DEI Scholars Application Deadline: May 17, 2024 AoE
DEI Scholars Outcomes (expected): June 6, 2024 AoE
Submissions via Google Form
ACM FAccT welcomes applications for the second round of FAccT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarships. One of FAccT's Strategic Goals is to innovate and lead on diversity and inclusion. This program seeks to advance this goal by funding scholars doing the essential work to advance DEI within the FAccT Community.
For the first round of DEI scholars, we invited scholars to conduct research that deepens our collective understanding of and advances DEI initiatives. As a result of this work, we saw the CRAFT: FUBU: Community and Care in Conferences and Research at FAccT 2023, reports on hybrid conferences and DEI in AI Ethics conferences. For this round, we take a more expansive approach with a focus on providing seed grants to support the development of a positive alternative vision for the future of algorithmic systems and the research community investigating them.
Either individuals or small teams are welcome to apply. Applicants should describe the research that they want to conduct with the seed funds and how that work creates opportunity for future work. The proposed work should fit in the FAccT "big tent" and should have broader impacts (e.g., guidelines for practice, tutorials) and/or intellectual merits. We welcome a diverse range of methods - ethnographic, qualitative, quantitative, experimental, etc.
Example topics include (but aren't limited to):
Selected recipients will have an opportunity for mentoring and networking support by senior members of the FAccT community and FAccT organizers. This mentorship support will include advice on seeking further funding for their work in future, from both recipients and grant-makers. Recipients will also have the opportunity to present their research outcomes during the FAccT 2025 conference, in a format that best suits the work and which would be jointly decided with the organizing team (e.g. invited panel/tutorial/CRAFT).
Individuals from underrepresented groups in the FAccT community are especially welcome to apply.
The funding is provided as one-time payment of funds up to $15,000. The project can last from 6 to 12 months, and an extension can be granted depending on the project's scope.
Funds may be used in any way that enables the research to be conducted. In recognition of the ways that DEI work is often undervalued and falls on those who are marginalized and how that interacts with access to funds, we welcome proposals that aim to use the funds either to cover research costs or as researcher support costs. Examples of research costs include personnel, equipment, human subjects, or travel associated with the research. Examples of researcher support costs may include childcare, administrative support to sustain DEI work the researcher has been doing, or other creative uses of the funds that pay the diversity tax and facilitate this new work. Funds can be used in any way you wish.
Funds will be paid as an ACM Conference Award, subject to US IRS Miscellaneous Income Tax Reporting (Form 1099). Recipients must provide the appropriate tax information to ACM through our tax form collection page. For those receiving payment in the US, a W9 must be completed. For payments made outside the US, a W8 is required. US-based recipients are paid via direct deposit (or check if preferred). Recipients outside the US are paid via wire transfer. Once a recipient submits a payment request after the awards are announced, it can take up to 15 business days to receive payment.
There are no restrictions or requirements on applicant's institutional affiliation or role type. Applicants should be early in their research career. We consider this an inclusive way to support people transitioning into research after a non-research career.
Applicant must :
Depending on the scope of the project, a small team of individuals (1-4 people) can apply as well.
Milestones proposed in the proposal, along with the
presentation to the FAccT EC and DEI every six months; the Scholar will have a chance
to present their findings during the next year's FAccT conference.
Applicants should submit a 3-4 page proposal (plus unlimited pages of references), including a budget, in pdf format, to our submission form.
The proposal should specify:
Members of the FAccT Executive Committee and 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chairs will serve as the selection committee.
Specifically it will be:
Conflict of Interest Policy. The selection process will abide by the ACM policy stated here: https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/conflict-of-interest. We are therefore unable to accept submissions from those who stand in one of the following relationships to the selection committee:
Milestones proposed in the proposal, one interim update to the FAccT EC and DEI Committee in December 2024, and a short public facing summary of the findings for the FAccT 2025 conference. In addition, the conference organizers will support selected scholars to submit their work through regular peer review to applicable tracks of the conference (papers, CRAFT, tutorials)