Foundation Funding

Additional Information:
The Gates Foundation and LifeArc are soliciting proposals to develop proof-of-concept for manufacturing platforms that produce monoclonal antibodies at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram (Option A). The goal is to catalyze and accelerate multiple, diverse, innovative bioprocessing approaches that hold the promise of low cost-of-goods mAbs.

Additionally, the Gates Foundation is interested in hearing from organizations that have already completed proof-of-concept work that could result in cost-of-goods of $10 per gram and may be interested in additional support (Option B).

Applicants can apply with solutions meeting the criteria for either Option A or Option B but should not submit entries to both options.

Option A: Proof-of-Concept
The primary outputs of this challenge will be (1) development of a conceptual facility design, and (2) generation of bench or lab-scale process data with sufficient analytical data to demonstrate the ability to produce an antibody at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram that could meet requirements for human applications and would support a rigorous cost-of-goods assessment by a third-party organization (chosen by the Foundation). A full physical demonstration that the manufacturing platform meets specific manufacturing cost targets is not required at this stage. If the success criteria from this process are met and if additional funding is available, Option A applicants may be eligible for further support in a follow-on phase of work.

Option B: Operationalization and Economic Viability
Independent of the Proof-of-Concept (Option A), the Gates Foundation recognizes that some organizations may already have proof-of-concept data that could support a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram and would like to partner for further development funding. If you have existing data meeting Technical Readiness Level 3-5 (POC Defined, Lab Scale Demonstrated, or Pilot Scale Demonstrated) please share a solution with additional information listed below, as well as any non-confidential data demonstrating Technical Readiness Level 3-5 for production of a monoclonal antibody at a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram. The proposal review committee will evaluate this information and reach out to you if there is interest in exploring further.

Objectives of the challenge (both Option A and Option B)

• Advance innovative and bold ideas that enhance production efficiency and improve overall process economics for mAb production, resulting in a final drug substance cost-of-goods of $10 per gram. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Alternative hosts to mammalian cell culture
  • Alternative to standard downstream purification methods
  • Reduction in material costs
• Push the boundaries of current technology by harnessing disruptive innovations, possibly from parallel industries, and identify process improvements to reduce manufacturing costs
• Rethink existing methods of working such as release testing process and costs, high-quality and affordable raw materials and critical reagents

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

Learn More about The Gates Foundation – Innovations for Exceptionally Low-Cost Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Manufacturing

 

Additional Information:

The Foundation’s Community Impact program supports programs and activities that provide access for marginalized populations; bring people separated by barriers together and help build a sense of community.  The first step in the competitive grant application process is a pre-application conversation with a program officer. This interchange of information serves as an opportunity for you to inform the Community Foundation about your organization’s needs, outline your project, and ask clarifying questions: https://www.cfgf.org/grantmaking/grant-application.  I would strongly suggest that, if you have an idea you would like to discuss with the Foundation’s program officer, you connect with me first to review it at: wallach@msu.edu so that we can review it with you first.

Organizations applying for competitive grants must give evidence of non-discrimination in hiring and providing services.

• Grant requests must have direct relevance to the residents of Genesee County. If a request includes activity outside of Genesee County, the majority of activity must be within Genesee County.
• Grants for sectarian religious purposes or any religious activities are not eligible.
• Grants will not be made for loans, debt reduction, or annual appeals.

Following your conversation with a program officer, you will submit a grant application through our online portal. We have streamlined the grant application process to reduce paperwork and increase transparency. Through the online portal, nonprofits can complete the grant application, submit supporting materials, check the status of applications, communicate directly with the Community Foundation, and submit required grant reports.

The Foundation generally makes one-time grant commitments. Longer-term commitments may be considered for initiatives that show exceptional promise for community impact. We are especially interested in programs that involve partnerships, coordinate services, and generate collaborative efforts.

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

Learn More about Community Foundation for Greater Flint: Community Impact Grants

Additional Information:

The Foundation’s Health & Human Services grantmaking supports programs and activities that address current or emerging problems in community health, including constructive health programs , innovative health-oriented projects, training of professionals and medical education in Flint & Genesee County. The first step in the competitive grant application process is a pre-application conversation with a program officer. This interchange of information serves as an opportunity for you to inform the Community Foundation about your organization’s needs, outline your project, and ask clarifying questions: https://www.cfgf.org/grantmaking/grant-application.  (I would strongly suggest that, if you have an idea you would like to discuss with the Foundation’s program officer, you connect with me first to review it at: wallach@msu.edu so that we can review it with you first.) Please carefully review the Foundation’s website.

