Funding Opportunities

Composed of the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council, the National Academies produce innovative reports that help shape policies, inform public opinion, and advance the pursuit of science, engineering, and medicine.

Members of the National Academies are the world's most distinguished scientists, engineers, physicians, and researchers and are elected in recognition of outstanding achievements. More than 300 are Nobel Laureates.

The national Academies do not receive direct funding from the federal government, although many activities are mandated and funded by Congress and federal agencies.

The Fellowships Office administers predoctoral, postdoctoral, and senior fellowships on behalf of government and private/foundation sponsors. Fellowship awards play a crucial role in career development of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and scholars for the academic, federal, industrial, and international workforce.

Fellowship opportunities include:

• Research Associateship Programs - Provide enhanced training for highly qualified postdoctoral and visiting scientists while enhancing the research conducted in federal laboratories and affiliated institutions. Awards are open to US citizens, permanent residents, and with some limitations, foreign national in all fields of science and engineering.
• Ford Foundation Fellowship Program - Seeks to increase the diversity of the nation's college and university faculties by providing fellowship support at the predoctoral, dissertation, and postdoctoral levels. Eligibility is for US citizens who demonstrate superior academic achievement, commitment to teaching at the university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Founded in 1981, the NAAF supports research to find a cure or acceptable treatment for alopecia areata and also supports those with the disease as well as educates the public. The NAAF is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and a prestigious Scientific Advisory Council.

Part of the mission of NAAF is to encourage research in alopecia areata and funds an acclaimed research grant program and seeks out investigators worldwide in the areas of genetics, immunology, and clinical research.

Research grants funded in genetics include: identification of eight genes that underpin alopecia areata and development of a genetic test that can predict severity of disease. For immunology: exploration of the infectious agents in the immune responses in alopecia areata and exploration of strategies for the restoration of human hair follicle immune privilege. For clinical: development of uniform alopecia areata clinical study protocol.

Contact the NAAF office at 415-472-3780 for information on NAAF Scientific Research Grant application process.

You may also email info@naaf.org

A member-supported, nonprofit organization established in 1957 to help those with ataxia and their families, the NAF supports promising ataxia research and provides vital programs and services for ataxia families. Through support, education, and research, the NAF is dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by ataxia.

The NAF funds promising ataxia research studies throughout the world in dominant ataxia (including SCAs), recessive ataxia (including Friedreich's), and sporadic ataxia.

Funding opportunities include:

• Research Grant - Offers one-year seed money grants up to $15,000, but promising proposals up to a maximum of $30,000 will be considered for early or pilot phases of studies and ongoing investigations. Application deadline is August 15.
• Young Investigator Award - Offers a one-year grant of $35,000-$50,000 to encourage young investigators to pursue a career in ataxia research.
• Young Investigator Award for SCA Research - Three one-year grants of $50,000 are offered to encourage young investigators to pursue a career in spinocerebellar ataxia research. Candidates must hold an MD or PhD and have an appointment as a junior faculty member, senior post-doc or clinical fellow. Deadline is September 3.
• Research Post-Doc Fellowship Award - Offers a one-year grant up to $35,000. Applicants should have completed at least one year of post-doctoral training, but no more than two at the time of application, and should show a commitment to research in the field of ataxia. Deadline is September 16.
• Pioneer SCA Translational Research Award - Offers three one-year grants of $10,000 focusing on research facilitating the development of treatments for the spinocerebellar ataxias. Deadline is September 16.

In 1995, the NBME established the Stemmler Medical Education Research Fund named for Dr. Edward J. Stemmler who was largely responsible for the conception of the program while serving as chair.

The Stemmler Research Fund assists research in topics relevant to the mission of the NBME, which is to provide support for research or development of innovative assessment approaches that will enhance the evaluation of those preparing to, or continuing to, practice medicine. The Fund has supported 65 grant awards totaling approximately $5 million since the inception and up to seven grants are awarded per year.

Expected outcomes include advances in the theory, knowledge, or practice of assessment at any point in medical education - from undergraduate and graduate education and training through practice. Pilot and more comprehensive projects are both of interest. Collaborative investigations within or among institutions are eligible, as they strengthen the likelihood of the project's contribution and success.

Deadline for submissions is July 1.

With a commitment to finding better treatments and ultimately a cure for people living with brain tumor, the National Brain Tumor Society's agenda is integrating research and public policy to bridge critical gaps from discovery science to clinical trial design to the development of new therapies.

The Foundation funds only the most imminently promising projects for brain tumors and seeks researchers dedicated to the areas of the greatest need. They also demand research approaches delivering the most compelling results. The target programs include systems biology, pediatric brain tumors, and emerging research areas.

