Foundation Funding

Additional Information:

This MJFF Improving Gait in PD Program seeks to support clinical research proposals. Preclinical applications will not be considered. Proposals should delineate how the expected results directly contribute to more precise understanding and detection contributions to individualized gait impairment in PD. Proposals evaluating both motor and cognitive contributors to gait disturbances will be prioritized as will proposals with direct applications for development of personalized treatments.  

Approaches should be novel, hypothesis-driven, specifically address personalization, appropriately powered (pilot studies will not be funded) and reproducible.  All projects should include compelling preliminary data from human pilot studies. Priority will be given to studies that are multi-centric, cross-disciplinary, and willing to share data. In general, award amounts for this program may range from $250,000 for smaller, targeted programs to $2M for larger, multi-centric clinical programs. 

Eligibility:

• Applications may be submitted by researchers or clinicians U.S. and non-U.S. biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies, or other publicly or privately held for-profit entities; U.S. and non-U.S. public and private non-profit entities, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments and eligible agencies of the federal government.

• Post-doctoral fellows are eligible to apply as co-investigators with the designation of an administrative primary investigator who directs the laboratory in which the fellow will conduct research. The administrative PI will be responsible for assisting in providing all institutional documents required for the project and will be required to sign any award contract. Training or mentoring-only proposals will not be considered.  

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information:

The Simon’s Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty Award program supports talented early career scientists and their research vision as they transition into tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. This award is a new iteration of the previously offered Simons Foundation Independence Award. The 2025 Fellows-to-Faculty request for applications is intended for senior postdoctoral scholars or equivalent researchers whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in science, such as members of historically underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, individuals whose gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability status is underrepresented in science, or other individuals with disadvantaged social or economic backgrounds.

The foundation is currently accepting applications for the award offered through the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) or Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB). Applicants may submit an application to SFARI, SCPAB or both. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review SFARI scientific perspectives and SCPAB’s mission before applying.

Eligibility:

• The program is for individuals whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in science. See RFP for criteria.
• Applicants must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D., or equivalent degree.
• Applicants must be currently in a non-independent, mentored training position.
• Applicants must be actively seeking and applying to tenure-track faculty positions at research institutions within or outside the U.S. between September 2025 and May 2026.
• See RFP and FAQs for full application and eligibility details.

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

This topical PCORI funding announcement (PFA) seeks to fund high-quality comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects that focus on interventions to improve patient-centered outcomes for individuals living with acute and/or chronic pain. Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose individual- or cluster-randomized controlled trials; however, well-specified natural experiments and well-designed observational studies will also be considered.

PCORI is particularly interested in submissions that address the following Special Areas of Emphasis (SAEs). The purpose of identifying these SAEs is to encourage submissions to these areas, not to limit submissions to these topics alone.

• Urogynecological and pelvic pain
• Pain in individuals living with limitations in cognitive functioning
• Pain in individuals living with sickle cell disease
• Neuropathic pain

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information

This topical PCORI funding announcement (PFA) seeks high-quality, high-impact, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects that focus on improving mental and behavioral health. Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose individual- or cluster-randomized controlled trials; however, well-specified natural experiments and well-designed observational studies will also be considered.

PCORI is particularly interested in submissions that address the following Special Areas of Emphasis (SAE). The purpose of identifying these SAEs is to encourage submissions to these areas, not to limit submissions to these areas.

• Mental and behavioral health of children and youth
• Suicide prevention and crisis response
• Strategies to improve mental health care access and delivery

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information

The Phased Large Awards for Comparative Effectiveness Research (PLACER) PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) seeks to fund comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects that will address critical decisions faced by patients, families, caregivers and the broader healthcare community and for which there is insufficient evidence. The proposed trial should address a critical decisional dilemma that requires important new evidence about the comparative clinical effectiveness of available interventions. Clinical interventions (such as medications, diagnostic tests, or procedures) and delivery system interventions (such as workforce, technologies, and healthcare service delivery designs) are appropriate for these studies.

Applications must propose research that addresses at least one of the following PCORI National Priorities for Health:

• Increase Evidence for Existing Interventions and Emerging Innovations in Health
• Achieve Health Equity
• Accelerate Progress Toward an Integrated Learning Health System

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Addtional Information

The Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) seeks to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects, broadly defined, see PCORI’s Topic Themes which inform funding opportunities for CER. Applicants should also convey how their proposed project align with one or more of the following PCORI National Priorities for Health:

• Increase Evidence for Existing Interventions and Emerging Innovations in Health
• Achieve Health Equity
• Accelerate Progress Toward an Integrated Learning Health System
• Advance the Science of Dissemination, Implementation, and Health Communication

For Cycle 1 2025, PCORI has identified Special Areas of Emphasis (SAEs) within the BPS funding opportunity. The purpose of calling out these SAEs is to encourage submissions to these areas, not to limit submissions only to these areas.

• Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults
• Health Communication Strategies for Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information

The Advancing the Science of Engagement in Research PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) seeks to fund studies that build an evidence base on engagement in research, specifically the meaningful involvement and partnership stakeholders throughout the research process — from planning and conducting the study to ultimately disseminating study results. Considerable evidence gaps remain in the science of engagement in research. Methods for engaging and facilitating the inclusion of historically underrepresented populations as study partners is a further critical gap. Applications should focus on:

• Development and validation of measures
• Development and/or testing of engagement methods to generate evidence on the most effective approaches for engagement in research, particularly for underrepresented populations, and how effectiveness varies by context.

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information

The Improving Methods for Conducting Patient-Centered Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research (Methods) PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) seeks to fund studies that address high-impact methodological gaps in patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER). Projects should lead to improvements in the strength and quality of evidence generated by CER studies. 

For all three funding cycles of the 2025 Methods PFA, PCORI has identified the following areas as program priorities: 

• Methods To Improve the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Clinical Research
• Methods To Improve Study Design
• Methods To Support Data Research Networks
• Methods Related to Ethical and Human Subjects Protections Issues in CER

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information:

The policies and priorities of Allen Foundation, Inc.:

• To make grants to fund relevant nutritional research.
• To support programs for the education and training of mothers during pregnancy and after the birth of their children, so that good nutritional habits can be formed at an early age.
• To assist in the training of persons to work as educators and demonstrators of good nutritional practices.
• To encourage the dissemination of information regarding healthful nutritional practices and habits.
• In limited situations to make grants to help solve immediate emergency hunger and malnutrition problems.

The connections between diet and health remain a basic and primary priority, and consideration has always been given to projects that benefit nutritional programs in the areas of education, training, and research. Low priority has traditionally been given to proposals that help solve immediate or emergency hunger and malnutrition problems. The foundation does not under any circumstances sponsor professional conferences, seminar tables, discussion panels, or similar events. The foundation welcomes proposals that develop and advance: (1) the inclusion of mandatory courses in nutrition in medical schools; (2) bringing the promise of nutrigenomics or nutritional genomics to realization; and (3) the promotion of environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsive, and sustainable food and agricultural systems.

For more information, please contact Larry Wallach at wallach@msu.edu

Additional Information:

NOTE: This is the first year that the Allen Foundation has a summer grant round.

The policies and priorities of Allen Foundation, Inc.:

• To make grants to fund relevant nutritional research.
• To support programs for the education and training of mothers during pregnancy and after the birth of their children, so that good nutritional habits can be formed at an early age.
• To assist in the training of persons to work as educators and demonstrators of good nutritional practices.
• To encourage the dissemination of information regarding healthful nutritional practices and habits.
• In limited situations to make grants to help solve immediate emergency hunger and malnutrition problems.

The connections between diet and health remain a basic and primary priority, and consideration has always been given to projects that benefit nutritional programs in the areas of education, training, and research. Low priority has traditionally been given to proposals that help solve immediate or emergency hunger and malnutrition problems. The foundation does not under any circumstances sponsor professional conferences, seminar tables, discussion panels, or similar events. The foundation welcomes proposals that develop and advance: (1) the inclusion of mandatory courses in nutrition in medical schools; (2) bringing the promise of nutrigenomics or nutritional genomics to realization; and (3) the promotion of environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsive, and sustainable food and agricultural systems.

For more information, please contact Larry Wallach at wallach@msu.edu. 

Additional Information:

The Whitehall Foundation aims to support scholarly research in the life sciences that is not heavily supported by federal agencies or other foundations with specialized missions. The foundation emphasizes supporting young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest.

The foundation invites LOIs for two grant programs:

Research: Grants of up to $100,000 per year for two to three years will be awarded to established scientists. 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.

Grants-in-Aid: One-year grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded to researchers at the assistant professor level who have trouble competing for research funds because they have not yet become firmly established. Grants-in-Aid can also be made to senior scientists.

The foundation is interested in basic research in neurobiology, defined as invertebrate and vertebrate (excluding clinical) neurobiology, specifically investigations of neural mechanisms involved in sensory, motor, and other complex functions of the whole organism as these relate to behavior. The goal should be to better understand behavioral output or brain mechanisms of behavior.

