Funding Opportunities
Drexel Sponsorship Resources
Drexel's Office of Research & Innovation maintains a list of governmental, industry and foundation sponsorship opportunities for researchers in all topic areas.
View Office of Research & Innovation Sponsor website
College of Medicine-Specific Foundation Funding Opportunities
Foundation & Corporate Relations (FCR) in the Office of Institutional Advancement builds and maintains partnerships with private and corporate foundations and serves as a resource to investigators during the grant proposal development process.
FCR and the College of Medicine will provide investigators with up-to-date funding opportunities available through foundations. The following requests for proposals (RFPs) are listed by submission deadline. Some foundations have recurring deadlines; others may have rolling deadlines.
There are some foundations that limit the number of applications an institution may submit for specific funding opportunities. Therefore, FCR facilitates limited submissions funding opportunities through Drexel’s InfoReady portal and will make known any funding opportunities that require an internal competition.
Investigators interested in pursuing a foundation or corporate grant should contact, executive director, Foundation & Corporate Relations – STEM Unit, pib25@drexel.edu, 215-895-0326.
Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation – INTERNAL COMPETITION
Internal applications are to be submitted via Drexel’s InfoReady Funding Portal no later than September 30, 2024, 11:59 pm.
The final date to submit the full proposal to the Foundation is November 15, 2024 at 5pm ET.
The Margaret Q. Landenberger award is intended for early-stage investigators who have completed their terminal research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training, whichever date is later, within the past 10 years and who has not previously competed successfully as PD/PI for a substantial NIH independent research award (R01). The applicant must work under the supervision of experienced mentors. The Foundation’s goal is to assist these individuals by funding their current research, with the hope of enabling them to acquire more significant funding. PIs who have been awarded R03, R21, or K awards are eligible. The Foundation does not restrict its support to any particular disease or medical condition.
Grants are generally $200,000, over a two-year period.
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
Deadline:
September 30, 2024, 5 p.m. ET, letter of intent
If invited, full proposal due December 9, 2024
Funding: Up to $5,000,000
Description
The Drug Development RFP supports investigational new drug-enabling studies (or the international equivalent) and early-phase clinical trials that test promising pharmacological interventions and devices for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Both disease-modifying and symptomatic agents will be considered.
This funding opportunity prioritizes diverse drug mechanisms and modes of action related to the biology of aging and other emerging therapeutic areas for dementia. For this reason, amyloid targeted approaches and cholinesterase inhibitor proposals will not be considered for this RFP.
Eligibility
Funding is open to researchers and clinicians worldwide at:
- Academic medical centers and universities or nonprofits. Industry partnerships are strongly encouraged.
- Biotechnology companies. Existing companies and new startups are both eligible.
- NOTE: Funding is provided through mission-related investments that require return on investment based upon scientific and/or business milestones (see Our Research Strategy for more information).
Whitehall Foundation
Deadline: October 1, 2024, Letter of Intent
If invited, full application due February 15, 2025
Funding:
The maximum budget is $100,000 per year for the two- and three-year research grants.
Purpose:
Research grants are available to established scientists of all ages working at accredited institutions in the United States. Applications will be judged on the scientific merit and the innovative aspects of the proposal as well as on the competence of the applicant. Research grants of up to three years will be provided. A renewal grant with a maximum of two years is possible, but it will be awarded on a competitive basis. Research grants will not be awarded to investigators who have already received, or expect to receive, substantial support from other sources, even if it is for an unrelated purpose.
Eligibility:
The applicant must meet all of the following eligibility requirements in order to participate in the application process:
- Appropriate title – must be an assistant professor (or higher). If the institution does not use this title, a letter from the department chair confirming the applicant's eligibility is required.
- Status – must hold principal iInvestigator status.
- Independent – must be considered an "independent investigator" with their own dedicated lab space or with lab space independent of another investigator.
- The Foundation does not fund investigators who have substantial (approximately $200,000 per year) extramural funding. The Foundation uses the following formula to determine the PI's total extramural funding: Total direct per year plus total indirect per year less any PI salary taken from these grants. If this amount is greater than approximately $200,000 the PI would not be eligible for Whitehall Foundation funding. Startup funds and internal funding are not included in the calculation.
