Syracuse University’s Lender Center for Social Justice awarded nearly $3M grant for research into racial wealth gap

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University’s Lender Center for Social Justice announced it will use a $2.7 million grant to launch several new research initiatives.

They’ll focus on ways to “accelerate efforts to address the racial wealth gap and help dismantle the root causes of wealth disparity,” Syracuse said in a release.

MetLife Foundation — based in East Rutherford, New Jersey — awarded the funding, the university noted.

The Lender Center for Social Justice will use the three-year grant to address — what the foundation calls — a “persistent crisis that continues to undermine” social and economic opportunities for “underserved and underrepresented” communities across the U.S. The projects will include new research on the topic; discussions among social-justice leaders to gain added insights on the issue; and new data-collection and evidence-gathering activities to illustrate the racial wealth gap’s impacts, Syracuse University said.

Four key focus areas

The Lender Center will coordinate an “Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap Working Group” that partners with the university’s social differences, social justice research cluster to organize thought-leadership discussions.

The panel discussions will promote collaboration between Syracuse University faculty and national social-justice leaders. Plans are to hold discussions in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Los Angeles, the university said.

Syracuse University will also hire diverse postdoctoral researchers with experience with the issue to examine questions regarding the gap and its impact on diverse communities, families, and individuals.

In addition, faculty fellows selected in coordination with Syracuse University’s Office of Research will have access to annual research grants to conduct research investigations related to the gap.

The Lender Center will also partner with “other leading voices on the subject to increase awareness of and amplify discussions around planned actions and potential solutions,” Syracuse University said.

The work will include mapping the social dynamics of racial wealth disparity, charting perceptions of social justice, and uncovering patterns that can serve as a foundation for ongoing work.

Leadership from the Lender Center and the social differences, social justice research cluster will manage the projects.