Research Grants

ISSEP offers a variety of research grants to further stimulate research advances in the science of existential psychology. Projects may use quantitative and/or qualitative methods, may rely on primary data (e.g., original studies) or secondary data (e.g., meta-analyses), and may be basic or applied science.

The maximum budget that may be requested is three thousand (USD $3,000) per project.

The deadline to submit applications is November 15th each year.

Multiple projects will be funded each annual cycle.

Projects may be relevant to any one or more of our four research grant tracks:

1. ISSEP General Existential Psychology Research Grants. ISSEP’s General Research Grants support research advances in the science of existential psychology, generally. These projects may apply the science of existential psychology to any aspect of “being” and “becoming,” including such key existential concerns as: freedom, authenticity, and moral responsibility; awareness of mortality; culture, self, and identity; isolation, uncertainty, and shared reality; the quest for meaning and purpose in life; etc. These projects may study any cultural context, may be conducted by researchers located in any nation/region, and do not need to be interdisciplinary.

2. ISSEP Cross-Cultural Existential Psychology Research Grants. It has become clear that the field of psychological science has been over-representing the cultures of Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) nations in its theory and research, despite the fact that most people in the world are not WEIRD (Henrich et al., 2010; Rad et al., 2018). This is almost certainly the case in the science of existential psychology as well. Thus, ISSEP’s Cross-Cultural Research Grants support projects that adopt a cross-cultural theoretical and methodological approach to the science of existential psychology, such as including samples of participants in non-WEIRD cultural contexts.

3. ISSEP International Existential Psychology Research Grants. The most prominent journals in psychological science have published work almost exclusively (70%+) by researchers based in North America and about population samples in North America, despite that regional context representing less than 5% of the world’s population (Arnett, 2008; Thalmayer et al., 2021). This is almost certainly the case in the science of existential psychology as well. Thus, ISSEP’s International Research Grants support projects led by research teams based at institutions outside of North America.

4. ISSEP Interdisciplinary Existential Psychology Research Grants. Interdisciplinary engagement is sure to enrich the field’s ideas and methodological approaches. Thus, ISSEP’s Interdisciplinary Research Grants support projects that blend the theory and methods of existential psychology with those of other disciplines, e.g., developmental psychology, cognitive and affective science, sociology, anthropology, cultural evolution, history, political science, communications, economics, business studies, sports and athletics, religious studies, and philosophy, among others.

These grants are intended to fund relatively inexpensive but well-designed and well-powered studies that have the potential to contribute to the literature while also setting the stage for a larger research program on the topic in the future. These grants are also intended to provide initial funding to help researchers successfully request larger grants from other agencies. Thus, these grants are intended to help plant the seeds that will grow into important new areas of research in existential psychology.

Applicants for the grant:

1. Must be a member of ISSEP at the time of submission and review of applications;

2. Must not have previously received one of our research grants.

3. Must obtain approval from their relevant institutional review board (IRB) prior to collecting data.

4. Must agree to produce a brief article about the research area and the funded project upon completion of the project (up to 3,000 words), to inform the ISSEP membership and public readership about the funded study’s context, purpose, design, outcomes, and implications.

5. Are strongly encouraged to submit the project for presentation at a future ISSEP Existential Psychology Conference event (e.g., the Existential Psychology Preconference at SPSP).

See the “Application Guide & Form” for detailed instructions.

Applications must include the following:

1. A title and abstract (150 word max)

2. A project description, including the following sections: (1) Research Question and Theoretical Introduction; (2) Purpose and Goals of the Study; (3) Research Design & Methodology; and (4) Sample Size Planning & Data Collection Planning; and (5) Planned Analyses.

3. An explanation of the relevance to one or more of the four grant tracks.

4. A proposed timeline for completion of the project (12-18 months max)

5. A detailed budget. Grant monies may be used to pay participants, pay research assistants, purchase equipment and supplies, and travel to research sites. They may not be used for salary, stipends, or travel to conferences, and no indirect costs will be granted to institutions.

6. The applicant’s current CV.

To apply, complete the application form and other application materials, compile them into a single PDF, and submit that PDF as an email attachment to info@issep.org with the subject line “ISSEP Research Grant Application.”

Deadline to submit applications is November 15th.

The grant application review committee will evaluate each proposal according to the following criteria:

1. Quality of the abstract. To what degree does the abstract clearly communicate the research question, hypotheses, method, planned analyses, and potential significance of the project?

2. Quality of research question and theoretical ideas. To what extent are the research question(s) clearly stated, based on a reasonably sophisticated command of the topic, and are they sufficiently novel/interesting?

3. Quality of purpose/goal of the study. To what extent are there clear, valuable goals for what the study will help us learn?

4. Quality of research design and methodology. To what degree are the research method (qualitative, quantitative) and design (interview, experiment, correlation, longitudinal, etc.) sufficiently detailed and appropriate for addressing the research question?

5. Quality of planned analyses. To what degree are the planned analysis techniques (thematic, regression, ANOVA, SEM, HLM, etc.) sufficiently detailed and appropriate for the research question?

6. Relevance to one ore more grant track. To what extent is this research relevant to one (or more) of our four research grant tracks?

7. Reasonable timeline. To what extent is the project timeline a reasonable expectation, and does it seem as though the project can actually be completed in less than 12-18 months?

8. Appropriate budget request. To what degree do the items in the budget seem necessary and do the dollar amounts for each item seem to be reasonable and well-justified/explained?

9. Capacity to generatively stimulate further work. To what extent does it seem this study would actually stimulate future research on the topic, either by these or other researchers?

10. Capacity for success. To what degree do the PI and Co-PI(s) have a relevant track record of successful project completions or demonstrated capability for success?

2025

• TBA

2024

• Finding purpose in the U.S. immigrant experience. PI: Patrick Hill. Washington University.

• Meaning depletion: An existential model of self-control exertion. PI: Nicholas Kelley. University of Southampton.

• Exploring how repetition impacts felt authenticity in (re)telling personal narratives. PI: Joseph Maffly-Kipp. Ohio State University Medical Center.

• Self-transcendent positive emotions in “high” and “low” Christian church ritual. PI: Joshua Perlin. University of Florida.

• Exploring how awe impacts schema malleability. PI: Carley Vornlocher. Arizona State University.

2023

• Leaving to find my true self: Examining the role of authenticity in schism/disaffiliation from groups. PI: Joseph Wagoner. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

• Examining LGB individuals’ experience of state authenticity through the SAFE Model. PI: Lydia Needy. Texas A&M University.

• Repressive authenticity and the construction of the Native American. PI: Alexis Goad. University of Arizona.

• The effect of existential threat on the appeal of, and belief in, religious concepts among Christians and atheists. PI: Madhwa Galgali. University of Missouri.

• Gerotranscendence and the secularization of society: Exploring the role of existential concerns on life priorities across early-, middle-, and late-adulthood. PI: Renate Ysseldyk. Carleton University.

2022

• Black Lives Matter: A quest for meaning. PI: Perla R. Henderson. University of Houston.

• Experiencing meaning in life with dementia: Unraveling the role of spontaneous cognition by means of experience sampling. PI: Laura Dewitte. KU Leuven.

• Sites of meaning-making. PI: Ashley Krause. University of Florida.

• “Life’s too short to be small”: An experimental investigation of the impact of death anxiety on symptoms of muscle dysmorphic disorder in men. PI: Rachel Menzies. University of Sydney.

• From others and from world: Expanding the current model of existential isolation. PI: Roger Young. University of South Florida.

For inquiries and information, please contact info@issep.org.