More that $26 million has been awarded in research grants and funds grants for both academic and industry researchers who have promising programs designed to advance potential therapies from research into clinical trial.

All funding is open to domestic and international research communities and institutions.

The Innovation Research Grant Program supports transformative projects that will significantly move the field of brain tumor research forward including "out-of-the-box" projects or new research approaches. Typically one or two grants are awarded each year, with $150,000 maximum per year for two years.

Founded in 1996, the NCRG is the only national organization exclusively devoted to increasing the understanding of pathological and youth gambling and finding effective treatment methods for the disorder.

The NCRG helps individuals and families affected by gambling disorders by supporting peer-reviewed scientific research into pathological gambling and encouraging new research findings to improve prevention, diagnostic, intervention and treatment strategies and advancing public education about gambling disorders and responsible gaming.

Funding opportunities include:

• Early Stage Investigator Grants - Intended to help ensure a pool of trained scientists address research needs in the field of gambling disorders. Eligible applicants must be within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or within 10 years of completing medical residency. Applicants may request up to $65,000 in direct costs for a period not to exceed 24 months. Applicants must also propose a research plan that has intrinsic research importance in the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders and will serve as a suitable vehicle for learning the methodology, theories, and concepts needed for a well trained independent researcher.
• Large Grants Program - Provides up to two years of support for discrete, circumscribed research projects related to gambling disorders. Applicants may request up to $75,000 in direct costs per year for a period not to exceed 24 months.
• Addiction Fellowship - Awards institutional research grants of $85,000 per year to eligible institutions for the support of two-year postdoctoral research focused on gambling disorders. The primary objective is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that will have a significant impact on the understanding and treatment of gambling disorders. Training activities can be in basic biomedical or clinical sciences, behavioral or social sciences, health services research, or in any other discipline relevant to the NCRG's mission. Priority is given to research training for MD clinicians, but consideration will be given to programs training clinical PhDs.

Administered by the office of Justice programs and the US Department of Justice, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service was established in 1972 and is a federally funded resource offering justice and drug-related information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.

The Federal sponsors include:

• Bureau of Justice Assistance
• Bureau of Justice Statistics
• National Bureau of Justice
• Office for Victims of Crime
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking

Dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for inheritable bleeding disorders and to preventing the complications of these disorders through education, advocacy, and research.

Fellowships and grants include:

• Career Development Award - Awarded to fund innovative research that investigates promising treatments and cures for bleeding disorders and assist in promoting basic, pre-clinical, and clinical research.
• Judith Graham Pool Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - Awarded to a postdoctoral fellow to promote research into bleeding disorders and to provide vital insights into the complexities of hemophilia and related disorders.
• NHF-Baxter Clinical Fellowship - Awarded through a program exclusively sponsored by Baxter BioScience to help educate and train doctors to provide comprehensive care for people with bleeding and clotting disorders.
• Nursing Excellence Fellowship - Provides support to practitioners to conduct research or clinical projects in the field of bleeding disorders.
• Physical Therapy Excellence Fellowship - Awarded for research in developing clinical pathways to rehabilitation programs and measurable outcome studies.

Part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH serves as the nation's medical research agency and as the largest source of funding for medical research. NIH-funded research has largely contributed

to nationwide rates of new diagnoses and deaths from all cancers combined have fallen significantly.

NIH is comprised of 27 institutes and centers, each with a specific research agenda, focusing on a particular disease or body system. Eighty percent of the NIH's budget goes to more than 300,000 research positions at over 2,500 universities and research institutions.

Research grants available:

• NIH Research Grant Program - Used to support a discrete, specified, circumscribed research program and is NIH's most commonly used grant program. There is no specific monetary limit unless specified in the funding opportunity announcement, and is generally awarded for three to five years.
• NIH Small Grant Program - Provides limited funding for a short period of time to support a variety of types of projects including pilot or feasibility studies, collection of preliminary data, secondary analysis of existing data, development of new research technology, etc. Limited to two years of funding, with direct costs up to $50,000 per year.
• NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award - Encourages new, exploratory, and developmental research projects by providing support for the early stages of project development, and sometimes used for pilot and feasibility studies. Limited to up to two years of funding and combined budget for direct costs for the two-year project period may not exceed $275,000.
• NIH Clinical Trial Planning Grant Program - Designed to permit early peer review of the rationale for the proposed clinical trial and support development of essential elements of a clinical trial, usually a project of one year and sometimes up to three years, with a budget of up to $100,00 in direct costs, sometimes up to $450,000.

The National Kidney Foundation is a major voluntary nonprofit health organization dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by kidney disease, and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation.