Organizations applying for competitive grants must give evidence of non-discrimination in hiring and providing services.

• Grant requests must have direct relevance to the residents of Genesee County. If a request includes activity outside of Genesee County, the majority of activity must be within Genesee County.
• Grants for sectarian religious purposes or any religious activities are not eligible.
• Grants will not be made for loans, debt reduction, or annual appeals.

Following your conversation with a program officer, you can submit a grant application through our online portal. We have streamlined the grant application process to reduce paperwork and increase transparency. Through the online portal, nonprofits can complete the grant application, submit supporting materials, check the status of applications, communicate directly with the Community Foundation, and submit required grant reports.

The Foundation generally makes one-time grant commitments. Longer-term commitments may be considered for initiatives that show exceptional promise for community impact. The Foundation is especially interested in programs that involve partnerships, coordinate services, and generate collaborative efforts.

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

Learn More about Community Foundation of Greater Flint: Health & Human Services Grants

Additional Information:
The Klingenstein Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience supports early-career investigators engaged in basic or clinical research that may lead to a better understanding of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Several areas within neuroscience are of particular interest:

• Cellular and molecular neuroscience. Studies of the mechanisms of neuronal excitability and development, and of the genetic basis of behavior.
• Neural systems. Studies of the integrative function of the nervous system.
• Translational research. Studies to improve our understanding of the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

 Eligibility:

• Investigators must hold a Ph.D. and/or an M.D., and have completed all research training, including post-doctoral training.
• Candidates must have a tenure track appointment and a letter indicating the date of appointment and the commitment of institutional resources to establish the investigator and the prospects for long-term support by the institution must be provided by an institutional official (e.g., an offer letter form the dean or department chair).
• Candidates must be independent investigators with a maximum of four years between the completion of the last postdoc and the application deadline.
• U.S. citizenship is not required.

 If candidates continue to meet eligibility requirements they may reapply.

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

Learn More about Klingenstein Philanthropies – 2025 Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience

Additional Information:

AI in Medical Education: A Grants Program to Advance Innovation in Medical Education will provide support for demonstration projects aimed at describing, implementing, and evaluating innovative strategies to integrate AI into medical education and prepare current and future physicians on the ethical utilization of AI to improve patient care. The Foundation aims to support demonstration projects on the utilization of AI to improve the process of education for learners across the continuum, as well as the development of innovative curricula helping learners utilize AI effectively and responsibly in their clinical practice.

Priority will be given to projects which meet the following criteria (see RFP for full details):

• Demonstrated link to improved educational outcomes.
• Demonstrated link to improved clinical practice and patient outcomes.
• Relationship to one or more of the three Macy priority areas: Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Belonging; Increasing Collaboration Among Future Health Professionals; Preparing Future Health Professionals to Navigate Ethical Dilemmas.
• Multi-institutional.
• Co-created with the participation of learners.

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

Learn More about Josiah Macy Foundation – Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medical Education

Additional Information:

The ADDF Drug Development RFP supports investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies and early-phase clinical trials that test promising pharmacological interventions and devices for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) 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. Non-pharmacologic interventions, such as diet, meditation, and exercise, will not be considered.

Eligibility: Funding is open to researchers and clinicians at academic medical centers, universities, nonprofits – industry partnerships are encouraged. Biotechnology companies – both existing and new startups.

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

Learn More about Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) – Drug Development

Additional Information:

The aim of the ADDF Neuroimaging & CSF Biomarker RFP is to further develop and validate established biomarkers for which there is a clear clinical need in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This RFP prioritizes biomarkers with a defined context of use, a clear advantage over other relevant biomarkers, and a path to commercialization and/or clinical trials. Novel biomarkers of neuroinflammation, synaptic integrity, autophagy and TDP-43 are high priority. The ADDF has limited interest in CSF measures of amyloid and tau.

Specifically, this RFP focuses on:

• Developing novel PET ligands for clinical trials
• Supporting novel CSF biomarkers
• Validating innovative MRI approaches in larger cohorts
• Developing novel measures of functional activity such as EEG

Eligibility: Funding is open to researchers and clinicians at academic medical centers, universities, nonprofits – industry partnerships are encouraged. Biotechnology companies – both existing and new startups.

