Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD)

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The Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD) at the American Sociological Association (ASA) promotes the progress of science by supporting innovative sociological research through making small grants (up to $8,000) to sociologists. FAD projects help build the needed body of empirical evidence to inform effective policy making at the national level. A few recent examples of recent FAD funded projects and their broader impacts include: a study of the impact of predictable scheduling legislation on the lives of retail workers and their children, informing national debates about fair scheduling policies; an ethnographic study of the shifting dynamics of labor, capital, drug addiction, and racial migration and conflict in the coal region of Northeastern Pennsylvania; and a study of digital expressions of fear expressed during the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic, with implications for the recruitment and care practices of healthcare volunteers in high-risk environments. The FAD program also acts as a funding catalyst, helping young researchers develop their projects to the point where they can secure additional outside support. Recent FAD awardees reported receiving nearly $5.00 in additional funding for every dollar they received from FAD. The Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD) at the American Sociological Association (ASA) advances sociology and nurtures the development of scientific knowledge by supporting small, groundbreaking research initiatives and conferences that foster new research agendas and networks. FAD also nurtures the scientific potential of researchers who might have difficulty securing funding from other sources. FAD has been extremely successful in this regard, with up to half of all awards going to early career researchers and those employed outside of research extensive institutions. The program fosters the development of publications, educational resources, intellectual debates and public conversations that stimulate new lines of scientific inquiry. Awards are based on a merit review system that emphasizes innovativeness and the promise of the research, feasibility and adequacy of project design, and plans for data analysis and public dissemination of results.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.