Joan Schafer Research Faculty Award in Sport, Fitness, and Disability

Description:

The Joan Schafer Research Faculty Award in Sport, Fitness, and Disability supports projects investigating how living with any type of disability influences access to, and participation in, physical activity and sport. Top funding priorities are projects that have real-world application in public health and/or clinic-based settings.

This award accepts proposals that address any type of disability, including but not limited to sensory, physical, intellectual and developmental, cognitive and learning, and aging and chronic health. This grant prioritizes research proposals showing concrete plans to move to next-stage research and/or dissemination.

Applications are accepted from all academic disciplines. Support may be requested for individual activities, such as research assistance, research-related travel, or research materials.  We support collaborative projects, pilot studies, or initial research efforts.

Learn more about Joan Schafer.

Deadline:

Monday, March 9, 2026 (by 11:59 pm ET)

Awards:

Project funds may be requested from $5000 to $13,000, depending on the scope of the project.  We encourage applications from those seeking matching funds for grants from other sources, up to the $13,000 limit. Awards will be announced in Spring.

Eligibility:

IRWG affiliated tenure-track, non-tenure track, clinical faculty, research faculty, and librarians/curators at the University of Michigan (all campuses) are eligible. Applicants are encouraged to include students in project plans, but the principal investigator may not be a student or postdoctoral fellow.

*become an IRWG affiliate*

Application:

Applications will be accepted through our online submissions portal, InfoReady.

Your proposal will need to include the following information:

  1. Project title
  2. Lead applicant and collaborator(s)
  3. Project Abstract - Please provide a 100-word summary that can be used on the IRWG website and in other reporting and publicity documents.
  4. Project Narrative - In no more than four pages, describe 
    1. Goals of the project
    2. How the study findings can be translated for real-world impact.
    3. Plan for conducting the project
    4. Role of any collaborators on the project
    5. Project Deliverables/Dissemination Plan: This may include journal articles, a book project, performance/s, community events, etc. 
    6. Future Research Plans: Explain how the grant would contribute to future research agendas and/or become sustainable (e.g. does it establish new partnerships, offer proof of concept data, provide training of junior scholars, lead to external funding applications, have the potential to scale, etc.)
  5. Budget 
    1. Amount requested
    2. ​Outline budget expenses, including justification
    3. Specify contingency budgets
    4. Any salary expenses must include appropriate calculation of benefits
    5. Please note that faculty salary will not be funded
  6. Curriculum vitae for all collaborators on the project
  7. Funding received from IRWG in the past five years by any of the collaborators

Selection Criteria:

Reviewers will score the applications based on these criteria:

  1. Addressing and understanding real world problem and/or solution;
  2. Quality and significance of the scholarly or creative activity proposed;
  3. Centrality of research on an aspect of physical disability;
  4. Inclusion of appropriate attention to issues of gender;
  5. Contribution of the project to the University of Michigan (in terms of scholarly, training, or curricular influence, or external funding, etc.); and
  6. Plans for moving the project to the next phase of research or translation.

Answering the following questions will strengthen your proposal: 

  1. How will this project inform real-world issues in disabilities, gender, and sport, physical activity and / or fitness? (Please note in the application your plans to understand how your findings can be used to create new insights for real-world application, interventions, policy, activism, etc.) 
  2. How might you be addressing disability and gender in your project design?
  3. How will your project help to develop your career or the careers of any students working on the project?
  4. How will your work contribute to the study of helping people with disabilities become and / or remain more physically active or participate in sport?
  5. What concrete outcomes and next steps will result from your work?

Human Subjects Review:

Compliance with all appropriate regulations governing conduct of research will be required. Research proposals involving the use of human subjects will be subject to project review and approval by the appropriate IRB. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain IRB approval in a timely manner so that research is not delayed.

Post-Award Expectations:

  • Acknowledge this IRWG grant award in all presentations and publications resulting from the funded project.
  • Inform IRWG staff of resulting funding, presentations and publications for publicity purposes.
  • If awarded the Joan Schafer Research Faculty Award in Sport, Fitness, and Disability, you agree to
    • Complete your research within two years of receiving the reward; extensions can be applied for when appropriate. 
    • Provide a written report within one year of your first expenditure outlining your project activities and financial accounting. Please also indicate at this time what subsequent actions, products, or steps (e.g extramural grant submission) you have taken, or plan to take, as a result of this award.
    • Serve as a reviewer for future applications of this award.
    • Present your findings at IRWG if requested.

Publicity Consent:

Please acknowledge that you approve the use of your project title and abstract for use in IRWG publicity and reports, including, but not limited to listings on the IRWG website, annual report, press releases, newsletters, and social media. We are also very happy to help you disseminate your findings from this project.

Questions?

Please contact Michelle Segar at fitness@umich.edu.

Please share this Call for Proposals with other University of Michigan faculty who might be interested.

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Past funded projects include:

2022 – Carrie Karvonen-Gutierrez, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health; Avinash Chandran, PhD, MS, Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, NCAA Injury Surveillance Program, Jillian Baker, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, and Adrian Boltz, MS, School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan. Examination of the impact of early-life physical activity on late life physical health and disability in women

2020 – Melissa J. Tinney, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System; Kimberly Casten, M.D., M.Phil., Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Claire Kalpakjian, Ph.D.,M.S., Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Experiences of Female Veterans in Adaptive Sports.

2017 – Zhiying Ma, Assistant Professor in the U-M Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan. Experiences with Sport and Physical Activities Among Young Women with Physical Disabilities in China.

2016 – Petra Kuppers, Professor of English, Art and Design, Theatre and Drama, and Women’s Studies. Water-Based Movement Training: A Disabled Woman’s Journey.