Social Norms Seed Grants

Social norms are the unwritten social behaviors, customs, beliefs, or attitudes that the majority of a specific population or community hold, and expect others to hold as well.

For example, imagine that you’re walking up to an ATM to take out cash. Without thinking about it, you get in line behind someone, leaving an appropriate amount of space between you. You don’t peek over their shoulder to see how much they are getting out, you probably don’t say anything, and you don’t hang around after you get your cash. You might cover the PIN pad, so others can't see your code. These behaviors may be driven by the understanding that people wish privacy for their financial transactions and not to feel threatened by theft, or may simply be ingrained.

How did you learn how to act at an ATM? You learned through social norms, which we learn from our culture, and from families, friends, communities, the media, school, and many other places. We often only notice social norms when someone is failing to practice them. For example, if a stranger in line behind you peeked over your shoulder at the ATM and asked how much you were taking out, you would likely think they were being strange and inappropriate; but you probably don’t stop to notice all the times that doesn’t happen.

Perceived norms are the social behaviors, customs, beliefs, or attitudes that individuals assume others in the community hold, even if they are inaccurate.

For example: undergraduate students at UC Berkeley believe that a majority of their classmates would not ask for verbal consent when being intimate with their partner, even if they are in a long-term relationship. (In the 2018 MyVoice survey, only 35% thought their peers were likely or extremely likely to do so.)

Actual norms are the social behaviors, customs, beliefs, or attitudes held by the majority of members of a community. 

In fact, 78% of undergraduate students at UC Berkeley reported that they are likely or extremely likely to ask for verbal consent when being intimate with their partner, even if they are in a long-term relationship. (2018 MyVoice survey)

Social Norms Marketing

Our perceptions of our peers’ attitudes and behaviors have a great influence on our own attitudes and behaviors. Unfortunately, our perceptions are often inaccurate: We tend to:

• over-estimate the number of our peers who value and make unhealthy choices
• under-estimate the number who value and make healthy choices

Misperception of norms becomes important when we are trying to reduce sexual harassment, stalking, relationship & sexual violence.  We often misperceive the acceptability of certain behaviors among members of our community, and it impacts how likely we are to act on our own values and whether or not we intervene to stop the behavior from happening. 

If we believe the faculty in our department tolerate and even engage in sexist jokes, for example, we might be less likely to intervene when we hear a faculty member making a sexist comment to a graduate student. If we think that getting groped at big house parties is an expected part of attendance, we are less likely to ask for consent ourselves before touching someone.

The goal of the Social Norms Seed Grant Initiative is to empower communities to uncover normative misperceptions (when the perceived norm is different from the actual norm) and develop positive marketing campaigns to reduce the misperceptions and further encourage healthy attitudes and behaviors related to gender and interpersonal relationships.

Please read an Overview of the Social Norms Approach.

Any affiliate of UC Berkeley may apply for a seed grant: undergrads, graduate students, post-docs, researchers, represented and unrepresented staff, and faculty. Grant teams should have at least 2 members and we strongly encourage teams to be 3-5 people. All grant team members must be affiliated with UC Berkeley. An individual may not be listed on more than one proposal.

All members of the grant team members should be part of the same intact UCB community: a formal or informal group that shares interests, values, and/or experiences. Some examples of intact communities are: an academic department, a sports team, a lab, a staff organization, a student club, a first-year residential hall, or a fraternity. 

Students and employees may serve on the same team. For example: 4 student-athletes and 1 assistant coach of the same sport decide to apply for the grant and are listed on the application. If awarded the grant, all 5 members of the project team will be directly involved in the project. 

The primary strategy to be used for this campaign is social norms marketing. Campaigns should:

• Prevent sexual violence, stalking, dating/domestic violence, and/or sexual harassment by reinforcing healthy interpersonal values or gender norms.
• Reduce misperceptions of norms by using existing or newly-collected data on your community's positive beliefs, attitudes, actual, or intended behaviors.
• Use messaging and communication strategies tailored to your community.
• Be directed at your own UCB community.

Campaigns may be communicated via posters, virtual reality, social media, conference slides, video, discussion events, or any other creative method.

Although the activities listed below can be important components to a comprehensive approach to addressing violence, they are NOT social norms change, and will not be funded. 

