Accounting Education Research Grants Program

Established in 2011, NASBA’s Accounting Education Research Grants Program seeks to advance research on educational issues impacting the certified public accountants (CPA), the public accounting profession and state boards’ charge to protect the public.

BACKGROUND

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) serves as a forum for the 55 Boards of Accountancy. NASBA’s mission is to enhance the effectiveness and advance the common interests of the Boards of Accountancy.

NASBA’S VISION

The accounting profession’s impact on the economy is profound. Public confidence in professional accounting services is essential. Effective regulation of the profession is in the public interest. Therefore, to provide the Boards of Accountancy the highest level of support in their regulation of the accounting profession, NASBA will:

  • Provide visionary leadership
  • Enhance the effectiveness of the Boards in their mission of public protection
  • Serve as a trusted collective voice for the Boards on national and international issues
  • Promote ethics, integrity, and quality among the Boards and the licensees they regulate
  • Perform all services with excellence.

DESCRIPTION

Research interest areas include, but are not limited to:

• Integrating data analytics and AI as part of an accounting education
• Diversity in the CPA profession
• CPA Pipeline related topics
• Impact of licensing requirements on students’ decisions to pursue accounting careers

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be affiliated with a U.S. academic institution. Preference will be given to applicants who have received their doctoral degree by the start date of the grant. Applicants may not be related to employees, officers, Board of Accountancy members, NASBA Education Committee members or NASBA affiliates.

AWARDS

NASBA will fund and award grants totaling up to $25,000 for one-year research projects. A maximum of three research grants will be awarded per year. Funding will be provided only for expenses directly related to the project. Grant funds will not provide for institutional indirect costs or overhead. In addition, NASBA will not fund faculty salary and fringe benefits or faculty stipends. Although NASBA does not want to determine the specific use of these awarded funds, the proposed budget outlined in the proposal will be evaluated for efficient and effective use of the awarded funds.

Although somewhat flexible, the awards will be distributed in three (3) installments as defined in an agreement. Additionally, the researcher(s) will generally be expected to finalize the research within one year of the signed agreement date and may be asked to present their findings at a NASBA Regional Meeting in June or Annual Meeting in October of the following year (NASBA expense).

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

All research grant applications must comply with the following guidelines. Proposals should not exceed five pages, excluding the cover page and the appendices described below, and should contain the following basic elements:

  1. A cover page with the following information:
  • Name and affiliation of each member of the research team and his/her role in the research. Researchers’ names and their academic affiliations should not appear anywhere else in the proposal.
  • Single-paragraph abstract summarizing the research question, the research method to be used, and how the research will benefit the public accounting profession and its regulation.
  1. The proposal which includes the following information:
  • Problem statement/question and its relevance to accounting education, the accounting profession, or the public interest,
  • Statement identifying how this research advances previous work or establishes new benchmarks,
  • Statement of the research hypothesis being tested, if applicable,
  • Statement of the research methodology being used,
  • Detailed information about any data that the researcher would require from NASBA or the state boards,
  • Statement of the expected results and the benefits to accounting education, the public accounting profession, or regulation of public accounting,
  • Statement of the expected or targeted publication output(s) from the project,
  • Timetable for completion of the project,
  • Detailed statement of required funding,
  • List of other funding sources, if applicable,
  • Appendixes described below:
    • Proposed interview questions and guidelines, survey information, and experimental instruments, if applicable,
    • Curriculum vitae (CV) for each researcher (three (3) page maximum), and
    • Researcher’s affiliation with NASBA, if applicable.
  1. Proposals should not duplicate previously awarded grant projects unless presented as a continuation or update to a former topic. Previously awarded grants can be found by selecting this link: Previously awarded grant projects

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Proposals must be submitted electronically. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals prior to the deadline. The 2024 Call for Proposals is open now through Friday, March 8, 2024 (11:59 pm Central Time). Submissions must be made to [email protected]. Questions regarding the submission process should also be sent to this same email address. Late proposals will not be accepted.