Social Science Research Council

What Social Science Research Council does

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, international nonprofit organization founded in 1923 and headquartered in the Chanin Building at 122 East 42nd Street in New York City. It administers a portfolio of approximately 25 fellowship programs, research networks, and online knowledge platforms that collectively channel philanthropic and government funding to social scientists, doctoral candidates, and applied researchers across the United States, Japan, Africa, and other global regions. Core programmatic lines include the Abe Fellows Network (446 alumni from the 1991-2022 U.S.-Japan program), the African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD) program, the Just Tech Fellowship, the LEGO Foundation Fellowship, the SSRC-JF Next Generation Japan Studies Development Program, the BUILD Research Network, the Public Exchange Network (founded at USC in 2020, expanded to Washington University in St. Louis in 2025), and fiscal sponsorship for mission-aligned projects. SSRC also operates owned knowledge platforms including Items, Just Tech, MediaWell, The Immanent Frame, Measure of America, and Frontiers in Social Science to disseminate curated research to academic, policy, and public audiences.

SSRC's business model is structured as a grant-making intermediary rather than a product vendor. Revenue (annual operating budget estimated at $25M-$50M) is sourced from U.S. federal agencies including NSF, NIH, NEH, the Department of Education, and the Department of State, together with over 100 philanthropic foundations such as Ford, Bill & Melinda Gates, Alfred P. Sloan, MacArthur, William and Flora Hewlett, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Wallace, Robert Wood Johnson, LEGO, Japan Foundation, and Arnold Ventures. Downstream, SSRC disburses funding to individual scholars (fellowships of $10K-$300K depending on program), to higher education institutions (postdoctoral and study tour grants), and to government and nonprofit partners through the Public Exchange Network. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and community-led: SSRC uses content marketing through its newsletters and knowledge platforms, application webinars, convenings, and the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences consortium to reach its scholar and policymaker audiences. Leadership is provided by an independent board chaired by William Janeway, with Walter Powell and Janeway serving as Interim Co-Presidents and Daniel Goroff (currently Vice President at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation) confirmed as the 16th President effective July 1, 2026.

Name

Social Science Research Council

Legal name

Social Science Research Council

Website

https://ssrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Social Science Research Council is an independent, international nonprofit founded in 1923 that administers fellowships, research grants, and knowledge platforms, channeling funding from over 100 foundations and U.S. federal agencies to social scientists, doctoral candidates, and policy partners worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Grantmaking and Fellowship Administration

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Research fellowship programs
• Social science grants
• Academic grantmaking services
• Scholar network administration
• Knowledge platform publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Funding from U.S. federal agencies including National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Department of Education, Department of State, and international government bodies
2. Foundation Philanthropy: Support from over 100 philanthropic foundations including Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and international foundations
3. Fiscal Sponsorship: SSRC provides institutional home for innovative initiatives that create new knowledge, translate knowledge into impact, and broaden opportunity through its Fiscal Sponsorship program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Social Science Research Council administers fellowships, research grants, and operates knowledge platforms to support social science researchers and institutions worldwide. It deploys restricted funds from over 100 philanthropic foundations and U.S. federal agencies (NSF, NIH, NEH, Department of Education, Department of State) through approximately 25 distinct programs, while also convening innovation networks that link researchers with policymakers and practitioners. SSRC also provides fiscal sponsorship for mission-aligned projects and disseminates research via digital knowledge platforms.

Product overview

The Social Science Research Council operates as a portfolio of interconnected fellowship programs, research networks, and knowledge platforms rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include approximately 25 distinct programs organized into three main categories: fellowship and grant programs (such as the Abe Fellows Network, LEGO Foundation Fellowship, APDD, and Just Tech Fellowship), research networks and consortia (including BUILD Research Network, Public Exchange Network, and College and University Fund), and online knowledge platforms (such as Frontiers in Social Science, Measure of America, MediaWell, The Immanent Frame, and Items). These offerings work together to mobilize social science knowledge for the public good by supporting scholars worldwide, generating new research across disciplines, and linking researchers with policymakers and citizens. The Council also supports fiscal sponsorship for mission-aligned projects and convenes innovation networks connecting researchers with stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEGO Foundation Fellowship
• Just Tech Fellowship
• Innovation in Religion and Spirituality Seed Grants
• SSRC-JF Next Generation Japan Studies Development Program
• Abe Fellows Network
• African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD) Program
• Public Exchange Network
• BUILD Research Network
• College and University Fund for the Social Sciences
• International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF)
• Tax Policy Network
• Mercury Project
• What Works Hub for Global Education
• Arts Research in Communities
• Just Tech Knowledge Platform
• Frontiers in Social Science
• Measure of America
• Fiscal Sponsorship Program
• AI Disclosures Project

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Southern CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding institution of Public Exchange Network in 2020. Hosts central communications support and coordinates network activities for the Public Exchange Network.
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpanded Public Exchange to Washington University in St. Louis in 2025 as the second network member institution.
• City and County of Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey government partner in Public Exchange Network. Collaborated on CLEAN LA soil testing program following January 2025 wildfires and Food Base LA food systems dashboard.
• State of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in California Solar Canal Initiative, an ambitious public-private research collaboration to advance solar panel infrastructure along California's 4,000 miles of open aqueduct.
• YelpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in Public Exchange Network collaborations addressing pressing challenges.
• United Nations FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Public Exchange Network addressing global challenges including climate solutions and humanitarian issues.
• Southern California Association of GovernmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning agency partner in Public Exchange Network for urban and regional research collaborations.
• Keck Medicine of USCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner in Public Exchange Network collaborations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS): ACLS is a peer nonprofit that administers fellowships and research grants for scholars in the humanities and interpretive social sciences—the closest direct comparator to SSRC in mission, funding model, and scholar-facing programs.
• National Humanities Center: Independent nonprofit delivering residential fellowships and public humanities programming with foundation and federal funding—mirrors SSRC's fellowship-administration and convening model.
• Russell Sage Foundation: Foundation funding social science research on behavioral, social, and economic conditions; overlaps with SSRC on social science grantmaking, researcher networks, and policy translation.
• Wenner-Gren Foundation: Foundation supporting anthropological research globally through fellowships, grants, and convenings—a direct peer in the social-science grantmaking niche.
• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Private nonprofit that organizes and funds economic research networks, working papers, and convenings—comparable to SSRC's research-network and policy-translation role within social science.
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Honorary society and policy nonprofit convening scholars across social sciences and humanities; shares SSRC's scholar-network convening and policy engagement model.
• Spencer Foundation: Foundation focused on education research with grantmaking and fellowship programs for researchers—closely comparable to SSRC's research-grant and scholar-development operations.

Broad incumbents

• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: Large humanities and social science grantmaker with overlapping programs in higher education, scholarship, and cultural institutions—broader portfolio but parallel mission to SSRC's grantmaking.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Major foundation funding education, democracy, and international peace research (including SSRC's APDD program); comparable funder and policy-research convener in social science.
• Open Society Foundations: Large international grantmaker supporting social science research, fellowships, and policy translation across regions—overlaps with SSRC's international research-grant and convening portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SSRC_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/social-science-research-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Social Science Research Council