Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) focuses on matters of well-being. TCR projects leverage social science theories to conduct rigorous research designed to develop insights that can be acted upon by consumers and/or their agents (e.g., family members, professional caregivers, NGOs, policy makers, social enterprises, organizations). The purpose of TCR is to uphold and improve well-being for individuals, subgroups, societies, and/or the natural environment.

 

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Purpose: The TCR Small Grant program is designed to:

1. encourage innovative exploratory inquiry that is consistent with TCR’s mission: Purpose | TCR

2. provide seed funding* or supplemental funding for projects where early empirical confirmation is likely to fuel future research projects or facilitate pursuit of larger grants from other agencies and organizations;

3. support research with the potential to create positive societal impact; and

4. prioritize funding support for researchers within the TCR community working at institutions and in parts of the world where research funding is scarce.

*Funding for most grants will range from $1,000-$3,000, see the full Call for Proposals for examples of the types of expenses that can be funded and the types of expenses that CANNOT be funded. 

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Proposal Details: Submissions should include a 3-4 page project proposal that clearly outlines the project PLUS a short summary of personal details (submitted on submission website form) to convey details about the researcher(s). Details to guide you in creating your proposal and personal detail summary to submit are outlined below.

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Proposal sections should NOT include any personally identifiable information to facilitate double-blind review. Please submit a PDF file to the submission website and include the following sections (4-pages MAX):

Project Title Keywords: Please supply 3-5 keywords for your project

Brief Project Abstract: Write a brief abstract (Max 150 words) that provides a high-level view of your project including your research question or focus, planned methods of inquiry, expected outcome, and the potential impact of the project.

Brief Literature Overview: Clearly, but concisely, connect your planned research project to a body of literature. Highlight what is known but importantly how your research will make a contribution to advance the body of work.

Overview of the Project Planned: Clearly state your research question and then describe your planned research methods. Be sure to provide sufficient detail that reviewers can evaluate your methods but also evaluate how the proposed methods of inquiry align with your budget proposal for this grant.

Research Impact: Describe the impact of your planned project across at least three dimensions:

(1) What is the expected contribution of your work?

(2) How does this research connect to the TCR mission? How might this research create positive societal impact or enhance wellbeing?

(3) How will this funding set you/your team up to conduct future research or facilitate your pursuit of grants/funding in the future?

Research Ethics Statement: Briefly state how you will ensure your research meets ethical guidelines for conducting research (e.g., seeking approval from Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee).

Project Timeline: Provide a brief overview of your planned project timeline.

Overview of the Project Budget/Request for Funding: Provide an outline of the research budget. Be sure to review the overview of acceptable research expenses that can be covered by the TCR Small Grant Program. See the full Call for Proposals for examples of the types of expenses that can be funded and the types of expenses that CANNOT be funded

 

Personal Details (see submission form) should include:

Personal Details: Name, position/title, email, address of the principal investigator. Please additionally list the webpage of the principal investigator (if available). Please NOTE: We will only accept 1 funding proposal per principal investigator per funding year.

Institution Details: The name, website, country/region, organization (e.g., university name) of the principal investigator. List of all co-investigators and their institutions associated with the proposal.

TCR Connections: Briefly list any past participation in TCR conferences (dialogical, impact, or pop-up) AND any past TCR Small Grant Awards by year. If NONE, please state: NO PAST TCR Participation.

Proposal Details: Title and total of the funding request in U.S. dollars. This information will be used on the TCR website to describe the proposal if selected for funding.

OPTIONAL Statement of Financial Need: How will this funding facilitate your ability to conduct research? TCR prioritizes funding support for researchers at institutions and in parts of the world where research funding is scarce, let us know if this situation applies to you (your position, institution, and/or country).

 

Submit your proposal and personal details to the submission website by the due date of September 1, 2025.

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The proposal and personal details should be uploaded per the instructions above. DO NOT send proposals via mail or email. Questions about this CFP can be sent to: Melissa G. Bublitz (TCR Small Grant Coordinator) at: mgbublitz@wisc.edu

 

Criteria for Evaluation: Proposals will be double-blind reviewed by 2-3 members of the TCR research community and scored according to the rubric found in the full Call for Proposals.

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Decisions: Notifications of funding decisions will go out on November 1, 2025. Should your proposal be accepted, you will be required to comply with the following guidelines:

1. Agree to the funding requirements outlined above (e.g., funding may not be used for salary/researcher compensation or university overhead/indirect costs).

2. Seek approval of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics board.

3. Complete the appropriate U.S. tax forms, required for BOTH domestic and international researchers. All ACR research payments are reported annually to the United States Internal Revenue Service as ACR non-employee compensation.

4. Acknowledge the funding support from the Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) Committee, the Association for Consumer Research (ACR), and the American Marketing Association (AMA) in any presentations, publications or press communiqués associated with this research project.

5. Provide a brief grant closing report, one year after the financial award is distributed.