-institutional-philanthropy/
https://red-slice.com/the-empathy-edge/edwin-rutsch-how-empathy-circles-can-change-the-world/
https://ncrp.org/2025/03/ncrp-research-on-funding-for-anti-democracy-organizations/
https://www.empathysummit.com/dates/apr-5-2025-empathy-circles/edwin-rutsch
Identify grant programs that fund polarization or civic cohesion research
Several prominent grant programs specifically fund research on polarization, civic cohesion, and democracy resilience. Here are leading opportunities with recent details and reference links:
Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program (Carnegie Corporation of New York)
Offers $200,000 fellowships to academics studying political polarization or societal cohesion.
Focus is on original, impactful research with broad communication plans.
Civic Engagement Microgrant Program (Research!America)
Provides microgrants up to $4,000 for master’s, PhD, or postdoc-led STEM/community dialogue projects on civic and policy issues.
Encourages partnerships and projects centering engagement, communication, and public policy dialogue.
Polarization Research Lab (YouGov Survey Partnership)
Solicits short proposals for fielding academic or experimental research on polarization via national US surveys.
Open to faculty, postdocs, and PhD students internationally.
Community-Engaged Research Grants – Social Impact Collaboratives (UCLA)
Offers up to $50,000 seed grants and $250,000 transformative grants for interdisciplinary groups working with community partners on equity or cohesion topics.
Project Grant for Research into Democracy and Societal Resilience (Sweden)
Provides large project grants for research on strengthening democracy and societal resilience, open to cross-disciplinary applications (including international collaborations).
Digital Resiliency Grants (CIVICUS/Digital Democracy Initiative)
Up to $10,000 for organizations addressing civic cohesion and democratic resilience—especially for responses to civic space challenges.
Open Philanthropy (Political Polarization Applications)
Has funded $100,000 grants for behavioral science research and interventions aimed at reducing US polarization.
Open Philanthropy – Harvard Polarization Appopenphilanthropy
Funding Programme Democracy (Gerda Henkel Foundation)
Supports global research into the development of democracy, governance, and social cohesion.
Arthur W. Page Center Research Grants (Penn State)
Provides grants for research related to social responsibility, advocacy, activism, and civic cohesion.
These programs are ideal for academic and community-based research targeting the causes and solutions to political polarization or for fostering civic cohesion, both in the US and internationally.researchamerica+9
How to tailor a proposal for polarization research funders
To maximize the likelihood of securing funding for polarization research, proposals should be carefully tailored to emphasize evidence-based approaches, measurable impact, and relevance to funders’ strategic goals. Here are key guidelines for crafting a compelling proposal for polarization research funders:
Align With Funders’ Mission and Priorities
Study each grant program’s recent RFPs and funded projects, then clearly connect your research aims and methods to their stated priorities—such as reducing political division, strengthening democracy, or fostering civic cohesion.carnegie+2
Demonstrate Evidence-Based Approach and Innovation
Highlight empirical grounding, reference recent literature or past successful interventions, and explain how your project expands the field (e.g., testing novel community dialogue formats like Empathy Circles).polarizationresearchlab+2
Include Measurable Outcomes and Impact
Specify quantitative and qualitative metrics—for example, shifts in polarization scores, increased trust or empathy between groups, or improved civic engagement. Detail both short- and long-term evaluation plans using pre/post surveys, interviews, or behavioral measures.openphilanthropy+2
Build Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement
Show collaboration with bipartisan or community organizations, academic institutions, or local government to increase credibility, reach, and sustainability.researchamerica+1
Emphasize Dissemination and Scalability
Detail how findings will be shared (publications, policy briefs, public presentations) and how methods could be scaled or adapted for wider application—most funders prefer projects with broad relevance and leverage for policy or practice.communityengagement.ucla+1
Budget Transparency and Feasibility
Present a clear, justified budget with rationales for personnel, participant costs, material, and dissemination, demonstrating prudent use of funds and achievable timelines.carnegie+1
Section
Guidance
Executive Summary
Concisely state objectives, significance, outcomes. Link to funder mission.carnegie+1
Background/Lit Review
Show knowledge of polarization research field and gaps.openphilanthropy
Methods/Design
Detail innovative and evidence-based approaches, recruitment, and control
measures.polarizationresearchlab+1
Evaluation
Include outcome measures and data analysis plans.polarizationresearchlab+1
Partnerships
List collaborators and describe their expertise or network.researchamerica+1
Dissemination Plan
Explain outreach, intended publications, and wider impact strategy.carnegie+1
Budget and Timeline
Provide itemized costs and project milestones.carnegie+1
Crafting proposals with these points will improve competitiveness and appeal to major polarization research funders.polarizationresearchlab+4