ILA 2025 Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship

The International Literacy Association (ILA) Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship is a US$5,000 grant that was established to encourage and support promising scholars whose dissertation research addresses reading. The special emphasis of the fellowship is to support research efforts in the following areas: beginning reading (theory, research, and practice that improves the effectiveness of learning to read); readability (methods of predicting the difficulty of texts); reading difficulty (diagnosis, treatment, and prevention); stages of reading development; the relation of vocabulary to reading; and diagnosing and teaching adults with limited reading ability.

ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Applicants for the Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship must be doctoral students planning or beginning their dissertations or graduate students embarking on their independent research studies on the topics noted above.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following:

Research question
Rationale for the research
Literature review
Methodology
Research significance
Clarity, cohesion, and specificity of proposal
Budget and timeline for project

To be eligible, all applicants (including coapplicants) must be ILA members in good standing and maintain active membership through June 30, 2026.

Please note that candidates may apply for more than one ILA research grant but are limited to accepting only one research award per year.

APPLICATION PROCESS

In addition to the information requested below, applicants must also submit a research description and reference list, prepared in strict adherence to the guidelines below, uploaded as one (1) document (preferably a PDF). Budget information detailing anticipated expenses is also required.

Because of the blind review process, applications must not include any identifying information, including names and institutional affiliations, except in the applicant information section. Failure to remove all identifying information may result in disqualification.

To be considered for the 2025 Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship, applications must be completed and all required materials submitted no later than February 3, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applicants will be notified of the results before June 30, 2025.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

* Required Information

APPLICANT #1 INFORMATION

First Name *

Middle Name or Initial

Last Name *

Country *

Phone Number

Email address * 🛈

Confirm email address * 🛈

URL(s)

Institutional Affiliation and Position/Title

Upload Curriculum Vitae

Advisor Contact Information: Provide contact information for the major advisor, dean, department head, or school leader who will be notified of the award if the applicant is selected.

Note: To be eligible for consideration, all applicants (including coapplicants) must be ILA members in good standing and maintain active membership in ILA through June 30, 2026. Member status will be verified during the review process.

APPLICANT #2 INFORMATION

First Name

Middle Name or Initial

Last Name

Country

Phone Number

Email address 🛈

Confirm email address 🛈

URL(s)

Institutional Affiliation and Position/Title

Upload Curriculum Vitae

Advisor Contact Information: Provide contact information for the major advisor, dean, department head, or school leader who will be notified of the award if the applicant is selected.

Note: To be eligible for consideration, all applicants (including coapplicants) must be ILA members in good standing and maintain active membership in ILA through June 30, 2026. Member status will be verified during the review process.

APPLICANT #3 INFORMATION

First Name

Middle Name or Initial

Last Name

Country

Phone Number

Email address 🛈

Confirm email address 🛈

URL(s)

Institutional Affiliation and Position/Title

Upload Curriculum Vitae

Advisor Contact Information: Provide contact information for the major advisor, dean, department head, or school leader who will be notified of the award if the applicant is selected.

Note: To be eligible for consideration, all applicants (including coapplicants) must be ILA members in good standing and maintain active membership in ILA through June 30, 2026. Member status will be verified during the review process.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Full Project Title (100 character max) *

Running Head (50 character max) *

Abstract (255 characters max that includes the purpose, method, and potential significance of the proposed research) *

0/255 characters

Keywords (3–5, used to assign appropriate reviewers to the proposal) *

Research Methods: (Research methods that will be used: correlational, descriptive research, ethnography, experimental/quasi-experimental, historical, literature review, meta-analysis/quantitative research synthesis, qualitative, naturalistic/case study, single-subject, survey, time series analysis, other) *

A research description and reference list, prepared in strict adherence to the specified guidelines, should be uploaded as one (1) document (preferably a PDF).

Upload File (PDF) *

My document follows the required specified guidelines, including but not limited to being up to 15 double-spaced page (excluding references), in 12-point Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier font, with 1-inch margins on all sides, and I acknowledge that failure to follow these guidelines will result in my application being disqualified. *

I acknowledge this requirement.

BUDGET

Proposed support start date (mm/dd/yyyy) * +

Proposed support end date (mm/dd/yyyy) * +

Financial support requested (up to US$5,000) *

Personnel: May include expenses for research assistants, observers, interviewers, informants, subjects, and transcriber. A consultant for a specific, clearly stated purpose may be appropriate but needs to be justified. Salaries of principal investigators or release time for faculty will NOT be funded. *

Materials: No permanent equipment may be purchased under this grant. However, reasonable rental fees (subject to ILA approval) for equipment are an acceptable expense. Materials such as tests, tapes, or consumable materials are also reasonable expenses. *

Travel: Expenses for travel connected with data collection are appropriate. *

Computer: Expenses for the use of the computer for data collection and data analysis are appropriate. Any cost incurred in writing computer programs should be justified. *

Office Expenses: Office supplies, rental of office equipment, and duplicating costs may be reasonable expenses. *

Clerical Support: Costs for the typing of materials, reports, etc., should be within the range of usual typing rates at your institution. *

Other: Additional costs for related expenses (if any). Be sure to provide an explanation of these items.

Sources of Outside Project-Related Funding (If applicable)

FURTHER GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS

ILA and the Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship Committee recommend that applicants seek mentorship (such as from an academic advisor) to prepare the best possible submission. In addition, there are numerous resources available to help with preparing grant proposals including, but not limited to, the following:

https://www.spencer.org/resources/a-guide-to-writing-successful-field-initiated-research-grant-proposals

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/grant-proposals-or-give-me-the-money/

https://extranet.who.int/kobe_centre/sites/default/files/pdf/WHO%20Guidance_Research%20Methods_Health-EDRM_6.3.pdf

https://www.wes.org/advisor-blog/how-to-write-a-grant-application/

https://www.ukri.org/blog/12-top-tips-for-writing-a-grant-application/

REVIEW AND SUBMIT

Upon completion of the project, the grant recipient is encouraged to submit an article for publication in one of ILA’s three peer-reviewed journals. Please note that ILA reserves first rights of refusal to publish any material developed under this grant prior to the grant recipient submitting to a non–ILA publication. *

I acknowledge this requirement regarding publishing my research.

Applicants' research efforts must be in the following areas: beginning reading (theory, research, and practice that improves the effectiveness of learning to read); readability (methods of predicting the difficulty of texts); reading difficulty (diagnosis, treatment, and prevention); stages of reading development; the relation of vocabulary to reading; or diagnosing and teaching adults with limited reading ability. *

I confirm that my application fits this criteria.

Carefully review your application and supporting documentation before you submit, ensuring that you have included all required materials and have removed all identifying information as noted above. You will not be able to make any updates or edits after submission. *

I acknowledge that the information provided is accurate and complete and that, once submitted, this application may not be edited, updated, or amended.

Please direct any questions about eligibility, selection criteria, the application process, and/or the selection process to ILAAwards@reading.org.