• General SVSH awareness-raising or education events. E.g. infographics about rates of harm, Take Back the Night, In Her Shoes, Clothesline Project, etc.
• Harm reduction & personal safety strategies. E.g. lighting, escorts/rides, rape whistles, mace/pepper spray, self-defense classes, safety apps, etc. 
• Intervention or healing services such as counseling programs, support groups, resource guides, batterer intervention groups, etc. 
• Policy or legislative advocacy/lobbying. No funds can be used to support political causes, candidates or organizations.

Additionally, campaigns aimed at communities outside of UC Berkeley are not within the scope of this grant. These funds are intended to change UCB campus culture.

You may submit applications for funding up to $2,500. 

• Funding cannot be used for salaries or stipends. 
• Grant application budgets can cover data-collection, campaign development, and evaluation activities. E.g. incentives for completion of surveys or focus groups, meeting/event space, printing costs, equipment, software licenses, boosted social media ads, etc. 
• All teams must budget at least $100 for printing a final project summary poster on foam-core board for the Seed Grant Showcase.

Proposals with budgets larger than $2,500 should state how you will procure additional funds or what other sources you already have secured. Please specify what costs the other funding would cover in your application.

This funding is one-time only. Applicants may reapply in future years to expand upon or develop new projects. 

Complete the grant application at https://forms.gle/PreqTF2Qbo1Tfrbr9. 

We are now extending the deadline! Applications must be submitted by 10am PT on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Once your application is received, it will be reviewed by a committee. There may be some follow-up questions to your application; please respond to any requests for information within 1 business day for continued consideration. 

Up to 5 grants will be funded. Applicants will be notified of their status by September 22, 2022. 

How will applications be scored?

1. Does the proposed campaign support the goal of preventing sexual violence, dating/domestic violence, sexual harassment, and/or stalking in the UC Berkeley community? 
2. Is the intended audience for the campaign an intact UCB community represented by the grant team members?
3. Does the concept of the campaign align with that audience and is the strategy/media format appropriate to the message, audience, and resources available?
4. Is the campaign likely to have the intended impact and how measurable is it?
5. Does the application reflect the core tenets of social norms theory: use of local data, focus on positive/healthy attitudes or behaviors, address misperceptions about the attitudes or behaviors of peers?
6. Does the team have the capacity to carry out the proposal with the allotted amount of time and resources? 
7. Is the proposed campaign innovative while relying on proven strategies?

By accepting the grant award, you agree to the following commitments:

• Attendance by at least two team members at 4 required events (breakfast/refreshments will be provided)
  • Grant Orientation - Friday, September 30, 2022 9am-noon PT
  • All Grantees Meeting - Friday, January 27, 2023 9-10:30am PT
  • All Grantees Meeting - Tuesday, April 4, 2023 9-10:30am PT
  • Grant Showcase posters and presentations - Friday, April 14, 2023 2-4pm PT (all team members)
• (3) technical assistance meetings to be scheduled by your team with grant managers during the weeks between Oct. 3 - Nov. 30, 2022
• (2) technical assistance meetings to be scheduled during the weeks between Jan. 30 - Mar. 3, 2023
• Trauma-informed data collection of your community’s norms with the support and expertise provided by grant staff 
• Evaluating your project with the support and expertise provided by grant staff
• Submission of final report documenting data collection, campaign activities, evaluation results, and key findings/lessons learned by April 10, 2023 
• Participation in a learning cohort with other grantees
• Responsive communication with grant managers
• Upload all grant deliverables in a designated bDrive folder 
• Permission for PATH to Care Center and Center for Support & Intervention to use your materials developed as part of the grant for future campus campaigns
• Provide regular feedback via evaluation about the Seed Grant Cohort experience

The easiest method is to provide a chartstring for your department, organization, or club if you have one through UC Berkeley. If you represent an informal community you may ask an existing unit to serve as a fiscal sponsor. Alternative disbursement methods will also be discussed at the required Grantee Orientation meeting on Friday, September 30, 2022 at 9-noon PT. 

The PATH to Care Center & the Center for Support and Intervention collaborate to sponsor and manage the Social Norms Seed Grant Initiative. 

For questions, please email pathtocare@berkeley.edu and include Seed Grants in your subject line.