New research grants set to guide policy on artificial intelligence, literacy, intimate partner violence, Illinois sales tax, sexual and gender minority youth, and childhood vaccines

The Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) has announced six inaugural Small Grant Program awards for fiscal year 2027. Designed to support collaborative research across the University of Illinois System, the year-long Small Grants Program promotes the swift development of data-driven models to inform public policy and strengthen community engagement. This year’s funded projects will examine a wide range of pressing Illinois policy issues:

Principal investigators Rachel Schachter, associate professor of educational psychology at UIC, and Meaghan McKenna, assistant professor of speech and hearing science at Illinois, will assess how school administrators, teachers, and specialists perceive the Illinois State Literacy Plan and what supports they need to implement it effectively. The findings will guide policies that better support educators, strengthen statewide partnerships, and position IGPA faculty as trusted leaders in Illinois literacy policy.

Principal investigator Zachary McDowell, associate professor of communication at UIC, and co-PIs Gagandeep Singh, assistant professor of computer science at Illinois, and Ken Suh, adjunct professor of law at Illinois and UIC, seek to develop a more accessible database of Illinois’ hundreds of proposed bills and their associated metadata, such as sponsorships, committee referrals, amendment histories, and voting records. The project will help lawmakers, journalists, and the public understand their content, particularly in the rapidly expanding and technically complex area of AI and technology policy.

Principal investigator Jessica Fish, professor of human development and family studies at Illinois, will examine mental, behavioral, and academic health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) across Illinois, using statewide survey data to identify how these outcomes vary by region. By translating these findings into accessible reports and policy resources, the initiative will provide Illinois policymakers, practitioners, and communities with timely, evidence-based insights to better support SGMY well-being statewide.

Principal investigator Andrey Yushkov, assistant professor of public policy, management, and analytics at UIC, seeks to analyze how expanding the sales tax base across service types such as digital and business transactions affects state revenue and stability, providing evidence to guide Illinois tax policy modernization.

Principal investigator Shih-Ying Cheng, assistant professor of social work at UIC, will examine intimate partner violence in Illinois, focusing on the experiences and service needs of Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) survivors, using statewide data and spatial analysis to identify gaps in support services and inform more equitable, culturally responsive policy and program solutions.

Principal investigator Jacinda Dariotis, professor of human development and family studies at Illinois, and co-PIs Rebecca Smith, associate professor of pathobiology at Illinois, and Dana Eldreth, senior research associate of human development and family studies at Illinois, will investigate the decline in childhood vaccination rates and its impact on families and communities, using a mixed methods approach to understand how caregiver attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors have shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings will inform public health policy, communication strategies, and targeted interventions to improve vaccine uptake and strengthen resilience in future public health crises.

“Our new Small Grant Program is designed to catalyze impactful policy research that addresses Illinois’ pressing challenges,” said Ben Superfine, senior director of IGPA. “By empowering our affiliates to respond quickly to these policy questions, we are helping elevate our faculty as trusted thought leaders whose work drives meaningful change across the state.”