The principal investigator must hold the position of assistant professor, or the equivalent, to participate in the application process. The applicant need not be in a tenure track position but must be an independent researcher and have PI status at his/her institution, usually construed as having lab space independent of another PI.

For more information, please contact Jess Bitting bitting7@msu.edu

Additional Information:
As a part of The Wallace Foundation’s five-year initiative intended to support arts organizations rooted in communities of color as they explore strategies to advance their well-being and that of their communities, the foundation invites researchers and/or arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color to propose research-practice partnerships intended to address important questions relevant to the work/research agenda of both partners. Studies can be up to three years in duration.

The purpose of this RFP is to support research studies that can address important unanswered questions related to the organizational well-being of arts organizations of color. A second purpose is to support early career scholars of color through their inclusion as part of the research teams. A third purpose is, through supporting research-practice partnerships, to assist partnering organizations to develop relationships that have the potential to become long-term collaborations.

Proposals are expected to include a scholarly discussion of the gap in the knowledge base; details on how the partnership will be structured, highlighting how equity will be defined, enacted, and supported; a detailed research plan; a discussion of how the results of the research will serve the purposes of all 2 partners, and the field writ large; and a budget that is aligned to project scope and potential impact, and reflects a true partnership. While any organization can submit a proposal, we strongly encourage the research partner to take a lead role in addressing the gap in the scholarly literature as well as the research design. The overall plan and proposal should reflect active engagement of all partners in conceptualization, implementation, and ultimate use of research results.

Specific application details can be found on the Foundation’s website or by contacting Melissa Anderson at ande2476@msu.edu

Additional Information:

The early childhood education grantmaking program focuses on increasing access to high-quality early care and education for young children (birth to 5)—especially those from low-income families—by investing in developing and retaining a high-quality, thriving early educator workforce. The spring 2025 funding cycle will support projects focused on:

Innovation: This strategy focuses on developing, piloting, and refining new approaches to improve the knowledge, skills, or practices of aspiring and existing early childhood professionals.

Proven Professional Development: This strategy focuses on expanding or modifying a clearly defined, proven professional development model to enable future expansion or implementation in a new childhood setting.

This cycle has up to $1.5 million in funding available and is exclusively interested in models and approaches designed to do one of the following: build the capacity of early childhood leaders, coaches, or mentor teachers to deliver or support instructional coaching; support early childhood professionals in building the skills necessary to support children’s social-emotional health and effectively address challenging behaviors; and grow the pipeline of high-quality, well-trained early childhood leaders and teachers.

For more information, please contact Jess Bitting bitting7@msu.edu

Additional Information: 

This call will fund research that advances our understanding of the mechanisms in which heat can affect anxiety, depression or psychosis. Mechanisms of interest can be at the biological, psychological and/or social level. Projects must focus on the populations most impacted by heat, mental health problems or the intersection of both. Projects supported by this award must also illustrate the translational implications of the research either now or in the future.  

Research proposals should cover these topics: 

• heat 
• communities most impacted 
• mental health conditions in scope 
• mechanisms of focus 
• causal insights 
• translational opportunities 
• collaboration between mental health scientists and climate scientists  
• lived experience involvement 

 Projects must focus on heat as a stressor of relevance to climate change. This may include: 

• extreme heat events 
• chronic exposure to unusually high temperatures 
• elevated indoor temperatures due to high external ambient temperatures 
• urban heat island effects  

For more information, please contact Allison Jones jonesa70@msu.edu. 

Additional Information:

BWF Seed Grants aim to stimulate the growth of new connections between thinkers working in largely disconnected fields who might together change the course of climate change’s impact on human health. BWF is mainly, but not exclusively, interested in activities that build connections between basic/early biomedical scientific approaches and ecological, environmental, geological, geographic, and planetary-scale thinking, as well as with population-focused fields, including epidemiology and public health, demography, economics, and urban planning. Successful applicants include academic scientists, physicians, and public health experts, community organizations, science outreach centers, non-biomedical academic departments, and more. See Climate Change & Human Health Seed Grant Recipients for examples.

Deadlines for upcoming cycles are:

• January 23, 2025
• April 24, 2025
• July 24, 2025

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information:

This program was developed to provide support for postdoctoral fellows (MD, MD/PhD and PhD) who specifically direct their research towards basic aging mechanisms and/or translational findings that have direct benefits to human aging and healthspan. Projects investigating age-related diseases will be considered, but only if approached from the point of view of how basic aging processes may lead to these outcomes. Projects concerning mechanisms underlying common geriatric functional disorders such as frailty will also be considered. Projects that are strictly clinical in nature such as the diagnosis and treatment of disease, health outcomes, or the social context of aging are not eligible.