American Heart Association
2025 Established Investigator Award
Deadline: October 2, 2024, 3 p.m. CT, Letter of Intent
Amount:
$110,000 per year over five years, including 10% indirect costs (Indirect costs are not to exceed $11,000 per year)
Purpose
To support established investigators at the associate professor level, who are in a rapid growth phase of their career, have established records of accomplishments and continue to show extraordinary promise.
The investigator’s career is expected to clearly benefit from the EIA award.
Candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular science disciplines that support the AHA’s mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives, as indicated by funding and publication history and scientific accomplishments.
Candidates should propose an innovative/novel research direction that challenges existing paradigms and employs novel concepts, approaches or technologies.
Eligibility:
At the time of application, must have:
- MD, PhD, DO, DVM or equivalent doctoral degree
- Full-time faculty/staff scientist position or equivalent
- At the time of award activation must have an appointment at the ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR LEVEL or equivalent (including, but not limited to, research associate professor, research scientist, staff scientist, etc.) and be no more than 15 years since first faculty appointment.
- History and current evidence of substantial extramural funding
American Heart Association
2025 Collaborative Sciences Award
Deadline: October 3, 2024, 3 p.m. CT: Pre-Proposal
If invited, full proposal due January 9, 2025
Amount: $1,000,000 over three years:
- The award may be used for salary and fringe benefits of the co-principal investigators, collaborating investigator(s) and other participants with faculty appointments, consistent with percent effort, and for project-related expenses such as salaries of technical personnel essential to the conduct of the project, supplies, equipment, computers/electronics, travel (including international travel), volunteer subject costs, data management and publication costs, etc.
- Indirect costs are limited to 10% of the annual award total.
- AHA does not require use of the NIH salary cap.
Purpose:
- To foster innovative, collaborative approaches to research projects that propose novel pairings of investigators from at least two broadly disparate disciplines. The proposal must focus on the collaborative relationship, such that the scientific objectives could not be achieved without the efforts of at least two co-principal investigators and their respective disciplines.
- The combination and integration of studies may be inclusive of basic, clinical, population, behavioral and/or translational research. Projects must include at least one co-PI from a field outside cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
- This award is also intended to foster collaboration between established and early- or mid-career investigators.
- Applications by existing collaborators are permitted, provided that the proposal is for a new and novel idea or approach that has not been funded before.
Eligibility:
An application must be submitted jointly by at least two co-principal investigators, but no more than four.
All co-PIs must be AHA Professional Members at the time of pre-proposal submission.
- At least one co-PI must work in cardiovascular or cerebrovascular-related research.
- At least one co-PI must work in a divergent/disparate discipline (e.g., engineering, computer science, chemistry, mathematics, psychology, health law, etc.) and/or without prior focus in cardiovascular- or cerebrovascular-related research.
- At least one co-PI must be an early-career (assistant professor or equivalent) or mid-career (associate professor or equivalent) investigator.
- Co-PIs must each hold faculty/staff appointments.
- Co-PIs must be independent researchers (i.e., must meet their institutions’ eligibility to apply for independent awards). This award is not intended for individuals in research training or fellowship positions.
- Co-PIs may be from the same institution or from different institutions.
- Co-PIs must be from different disciplines and/or areas of expertise. For example: A collaboration between a clinician and a basic scientist or other collaboration that would not arise otherwise (organically).
- Examples of partnerships that have been funded:
- A materials scientist with no previous cardiovascular or cerebrovascular-related research collaborating with an interventional cardiac electrophysiologist
- A synthetic biologist collaborating with a cardiac biologist
- A chemist specializing in RNA molecular biology collaborating with a practicing neonatologist with research in cell signaling, hemostasis and thrombosis
- A kidney disease/ciliopathy researcher collaborating with a clinical researcher in genetic causes of bicuspid aortic valve disease and a basic science researcher also studying genetic valvular diseases
- The applicants should adequately convey that they are of equal stature in the project.
- If more than three co-PIs are proposed, the applicants should provide clear evidence that they are equal co-PIs. If this will not be the case, then the applicants should classify additional personnel as collaborating investigators or consultants.
- Each co-PI must hold an MD, PhD, DO, DDS, DVM or equivalent post-baccalaureate terminal (highest-level) degree in their discipline.