The NKF participates in research that helps advance knowledge about chronic kidney disease, treatment, and patient outcomes. This is done through three major initiatives, the Kidney Early Evaluation (KEEP) Program, the Awareness, Detection, and Drug Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease Study (ADD-CKD), and the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium.

Research funding includes five NFK Young Investigator Grants which provide project support up to $20,000 and one Satellite Dialysis Clinical Investigator Grant which provides up to $40,000, including salary support for the Principal Investigator not to exceed $20,000.

With a mission to mobilize people and resources to drive research for a cure for MS and to address the challenges of everyone affected by this disease, the Society helps those by funding cutting-edge research, advocacy, facilitating education, and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.

The Society supports and funds research activities spanning all research stages including early discovery research, translational research that brings promising ideas forward into therapeutic solutions for testing, and clinical trials.

Funding opportunities include:

• Research Grants - Supports multi-year investigations by university-based scientists and clinicians for basic, clinical, and re-habilitational research. Deadlines are February 6 and August 7.
• Pilot Research - Provides funding for one year to test innovative, cutting-edge ideas or untested methods and gather sufficient preliminary data to apply for longer-term funding. Applications are received on a quarterly basis and deadlines are April 3, July 3, and October 2.
• Training Grants and Fellowships - To attract and train promising young investigators and doctors and help more established investigators learn new techniques.
• Postdoctoral Fellowships - Supports research projects from one to three years by investigators working under the mentorship of senior scientists. Deadline is August 14.
• Sylvia Lawry Physician Fellowships - Provides support for up to three years to train young doctors to conduct MS clinical trials. Deadline is August 14.
• NMSS-ABF MS Clinician Scientist Development Award - Offers three years of support to young physicians to receive training in MS clinical research.
• Career Transition Fellowships - Awards up to five years to facilitate the advancement of promising young fellows into faculty positions.

NORD is dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them. Any disease affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans is considered rare, with nearly 7,000 diseases affecting nearly 30 million Americans. NORD supports innovative research, fair and consistent government policies, and access to medically necessary treatments.

NORD's Research Grant Program provides seed money to academic scientists studying new treatments or diagnostics for rare diseases. Clinical researchers supported by NORD's research grants provide preliminary data indicating that a treatment may be safe and effective when used for a larger number of patients. Researchers can then use the preliminary data to apply for larger multi-year government grants or to attract a commercial sponsor who will manufacture an orphan product and get it approved fir marketing by the FDA.

The mission of the National Pancreas Foundation is to support the research of diseases of the pancreas and to provide information and humanitarian services to those suffering from such illnesses. To fulfill this mission, the National Pancreas Foundation raises and manages a charitable foundation from which grants are made directly to researchers seeking to resolve the challenging medical problems of pancreatic diseases.

The National Pancreas Foundation is the only foundation that supports research in pancreatic cancer and acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and pediatric pancreatitis.

NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to "promote the progress of science." With an annual budget of $7 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by academic institutions.

The mission of NSF is primarily fulfilled by issuing limited-term grants, currently about 11,000 new awards per year with an average duration of three years, to fund specific research proposals judged the most promising by a rigorous and objective merit-review system.

A non-profit science institute established in 1997 by NASA is currently working on countermeasures to the health-related problems and physical and psychological challenges men and women will face on long-duration missions. While solving these space issues, the Institute is transferring the solutions to patients suffering from similar conditions including osteoporosis, muscle wasting, shift-related sleep disorders, balance disorders, and cardiovascular system problems.

Current funding opportunities are postdoctoral fellowships which provide support for academically talented young scientists to conduct space-related biomedical or biotechnical research that supports the NSBRI's goals.

The program is open to US citizens, permanent residents, or persons with pre-existing visas obtained through their sponsoring institutions that permit postdoctoral training for the project's duration. Funding is for a two-year period, with an optional third year based on merit and need, and includes an allocation for health insurance.

An independent organization since 1847, the New York Academy of Medicine addresses the health challenges facing the world's urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research, evaluation, education, and community engagement.

Current priorities are creating environments in cities that support healthy aging, strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public's health, and to eliminate health disparities.

A variety of grants and fellowships are offered to medical students, seasoned physicians, and investigators to support the advancement of health care studies including:

- Glorney-Raisbeck Fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease - A one-year $60,000 grant awarded for research by young physician scientists in supervised programs that will develop the candidates' ability to perform independent clinical or laboratory research. Up to three fellowships will be awarded.

- Margaret E. Mahoney Fellowships - Provide stipends to support medical, dental, nursing, and public health students wishing to conduct research projects or internships focused on the health of vulnerable urban populations.