Starting in 2013, the SMA has advanced scholarship in sport marketing by providing the SMA Research Grant to its members as they pursue research of importance to the discipline. The purpose of the grants are to support collaborative research endeavors that expand the body of sport marketing knowledge via development of relationships between industry leaders and academics.

Eligibility

  • Individuals submitting a proposal must be a SMA member in good standing.

  • Principal Investigator (PI) must be affiliated with an academic institution.

  • The research project must represent a collaboration with industry partner(s).

  • Prior recipients of the award must wait three (3) years before reapplying.

Grants

  • SMA allocates a total of $3000 for up to three (3) research grants annually.

  • One (1) complimentary conference registration for one (1) investigator to present results upon completion of the study (additional details below).

Proposal Content

  • Separate cover sheet with proposal title and names/affiliations of the PI and any CoIs.

  • Study elements (not to exceed 3000 words), including the purpose of the proposed research; details of collaboration with industry; literature review (conceptual/theoretical foundation); proposed method and research timeline; potential scholarly and managerial implications of the findings. Include the proposal title, but to not include self-identifying information.

  • List of references.

  • Copy of IRB approval. IRB approval must not expire to the end of project.

  • Proposals must adhere to current APA guidelines.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Embodiment of SMA mission.

  • Articulation of proposal elements .

  • Originality of research.

  • Feasibility of research.

  • Potential contribution to the academy.

  • Potential contribution to industry.

  • Strong consideration will be given for young scholars (i.e., PhD students, untenured faculty).

Review Committee

  • SMA Past-President; Award Committee Members (3): SMA Executive Board Members (2)

Deliverables

  • Submission of report to the SMA Awards Committee within 60 days of the project’s completion.

  • Presentation of findings at the 2025 or 2026 SMA Annual Conference.

  • Include the following statement in all written documents including publications and presentation materials: “This work was supported by funds received from the Sport Marketing Association Research Award."

  • Summary of results for SMA’s use in promoting the award and its recipients.

Important Information

  • All awards are made payable to the Principal Investigator.

  • Recipients are required to retain their membership to SMA for at least one (1) year post-award.

  • Principal Investigator(s) must assume responsibility for the proposal, execution of the research plan, and presenting the results.

  • Award will be presented at the SMA Annual Conference during the year of proposal submission, at which at least one investigator must be present to receive the award.

Submission Deadline and Process

  • SMA Reserach Grant submissions should be emailed as a PDF directly to Dr. Rebecca Achen, Member at Large for the SMA, at rachen@pacific.edu, by no later than June 1, 2024. Any incomplete grant proposals, or those that are received after the deadline, will not be evaluated.