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

Learn More about Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) – Neuroimaging and CSF Biomarker Program

Additional Information:

The ADDF seeks to support precision prevention studies, combination therapy studies, and comparative effectiveness research that probe whether the use or choice of interventions may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The RFP support both Primary and Secondary Prevention studies. Methods may include randomized controlled trials or epidemiologic studies. Long-term follow-up studies of successfully completed prevention clinical trials will also be considered. Studies that are not in humans will not be considered.

Novel, repurposed, and repositioned drugs, as well as natural products, supplements, and devices will be considered. Studies combining medications and/or supplements with lifestyle interventions will also be considered.

Lifestyle interventions (e.g., non-pharmacologic interventions, such as diet, meditation, and exercise) that are not combined with a study drug will not be considered. Anti-amyloid approaches and cholinesterase inhibitor proposals will not be considered.

Eligibility: Funding is open to researchers and clinicians at academic medical centers, universities, nonprofits – industry partnerships are encouraged. Biotechnology companies – both existing and new startups.

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

Learn More about Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) – Prevention Studies

Additional Information:
This award seeks to promote the use of regenerative practices by understanding the impact hub farms-cooperative locations to share resources and best practices-can have on adopting these practices.

The intent is to support socio-economic research on both large and small dairy farms that aims to promote replication of hub farm best management practices across the farm environments. The research should also provide guidance for encouraging middle adopters of regenerative agriculture practices to increase and maintain cover crop acres and facilitate the acquisition of appropriate equipment and infrastructure to scale these practices. Such activities aim to simulate more resource sharing opportunities for new and middle adopters of regenerative agriculture practices. These new and middle adopters will include underserved producers that may identify as Mennonite and Amish.

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research welcomes applications from all domestic and international higher education institutions, non-profit and for-profit organizations, and U.S. government-affiliated research agencies. The following principles guide FFAR’s international engagement under this RFA:

• The proposal must identify a clear benefit to the U.S. food and agriculture system and a clear pathway to deploy the technology or solution in the U.S.
• FFAR will prioritize research that delivers broader benefits across geographies and production systems while ensuring mutual benefit for the U.S. and other nations.

FFAR will not support research that addresses a challenge primarily limited to another country or region outside the U.S. or where the technology or solution is not broadly relevant to the U.S.

Proposed projects that also demonstrate the following characteristics will receive preference:

1. Experience working with both small and large dairy producers.
2. Experience working in the East and Midwest regions of the United States.
3. Experience collaborating with communities that identify as Mennonite or Amish.

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

Learn More about Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research – Understanding Impacts of Hub Farm Resources in Expanding Adoption of Regenerative Agriculture Practices

Additional Information:

BWF’s Innovation in Regulatory Science Awards provides up to $500,000 over five years to academic investigators developing new methodologies or innovative approaches in regulatory science that will ultimately inform the regulatory decisions the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and others make. This would necessarily draw upon the talents of individuals trained in mathematics, computer science, applied physics, medicine, engineering, toxicology, epidemiology, biostatistics, and systems pharmacology, etc. BWF especially encourage applications from those seeking to advance regulatory science approaches that will expedite the realization of equitable clinical outcomes. BWF strongly encourages applications from persons who have been historically underrepresented in the research enterprise.

Eligibility:

• Candidates must hold an M.D., Ph.D., D.V.M., D.D.S., D.O., D.Phil., Pharm.D., or M.D.-Ph.D. degree.
• Candidates must be an investigator at the adjunct, assistant, associate, or full professor level.
• Candidate must be based at a non-profit institution in the United States or Canada, including degree-granting academic institutions, research institutes, and teaching hospitals affiliated with academic degree-granting institutions.
• Candidates who currently hold a BWF award are not eligible.
• See RFP and FAQs for full application and eligibility details.

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

Learn More about Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF): Innovation in Regulatory Science Grant

Additional Information:

The Spencer Foundation invests in research to improve education, broadly conceived. We have identified a critical need for innovative, methodologically and disciplinarily diverse, large-scale research projects to transform education systems for equity. Importantly, we believe that ambitious research must begin with the challenges, problems, and opportunities in education systems. To stimulate research that addresses this need, the Spencer Foundation is investing in a new program designed to provide scholars with the time, space, resources, and support to plan a large-scale study or program of research: geared toward real-world impact on equity; based on research across disciplines and methods; reliant on meaningful collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, and communities; and focused on transforming educational systems. 

