Families and Financial Instability
The National Center for Marriage Research (NCMR) seeks to fund up to four proposals ($20,000 per award) to support innovative research that contributes to theoretical, conceptual, methodological, or empirical developments about family responses to financial strain. A large body of research indicates that marital and family behavior is related to economic circumstances. For instance, men and women with positive economic prospects are more likely to marry and stay married than their disadvantaged counterparts. However, the current economic climate calls for further research on the familial consequences of economic uncertainty.

Financial instability encompasses several domains, including employment, income, or poverty; food or housing insecurity; asset accumulation; consumption patterns; and public assistance usage. Economic factors may affect family structure and processes as well as individual well-being and these outcomes are likely to vary across the life course and among subgroups of the population. Projects may use qualitative or quantitative data. Those that employ innovative methodological approaches, new measurement development, or novel conceptual frameworks are especially desirable.

The deadline is February 1, 2009.

Small Grants Competition Application Instructions, 2009

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