- One of the co-PIs’ institutions must be designated as the institution of record, agreeing to sponsor the application and accept award payments and ensuring that annual progress reports and expenditure reports are submitted to AHA.
American Cancer Society
Discovery Boost Grants
Deadline: October 15, 2024
Funding: Two years with $135,000 per year direct costs, plus 10% allowable indirect costs
Purpose: To fund exploratory research to develop research methodologies, establish feasibility or pilot test high-risk/high-reward research across the research continuum.
Eligibility: Independent investigators at any career stage.
American Cancer Society
Research Scholar Grants
Deadline: October 15, 2024
Funding:
Research Scholar Grants are funded up to $215,000 per year (direct costs), plus 10% allowable indirect costs, with a project period up to four years.
Purpose:
Research Scholar Grants (RSG) provide support for independent, self-directed researchers.
Applicants' institutions must provide space and other resources customary for independent investigators.
Grant proposals are investigator-initiated and may pursue questions across the cancer research continuum, as long as they fit within an American Cancer Society (ACS) priority research area.
These grants typically contribute to the cost of salaries, consumable supplies and other miscellaneous items required in the research.
Eligibility
- Work at a U.S. academic institution or eligible nonprofit.
- Were first appointed as independent, full-time faculty less than 10 years ago. (To ask about eligibility extensions due to personal or professional leave, send your questions to grant.eligibility@cancer.org at least six weeks before the application deadline.)
- Are the PI on no more than 1 R01 or R01-equivalent grant at the time of application.
American Cancer Society
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Deadline: October 15, 2024
Funding:
- Awards are for up to three years with recently increased progressive stipends of $66,000, $68,000 and $70,000 a year.
- Fellowship allowances: Fellows will receive $4,000 a year to help defray costs such as health insurance, workshop costs and expenses associated with presenting at a domestic scientific meeting.
- In the last year, an additional $1,500 is added to the fellowship allowance for PFs to attend either the ACS Postdoctoral Fellows Symposium or a domestic scientific meeting.
Purpose:
Postdoctoral Fellowships support new investigators in research training programs to position them for independent careers in cancer research. As part of their evaluation, peer reviewers consider how well the fellowship will broaden the applicant’s research training and experience.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants:
- Are a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen holding an appropriate visa when they submit their application.
- Have had their doctoral degree for LESS than four years; time spent in clinical-only training is not counted. To ask about exemptions due to personal or professional leave, at least six weeks before the application deadline, send your questions to grant.eligibility@cancer.org
- Do not have a faculty appointment (e.g., instructor, research assistant professor)
- Applicants should review the American Cancer Society’s Grant Policies and the Instructions about the fellowship.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation – LIMITED SUBMISSION
Moore Inventor Fellows
Internal applications are due October 16 in the InfoReady submissions portal.
Nominations to the Moore Foundation are due November 15, with full proposals due December 13.
Description:
The Foundation seeks to identify outstanding inventors and innovators who harness science and technology to enhance the conduct of scientific research, strengthen environmental conservation, or improve the experience and outcomes of patient care. The Moore Inventor Fellows fellowship focuses on supporting scientist-inventors at a critical prototyping stage to capture opportunities that otherwise might be missed. Each fellow will receive $200,000 per year from the foundation for three years. In addition, the foundation will provide the host institution with $25,000 each year to cover costs associated with administering the grant, resulting in a total three-year award of $675,000. The foundation expects each fellow will be personally engaged in pursuing their invention and will require each fellow to devote at least 25% of their own time to their invention.
Candidates must be faculty, research scientists, postdocs or other full-time staff who can receive funding through their institutions. Candidates must be no more than 10 years past receiving the terminal advanced degree in their field (MS, PhD or MD received on or after 2015). All candidates must have the endorsement of their department chairs.
McKnight Foundation
Deadline: November 4, 2024, Letter of Intent
If invited, full proposals due mid April 2025
Amount: $100,000 per year for three years
Purpose:
The first step is to submit a two-page letter of intent describing how the McKnight award would permit new approaches and accomplishments toward the development of translational research. The letter should address the following questions:
- What clinical problem are you addressing?
- What are your specific aims?
- How will the knowledge and experience you have gained in basic research be applied to improving the understanding of a brain disorder or disease?
