The Murphy Institute’s Center for Public Policy Research aims to promote research in political economy through the CPPR Seed Grant program. The program offers seed grants of up to $3,000 to encourage both interdisciplinary connections on campus and external research grant proposals by Tulane faculty members.
These funds are intended to initiate new research, help move current research projects forward, and assist faculty in cultivating a base of external funding that will support their work over the long term.
Proposals are welcome from Tulane faculty in all areas of study whose research provides insights into the economic forces shaping the impact of public policy on the market environment, including areas such as the environment, housing, health, and legal and regulatory policy. Research topics will be prioritized based on their relation to political economy.
Submissions are accepted year-round although faculty are encouraged to apply by the priority deadlines published below to ensure timely review.
Program Details
We welcome seed grant applications from faculty of all ranks across the University with the exception of Professors of Practice. Projects must be related to political economy and/or the influence of public policy on the economy - broadly construed as the impact of public policy on the market environment, including areas such as the environment, housing, health policy, education, public finance, and legal and regulatory policy. Proposals should include the project’s or researcher’s contribution to a multiversity of perspectives, backgrounds, values, and ideas, or how this project advances these in the broader world. Proposals from outside the social sciences are welcomed and encouraged.
Interested faculty members should submit a brief proposal of no more than two pages that includes:
- A brief description of the proposed research project (no more than two pages, not including budget summary and CV). Proposals should include a timeline of proposed activities funded by the grant.
- A budget summary (sample is provided in Budget Considerations section below)
- A current CV or BioSketch
- A brief statement detailing the project or researcher's contribution to a multiversity of perspectives, backgrounds, values, and ideas, or how this project advances these in the broader world.
Submit proposals (see guidelines) to murphy@tulane.edu with the subject line "Murphy Seed Grant Funding." Proposals received after the priority deadlines will be considered if funding is available.
Requests should not exceed $3,000. With the exception of large equipment purchases and faculty salaries, Murphy Seed Grants may be applied toward a wide variety of expenses. For example, compensation for research assistance, data acquisition or collection, and required travel would be permissible expenditures. All travel must be booked in accordance with the Tulane travel policy. Funds must be expended within 12 months of receipt.
Budget Summary Example
APPLICANT and CONTACT DETAILS
UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT and COLLEGE
TITLE of PROPOSAL
PROJECTED EXPENSES
| RESOURCES AND SUPPLIES (directly related to project, but not equipment) | $_______________________ |
| PERSONNEL (research assistance, postdocs, no more than 40% of the grant) | $_______________________ |
| TRAVEL (including conference/symposia registration fees) | $_______________________ |
| TOTAL FUNDS REQUESTED | $_______________________ |
Proposals will be assessed on their merit in relation to their focus on political economy, the thoroughness of the proposed budget, the strength of the diversity, equity and inclusion component, and the overall scholarly merit of the proposal.
While we accept proposals year-round, for full consideration proposals should be submitted by the priority deadlines listed below. Proposals received after the deadlines may be considered if funding is available.
- Priority deadline for Fall is November 1st
- Priority deadline for Spring is March 1st
Awards will be prioritized based on the research topic's relationship to political economy.
Recipients must submit a brief interim report describing how the grant is being used six months after receipt of the grant. A final report of 1-3 pages is required either when all funds are expended or one year from the date of the grant award letter. The report should describe how the award was used and the research it funded. The final report should also include:
- an expenditure report of research funded by the grant
- future/ongoing plans for the project
- plans for submission or publication, if applicable
In all public acknowledgments, we prefer that you indicate this gift as being received from The Murphy Institute through the Center for Public Policy Research.
Past Recipients
In 2023 and 2024, The Murphy Institute awarded CPPR Seed Grants to three Tulane faculty research projects:
- Muira McCammon (Communication). "Government Communication: Tweeting as Stagecraft and Statecraft."
- Thomas Oatley (Political Science). "Climate Policy Attitudes in Louisiana's Gulf Coast."
- Tatiane Santos, (Health Policy and Management). "The State of Not-For-Profit Hospital Community Benefit in Louisiana and COVID-19 Impacts."
- Stephanie Cheng, (Business). "Integrating Worker Rights into Private Debt Contracting: Municipalities' Social Commitment to Equality and Protection."
In 2022, The Murphy Institute awarded Public Policy Seed Grants to two research projects, one collaborative and one solo-authored:
- Claire Daniel (Newcomb Institute), Julie Hernandez (Public Health), Mirya Holman (Political Science) and Anna Mahoney (Newcomb Institute). "(Mis)informed policy and Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Racial biases, misinformation, and government resources."
- Javiera Selman (Economics). "Rental Vouchers in Chile: Expanding the “Aprendo y Arriendo” online counseling project."
In 2021, the following five faculty members received Murphy Institute Public Policy Seed Grants:
- Emily Cook (Economics)
- Augustine Denteh (Economics)
- Nghana Lewis (English and Africana Studies)
- Wei Long (Economics)
- Raymond Taras (Political Science)
In 2020, the following researchers received Murphy Institute Public Policy Seed Grants:
- Patrick Button (Economics)
- Xuanhao He (Economics)
- Engy Ziedan (Economics)
In 2019, the following researchers received Murphy Institute Public Policy Seed Grants:
- Patrick Button (Economics), Luca Fumarco (Economics)
- Xiaojin Chen (Sociology)
- Mirya Holman (Political Science)
- Virginia Oliveros (Political Science)
- Engy Ziedan (Economics)
In 2018, the following researchers received Murphy Institute Public Policy Seed Grants:
- Kevin Callison (Public Health), Rujun Zhao (Economics)
- LaPorchia Collins (Economics)
- Keith Finlay (Economics)
- Diego Rose (Public Health), Rodrigo Aranda (Economics)
