Andrew Young School Earns $29.6M in Sponsored Research Funding in Fiscal Year 2026

ATLANTA - Faculty and research centers at Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies earned $29.6 million in sponsored research funding across 148 individual awards in fiscal year 2026.

The Andrew Young School played an outsized role in the university's sponsored funding, contributing nearly a quarter of Georgia State's $118.96 million raised in FY '26, which ended June 30. The college's Georgia Health Policy Center led the university's centers, departments and institutes with more than $21 million in funding. Five of Georgia State's top 10 awardees during the fiscal year were Andrew Young School researchers, including Jeffrey Collins-Smythe, Ann DiGirolamo, Karen Minyard and Angela Snyder, along with Deborah Whitley of the School of Social Work.

"The strength of our research enterprise reflects the extraordinary work of our faculty and research centers and their commitment to addressing consequential public problems," said Thomas J. Vicino, dean of the Andrew Young School. "Across the college, our researchers are building partnerships that connect rigorous scholarship with real-world impact in Atlanta, across Georgia and throughout the nation."

The year's awards reflect the breadth of applied research underway across the Andrew Young School, with significant new funding supporting work in education, health, child welfare and behavioral health. Among the year's awards:

• Dan Kreisman and the Georgia Policy Labs received an award from Arnold Ventures for "Understanding CTE Implementation Barriers: Teachers & Infrastructure." The project examines barriers to implementing career and technical education, extending Georgia Policy Labs' work using research partnerships and evidence to inform education policy and practice.
• At the Georgia Health Policy Center, Minyard received an award from the Federal Health Resources and Services Administration for Technical Assistance for Rural Health Network Development (RHND) Programs. The award supports the center's work providing technical assistance to strengthen rural health networks and the organizations serving rural communities.
• In the School of Social Work, Elizabeth Beck received an award from the Georgia Department of Human Services for the Child Welfare Training Collaborative, supporting the school's ongoing work to strengthen the knowledge and skills of Georgia's child welfare workforce. Whitley also received an award from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services for the Georgia Title IV-E Child Welfare Education and Training Program, which supports education and training for the state's child welfare workforce.
• William Sabol of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology received an award from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health for the PEACH Professorship. This project places an embedded researcher within the agency, creating a direct connection between academic research and the data, operational needs and policy questions facing the agency.

"These awards show the value of doing research in partnership with the people and organizations confronting these problems every day," said Adam Pah, assistant dean for Research and Digital Innovation at the Andrew Young School. "The goal isn't simply to produce scholarship, but to build the evidence, tools and capacity that help our partners and, more broadly, public institutions make more informed decisions and develop more effective programs."

Behind the college's research portfolio is a grants and contracts operation that supports faculty and research staff from proposal development through award management. With 148 awards during FY '26, that work spans projects of widely varying sizes, sponsors and administrative requirements.

"FY '26 was a year of growth and transition in how we support the college's research enterprise," said Denise Jenkins, associate dean for Finance and Administration. "The strength of this year's portfolio reflects not only the commitment of our faculty and research staff to producing impactful research, but also their continued trust in the support systems that help make that work possible. Managing 148 awards across a wide range of sponsors is a collective effort, and this year's results show that we are moving in the right direction."

The $29.6 million in FY '26 funding reflects the scale of the Andrew Young School's research enterprise and its emphasis on applied, collaborative work. Across the college, that funding supports partnerships that bring academic expertise to the policy and programmatic challenges facing public agencies, nonprofit organizations and communities.

The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies is a top-20-ranked comprehensive college of public affairs and home to a nationally recognized, highly interdisciplinary academic enterprise. One of the nation's largest and most diverse colleges in its field, the Andrew Young School brings together scholars, students and partners to address complex public challenges and strengthen communities.