- How are you fostering an inclusive and equitable lab environment?
The letter should clearly describe how the proposed research will uncover mechanisms of brain injury or diseases and how it will translate to diagnosis, prevention, treatment or cure.
The letter of intent should include the email addresses of the principal investigators and a title for the project.
Eligibility:
A candidate for a McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award must work as an independent investigator at a not-for-profit research institution in the United States, and must hold a faculty position at the rank of assistant professor or higher. Those holding other titles such as research professor, adjunct professor, professor research track, visiting professor or instructor are not eligible. If the host institution does not use professorial titles, a letter from a senior institutional official (e.g., dean or director of research) must confirm that the applicant has their own dedicated institutional resources, laboratory space and/or facilities.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Deadline: November 15, 2024
Funding: Up to $125,000 over two years
Career Stage: All stages
Purpose:
AFSP suicide research grants program priority areas:
- Ethnic and racial diversity: Suicide prevention research related to ethnic and racial underrepresented communities, health and mental health disparities and inequities, as well as researchers from underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds proposing research focused on understanding and preventing suicide.
- Understudied populations with elevated suicide rates: Some groups of individuals (e.g., those experiencing interpersonal violence, minoritized gender identity and sexual orientation groups, people with disabilities) and in some settings (e.g., correctional settings, foster care, construction industry) have been found to have higher rates of suicide and yet they have not been well studied. We welcome proposals that seek to understand and prevent suicide in these types of populations and/or settings.
- Survivors of suicide loss: Research related to survivors of suicide loss, understanding the impact of suicide loss and its after-effects, and the process of healing.
Eligibility:
- Investigators from all academic disciplines are eligible to apply, and both basic science and applied research projects will be considered, provided that the proposed study has an essential focus on suicide or suicide prevention.
- A current grantee may submit a new application as their grant nears completion, but it will not be funded until completion of the current grant and submission of a final report.
- New grantees must begin their studies within six months of the approved start date. Failure to begin the study within this time frame may result in withdrawal of the grant award.
Klingenstein Philanthropies
Transformation of Mental Health Care Program
Deadline: December 15, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
Funding: $100,000 per year over two years
Career Stage: all stages
Purpose:
We are soliciting applications for academic investigators conducting research to demonstrate the benefits of novel ways to access or deliver mental health care or prevention approaches that can be implemented at scale. This application is specifically for high-quality research that builds upon promising pilot work and will lead to a larger demonstration project. Requests for service projects and applications that primarily focus on expanding services or measuring quality within an organization will not be reviewed.
In particular, Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation is interested in improving access to high-quality mental health care and prevention for children and adolescents through the use of novel models or promising approaches, including expanding the number of professional and paraprofessional treatment personnel who are trained to deliver mental health services, delivering care in non-psychiatric settings (e.g., primary care, schools, home or other novel settings), digital technology (e.g., the internet, apps for cell phones), and approaches that help parents access care for their children.
Eligibility:
- Academic researchers from universities, research institutions, health systems or other settings that are positioned to provide rigorous high-quality research focused on transforming mental and behavioral health care that improves outcomes for children and adolescents are eligible. Investigators must reside within institutions based in the United States, where all research on the project will be completed.
- Investigators can be at any stage in their career but must have collected enough pilot data to inform the development of the proposed research project and must be well enough established to lead an effort such as this. For investigators who are early in their career, we strongly recommend collaborating with a more senior academic researcher who has expertise in program development and dissemination. Co-applicants / principal investigators are allowed if they reside at the same institution.
Whitehall Foundation
Deadline: January 15, 2025, letter of intent
If invited, full application due June 1, 2025
Funding:
The maximum budget is $100,000 per year for the two- and three-year research grants.
Purpose:
Research grants are available to established scientists of all ages working at accredited institutions in the United States. Applications will be judged on the scientific merit and the innovative aspects of the proposal as well as on the competence of the applicant. Research grants of up to three years will be provided. A renewal grant with a maximum of two years is possible, but it will be awarded on a competitive basis. Research grants will not be awarded to investigators who have already received, or expect to receive, substantial support from other sources, even if it is for an unrelated purpose.
