Small Grants for Workshops in Social Ontology - Call for Applications 2026

The International Social Ontology Society (ISOS) is dedicated to promoting innovative approaches and collaborations in social ontology. To support regional and global research in this field, we are offering small grants to fund workshops. The ISOS steering committee will review grant proposals submitted by members for events focused on social ontology.

Application Instructions for 2026

• Eligibility: Only ISOS members are eligible to act as the main applicant for the small grants program.
• Deadline: The deadline for applications is December 1, 2025. Applicants will be notified of the outcome before the end of 2025.
• Submission Process: To apply, please complete the following documents:
• • Budget Template
  • Workshop Grant Proposal Submission Form

Email the completed documents to smallgrantsisos@gmail.com.

• Encouragement for Diversity: We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented regions and from those who don’t have access to funding elsewhere.
• Publication Opportunity: Successful applicants may submit a special issue proposal to the Journal of Social Ontology for consideration.

Selection Criteria

Proposals must include:

• A commitment to an open Call for Papers (ensuring events are not invitation-only). 
• Local / university support for the event, or an explanation where this has not been possible.

Primary criteria of evaluation include:

• Scientific quality of the application and proposed event.
• The relevance of the topic to social ontology.  

Positive features: 

• Efforts to bring together new groups of researchers or explore new topics, with potential for ongoing support from other sources.
• Efforts to foster collaboration between individuals and / or groups across multiple universities, colleges and/or regions. 
• Provision of bursaries or waivers for students and / or precariously employed (or under-funded) participants.
• Willingness of the grant recipient to share information about the workshop with others (for example, through producing a blog post for the ISOS online blog and / or through providing notification of the event through list services, social media, conference websites or other online sources).

Previous funding: 

• The committee gives preference to proposals by applicants who have not received funding before, all other things being roughly equal (but see paragraph 3 under Other Conditions below). 

Other Conditions and Considerations:

1. Expenditure Timeline: Proposals should generally cover expenses to be completed within 12 months of grant approval (i.e., by the end of 2026 if granted at the start of January 2026). If expenditures are expected to extend beyond this timeline, provide a justification in the “Any Other Comments” section.
2. Budget: The maximum amount available for small grants is $2,000. The grant money may be used to cover direct costs associated with the event, such as travel and accommodation for speakers at the event, venue rental, and other related expenses. Travel costs should be reasonable. ISOS does not fund premium or first-class travel unless this is required for accessibility reasons. While ISOS does not fund applications solely for refreshments, reasonable costs for refreshments and lunch during the event, and for a conference dinner can also be included in the application. ISOS does not fund honoraria or speaker fees and does not fund drinks receptions.Please note thatISOS does not fund travel to its own annual conference.
3. Multi-Year Programs: If the proposal is part of a multi-year program, please specify. Applications must be submitted for each year individually; receiving a grant in one year does not guarantee funding in subsequent years. ISOS typically does not fund more than two consecutive workshops. However, exceptions may be made at the discretion of the selection committee.
4. Format: The funded events are primarily workshops, but they can also include summer schools, particularly in underrepresented regions. 
5. Administrative Support: ISOS does not provide administrative support for grantees and will not act as the fiscal agent for grants.
6. University Agreements: Grants to universities are contingent upon the institution agreeing not to charge ISOS any Facilities and Administrative Costs.
7. Decision-Making Exclusion:  Applications are not eligible for an award if any organizer of the proposed event is involved in reviewing the applications, especially anyone who serves on the Small Grants committee.
8. Graduate Student Assistance: If graduate students are involved, proposals should indicate whether they will receive public acknowledgment of their contributions.
9. Acknowledgment: The workshop program, advertising, and Call for Papers must acknowledge ISOS’s funding contribution and include a link to ISOS’s webpage for membership information.
10. Reporting Requirement: All funded workshops must submit a brief report detailing how ISOS funds were utilized based on the original proposal. Receipts of the expenditure must accompany the report. No funding proposals will be accepted from members who have not submitted required reports for past funded proposals. 
11. Grant and Proposal Report Publicity. All grant reports may be made public; some successful proposals will be made public for the benefit of future applicants.

To help guide applicants, we provide the following examples of past successful applications:

Thonhauser - ISOS Workshop Grant Application Form.pdf

Thonhauser - ISOS Workshop Grant Fund Budget Template.pdf

Martino - ISOS Workshop Grant Application Form.pdf

Martino - ISOS Workshop Grant Fund Budget Template.pdf

Wringe Kastas Gonullu Sebep - ISOS Workshop Grant Application Form.pdf

Wringe Kastas Gonullu Sebep - ISOS Workshop Grant Fund Budget.pdf