Toward this end, the Vision Grants program funds the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity. Vision Grants are research planning grants to bring together a team, for 6 to 12 months, to collaboratively develop ambitious, large-scale research projects focused on transforming educational systems toward greater equity. This program takes as core that visionary, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research projects require time, space, and thoughtfulness to incubate and plan. Vision Grants are $75K total and two cycles of this grant program will be held annually. Different from many of our other programs, the proposal does not yet need to be a fully fleshed out research plan. Proposals are identifying a research topic, scope for impact, process and a team that will lead to a fully fleshed out research plan by the end of the grant period.

While the Vision Grant program stands on its own to spark research ideas and collaborations, being awarded a Vision Grant is also a prerequisite for applying to our Transformative Research Grant program (TRG, $3.5M), which are designed for large-scale research projects that transform education systems for equity.

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

 

Learn More about Spencer Foundation - Vision Grants Program

Additional Information:

The AHA Transformational Project Award supports highly innovative, high-impact projects that build on work in progress that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate the field of cardiovascular and/or cerebrovascular research. Research deemed innovative may be built around an emerging paradigm, approaching an existing problem from a new perspective, or exhibit other uniquely creative qualities.

This program aims to provide funding that should lead to successful competition for additional funding beyond the award period. Successful applications are likely to be those building on strong preliminary data supportive of the hypothesis.

Eligibility:

• The candidate must hold a post-baccalaureate Ph.D. degree or equivalent, or a doctoral-level clinical degree, such as MD, DO, DVM, PharmD, or PhD in nursing, public health, or other clinical health science.
• This program places no limit on eligibility based on career stage, academic rank, or discipline. It requires only evidence of a faculty/staff position, above the rank of trainee/postdoctoral fellow, at a qualified institution.
• The project submitted may have no scientific or budgetary overlap with other funded work.
• See RFP for full eligibility and/or restrictions.

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

Learn More about American Heart Association (AHA): Transformational Project Award

Additional Information:

Through X-Prize Healthspan, $101 million will be available in a 7-year global competition to revolutionize human aging. Traditional medicine focuses on treating symptoms of injury, illness, or disease once they develop. This reactive system extends life, but doesn’t proactively improve health, leaving millions grappling with poor quality of life and related economic challenges in their later years.  *Competition guidelines: https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/5cb25086-82d2-4c89-94f0-8450813a0fd3/e98c4a7b-a2a5-4929-a2fd-5649bb947a08/XPRIZE%20Healthspan%20Preliminary%20Competition%20Guidelines_V1.0.pdf. 

*These are draft guidelines. Final guidelines will be published in 2024, after a six month comment period.

Challenge:

A major differentiating factor for Healthspan is its focus on health and quality of life, not longevity. This includes the development of easily provable biomarkers of aging, accepted by scientists and policymakers alike. We are also working to ensure that the treatment developed is widely accessible to a general population. People are already living longer - the issue we’re addressing is the fact that health degrades significantly in our later years. Many longevity treatments we hear about today are prohibitively expensive for most people or require extensive tests and procedures. If these trials are successful, we will prove that it is possible to improve health as we age. This prize will help us begin to create guidelines and new solutions for healthy aging.  Success would profoundly change our approach to aging and positively affect quality-of-life and healthcare costs. Working across all sectors, we can democratize health and create a future where aging is full of potential.

Ideal Outcome:

The specific goal will be to develop an accessible therapeutic that reduces the risk of chronic age-related diseases, increases human healthspan, and extends quality of life in our later years. The winning team of the $101M XPRIZE Healthspan must demonstrate that their therapeutic treatment restores muscle, cognitive, and immune function by a minimum of 10 years, with a goal of 20 years, in persons aged 65-80 years. The therapeutic treatment must take 1 year or less.

Teams:

Health span in intended to be a “radically collaborative” effort. Prize contestants will be teams, to be formed by those interested in participating in the competition.  Teams will register on the site at:  https://www.xprize.org/prizes/healthspan.  It is anticipated that competitors from biotechnology companies, academic investigators, research networks and institutes, from within and beyond the field of aging and geroscience will compete. Teams can originate from any nation or combination of nationalities. Teams can take the form of a for-profit corporation, a non-profit or academic institution. No government entities are allowed to register. A winning idea can come from anywhere and anyone.  Potentially 100’s of teams are expected to compete.

