2026 Call for Research Proposals: Social Responsibility, Advocacy, and Activism in an Age of Political and Cultural Polarization

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The Arthur W. Page Center's 2026 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grant competition is accepting research proposals on social responsibility, advocacy, and activism in an age of political and cultural polarization.

2026 call for proposals overview

For decades organizations have used their resources to establish programs and policies addressing social issues. Whether an expression of a moral mission, atonement for past misdeeds, or recognition that building prosocial platforms would enhance their images, relationships, and/or profits, organizations have created initiatives often deeply embedded in a stated ethos. For example, corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports tend to focus on sustainability programs; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts; employee empowerment; and community engagement.

Corporate involvement in politics and social issues is not new. Research on CSR, sociopolitical advocacy, and activism is perennially relevant as corporations and institutions can and do amplify the issues with which they engage. But cultural tensions have increased in recent years, stoked by differing political and social factions. The volume and frequency of sociopolitical speech and action by corporations and other institutions has ebbed and flowed with changing political climates and consequences.

This call invites proposals that investigate social responsibility, advocacy, and activism measures across different types of organizations—including corporations, nonprofits, NGOs, and public institutions—as they adjust to changes in the political, social, and cultural landscape and respond to polarized publics. The Center welcomes proposals that use different methodological approaches including experiments, surveys, interviews, focus groups, content or textual analyses, case studies, critical approaches, and others. Funding will prioritize proposals that address one or more of the Page Principles.

Relevant proposals include, but are not limited to, the following potential research topics:

Pressures on organizations to acquiesce to differing publics as they relate to CSR, advocacy, or activism
Examining how organizations and publics strategically co-create CSR, advocacy, or activism and how key stakeholders respond
Changes in how organizations communicate about their CSR, advocacy, and activism efforts
Ethical dilemmas organizations face in deciding if, how, and when to change course in their public advocacy efforts
How organizations can demonstrate moral motivations and/or authenticity in communicating contentious prosocial initiatives
Unexpected or unintended benefits/consequences of policy changes for organizational CSR and advocacy efforts
International perspectives and polarization
Investigation into differences in advancing traditionally conservative or liberal positions through advocacy and activism in a fragmented media landscape
First Amendment and the evolution of the corporate personhood since the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case, among others
How polarization is affecting organizational advocacy on once-popular issues such as DEI and LGBTQ+ issues, climate change, sustainability, etc.
Challenges to the mission of higher education, public and private institutions, NGOs and others that have a societal mandate to serve the public good
Protests, setting boundaries, framing (public safety/public health)
Internal communication regarding CSR, advocacy, and activism
The relative value of dialogic and agonistic approaches to CSR, advocacy, and activist communication in a divisive climate

Researchers of funded projects must participate in research roundtables in the summers of 2026 and 2027 to discuss progress and findings. Each team will have the opportunity to submit a practitioner-focused research-in-brief for potential publication in a special issue of Public Relations Journal. Finally, teams that draft original research papers that create, test, or expand public relations theory may submit manuscripts for consideration as part of a special issue of the Journal of Public Relations Research to be published in spring 2028. Manuscripts submitted to JPRR would undergo an expedited version of the standard review process.

Guidelines for grant applications can be found here.

Deadlines & Notifications

Application materials must be electronically submitted on or before Jan. 15, 2026.
Scholars will be notified of the selection committee's decisions on March 22, 2026.
Contracts for successful grants will be initiated starting July 1, 2026.
Final reports and deliverables are due within 30 days of the contract end date (Dec. 31, 2027).

Questions?

If you have questions about this call for proposals regarding topic or research ideas , contact the co-leads listed below. For all other questions, email PageCenter@psu.edu.