Eligibility:
The applicant must meet all of the following eligibility requirements in order to participate in the application process:
- Appropriate title – must be an assistant professor (or higher). If the institution does not use this title, a letter from the department chair confirming the applicant's eligibility is required.
- Status – must hold principal iInvestigator status.
- Independent – must be considered an "independent investigator" with their own dedicated lab space or with lab space independent of another investigator.
- The Foundation does not fund investigators who have substantial (approximately $200,000 per year) extramural funding. The Foundation uses the following formula to determine the PI's total extramural funding: Total direct per year plus total indirect per year less any PI salary taken from these grants. If this amount is greater than approximately $200,000 the PI would not be eligible for Whitehall Foundation funding. Startup funds and internal funding are not included in the calculation.
Cardiovascular Medical Research and Education Fund
Improving the Treatment of Pulmonary Diseases
Deadline: Rolling
Funding:
Preference will be given to proposals that have budgets below $100,000 and timelines less than two years.
Purpose:
The CMREF mission of the fund is to support educational activities that will enhance the knowledge of pulmonary hypertension and research projects that may help uncover the causes and pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in pursuit of the ultimate goal of its treatment and cure. The CMREF does not have a formal application process to fund clinical research or educational projects but is always interested in potentially providing full or partial support to initiatives that are novel, innovative or address the spectrum of unmet medical needs related to pulmonary vascular diseases.
Interested parties should submit a letter of intent (maximum of two pages) that describes the project sufficiently so that the Research Advisory Committee can understand the proposed goals and methods. In addition, the letter should mention the length of time of the project and an estimated overall budget.
How to Apply:
To submit your letter, please use the form on this page. Please be sure to fill out all fields and upload your letter before submitting. You can also email your letter directly to Patt Wolfe (executive director) at patt.wolfe@ipahresearch.org.
After you submit your letter, the CMREF will respond within four weeks to inform you if a full application will be requested.
American Federation for Aging Research
Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program
Deadline:
Interested students should be in touch directly with the National Training Centers to for the program deadline and application materials.
Funding:
The stipend level is approximately $1,980 per month; actual amounts will vary based on the specific appointment period of individual students. Award period: Eight to 12 weeks.
Purpose:
The MSTAR Program provides medical students with an enriching experience in aging-related research and geriatrics, with the mentorship of top experts in the field. This program introduces students to research and academic experiences early in their training that they might not otherwise have during medical school. Positive experiences in the MSTAR program have led many physicians-in-training to pursue academic careers in aging, ranging from basic science to clinical research to health services research. They have joined the growing cadre of physicians and scientists whose specialized knowledge and skills are in great demand as our population ages.
Students participate in an eight- to twelve-week (or two- to three-month, depending on the training site) structured research, clinical and didactic program in geriatrics, appropriate to their level of training and interests. Research projects are offered in basic, translational, clinical or health services research relevant to older people. Most scholars will do their training and research during the summer months. They will also be invited to submit an abstract to present a poster at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society.
Eligibility
- Any allopathic or osteopathic medical student in good standing, who will have successfully completed one year of medical school at a U.S. institution by June 2024. Evidence of good standing must be provided by the medical school registrar or dean when the student is notified of receiving the award.
- Applicants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card I-551, or some other legal verification of such status). Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. Due to NIA restrictions, individuals holding PhD, MD, DVM or equivalent doctoral degrees in the health sciences are not eligible to apply to do the MSTAR Program.
- Additionally, applicants receiving a stipend or salary support from a federal source are not eligible for this program. Applicants may not hold another award or participate in another program concurrently with the MSTAR program, and must participate in the program full-time for a minimum of eight weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks.
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Grants for Emerging Researchers/Clinicians Mentorship Program
Career Stage: Medical Students
Amount: Not specified
Deadline: Ongoing
Description
The G.E.R.M. Program was developed to provide grants to medical students to support a longitudinal, mentored clinical learning and/or research project for up to a year on infectious diseases-related topics, including HIV, under the mentorship of an IDSA or HIVMA member. This program replaced the IDSA Medical Scholars and HIVMA Medical Students Programs.
Eligibility
- Graduate students
- Applicants must be medical students (first-, second- or third-year and those in combined degree programs, including MD/MPH and MD/PhD) from an accredited allopathic or osteopathic medical school in the U.S.