Eligibility:

• The applicant must be a postdoctoral fellow (MD and/or PhD degree or equivalent) at the start date of the award (July 1, 2025).
• Applicants who have received more than 5 years of postdoctoral training at the time of the start of the award must provide a justification for the additional training period.
• Fellows may not hold any concurrent funding for the same research project.
• Postdoctoral fellows at all levels of training are eligible.
• Applicants from underrepresented groups in the biomedical sciences are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information:

The goal of this award is to “jump start” the career development of clinician-scientists in the field of retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs). Recipients of these awards must be clinicians who currently care for patients with RDDs. In addition, they should develop independent research programs directed toward providing therapies for RDDs. Research programs can be clinical or laboratory-based and must address one (or more) of the six designated FFB Priority Research Program Areas: Genetic Technologies, Restorative Therapies, Novel Medical Therapies, Genetics, Cell & Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Retina Structure/Function.

Eligibility: Clinician-scientists with an MD, DO, or OD degree who are in their first three years of a junior faculty appointment. Applicants do not have to be US citizens.

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information:

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) supports the development of research projects grounded in osteopathic medicine that have the most promising potential to impact both individual patient outcomes and evidence-based medicine, facilitate collaboration within and outside the osteopathic community, and enhance the visibility of the osteopathic profession. The AOA will fund clinical, interventional, and translational research with a clear clinical relevance to osteopathic distinctiveness. The AOA does not fund professional development activities, medical education programs, or conferences.

Research Grant RFAs are focused on four categories:

• Osteopathic Manipulation Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMM/OMT) – exploring the impact of OMM/OMT on relevant disease states.
• Acute and Chronic Pain Management – applying the osteopathic approach to acute or chronic pain management, emphasizing treatments and outcomes.
• Impact of the Osteopathic Approach on Chronic Disease – applying the osteopathic approach to chronic diseases, elderly care, the cost-effectiveness of osteopathic care in chronic disease, and/or the impact of quality of life through the life cycle.
• Osteopathic Distinctiveness – exploring if the osteopathic approach to patient care will translate into better outcomes related to compassion, empathy, patient-provider communication, or patient satisfaction.

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu.

Additional Information:

The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) is pleased to announce a call for proposals to support outstanding early career investigators focused on patient-oriented canine research. Investigators are encouraged to submit proposals in any of the 23 Research Program Areas. The research may focus on any one or a combination of the following: 1) mechanisms or progression of canine disease; 2) new diagnostics or technologies to advance the care of dogs and improve patient outcomes; 3) therapeutic interventions; 4) clinical trials. See Research Portfolio for examples.

Eligibility (see RFP for full details):

• Principal investigators must have a DVM (or VMD) and/or a PhD and a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in canine health research.
• Applicants should be within 6 years after the date of completion of training at the time of submission. Training includes DVM, PhD, or post-graduate studies including residency programs.

For more information, please contact Heidi Jurgens at jurgensh@msu.edu

Additional Information:

The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood supports development projects and research designed to improve the welfare of young children in the U.S., from infancy through age 7. Welfare is broadly defined to support acculturation, societal integration, and childcare. Grants are only made if a successful project outcome will likely be of significant interest to other professionals within the grantee’s field of endeavor, and would have a direct benefit and potential national application. The Foundation’s goal is to provide seed money to implement those imaginative proposals that exhibit the greatest chance of improving the lives of young children on a national scale.

The foundation invites letters of intent in the following categories:

• Parenting Education: The foundation supports programs that teach parents about developmental psychology, cultural child-rearing differences, pedagogy, health issues, prenatal care and diet, and programs that provide cognitive and emotional support to parents.
• Early Childhood Welfare: Providing a safe and nurturing environment is essential, as is imparting social living skills in a culturally diverse world. The foundation supports projects that aim to perfect child-rearing practices and identify models that can provide creative, caring environments in which all young children thrive.
• Early Childhood Education and Play: The foundation seeks to improve the quality of both early childhood teaching and learning by developing innovative curricula and research-based pedagogical standards and designing imaginative play materials and learning environments.

The operation or expansion of existing programs will not be funded. The Foundation strives to fund ideas that are adventurous, thoughtful and challenge the status quo. They should have a fresh concept (not rehash an older idea) and a defined method of implementation that promotes new approaches and understanding of early childhood and pushes the boundaries of academic, social and cultural studies and practices.

For more information, please contact Jess Bitting bitting7@msu.edu