Prize Categories:

First Milestone:

• After 2 years, up to 40 of the registered teams (as selected by the Judging Panel) will each receive a $250,000 award (total of $10M) to support their ongoing work. The remaining teams are invited to continue in the competition. This award is determined by the judges based upon evidence and materials submitted by teams
• After 3 to 4 years, up to 10 of the registered teams (as selected by the Judging Panel) will each receive a $1M award (total of $10M). The remaining teams are invited to continue in the competition.

Second Milestone:

• After 3 to 4 years, up to 10 of the registered teams (as selected by the Judging Panel) will each receive a $1M award (total of $10M). The remaining teams are invited to continue in the competition.

Grand Prize Awards:

• Any team who conclusively demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Judging Panel, a functional improvement of at least 10 years in all three systems (muscle, cognition, and immune), compared with controls, through a therapeutic treatment lasting 1 year (or less) is eligible to win $61 Million of the purse. This purse is paid out only if no team achieves the award at the 15 year or 20-year functional restoration level.
• Any team who conclusively demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Judging Panel, a functional improvement of at least 15 years in all three systems (muscle, cognition, and immune), compared with controls, through a therapeutic treatment lasting 1 year (or less) is eligible to win $71 Million of the purse. This purse is paid out only if no team achieves the award at the 20-year functional restoration level.
• Any team who conclusively demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Judging Panel, a functional improvement of at least 20 years in all three systems (muscle, cognition, and immune), compared with controls, through a therapeutic treatment lasting 1 year (or less) is eligible to win $81 Million of the purse.
• A bonus purse totaling $10,000,000 will be awarded to the First Place Team on the Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) Bonus Prize. The best team who conclusively demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the FSHD Judging Panel, an improvement of at least 10 years in muscle function, compared with controls, through a therapeutic treatment lasting 1 year (or less) is eligible to win the $10 Million bonus prize purse.

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

Learn More about X-Prize-Healthspan

Additional Information:
The Danone Institute of North America (DINA) Sustainable Food Systems Initiative supports community-based initiatives focused on food as medicine, health and agriculture. A new funding relationship with FFAR is expanding this open opportunity by providing funding for three additional grants this year, for a total of eight potential grants.

Grants will be awarded to five transdisciplinary teams that demonstrate a commitment to actionable and achievable projects contributing to the nutritional health of adult populations. An additional three new grants, funded by FFAR, will go to three teams whose projects focus on agriculture communities.

Over the two-year grant period, grantees will design, implement and evaluate actionable community-based projects for sustainable food systems that improve human health and nutrition. Each of the eight grantee teams will receive $50,000 to support and expand their project. All grantees will also have the opportunity to participate in a communications training workshop to learn how to effectively amplify the work they’re doing across North America. An additional $10,000 will be granted in the fall of 2025 to the team with the strongest communications plan.

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

Learn More about Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research – Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Link to Opportunity: https://www.afar.org/grants/gfmrdiscovery

Additional Information:

This Award was created to support research projects with strong potential to develop pioneering discoveries for understanding the underlying biological mechanisms that govern normal human aging and its related physiological decline. Projects that characterize aging as a disease, or that focus on specific diseases are discouraged unless the research plan provides direct connections to the biology of aging and/or the prospect of a translational discovery relevant to improving human healthspan.

Relevant proposals from any branch of biology are eligible. Investigators who may not have previously worked in the area of aging, but whose research interests and expertise are relevant and could lead to discoveries in understanding the biology of normal aging are encouraged to apply.

Eligibility:

• Must be a full-time faculty member at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher at the time of the LOI deadline.
• To be competitive at the Assistant Professor level, a candidate would be expected to have established R01 or equivalent funding.
• Must have a strong record of independent publication beyond the postdoctoral level.

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

Learn More about AFAR/Glenn Foundation for Medical Research – Discovery Award – Biology of Aging

Additional Information:
The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) is issuing a call for research proposals to investigate the health outcomes of pet ownership and/or animal-assisted interventions (AAI), both for the people and the animals involved. Proposals should have a strong theoretical framework and focus on innovative approaches to studying the positive effects of companion animals on human health.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

·       Pet Ownership & Community Health: Research emphasizes pet ownership's vital role in enhancing health and well-being for people, pets, and communities.

·       Broad Human-Animal Bond Studies: Covers health impacts on child development, aging, mental, and physical health across large populations.

·       Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI): Examines human health outcomes of AAI in professional, volunteer, and educational settings, aiming to improve practices.

·       Translational Studies: Focus on creating actionable advice for policymakers, veterinarians, and pet owners to support the human-animal bond.

·       Clinical Implications: Studies offer guidance for health practitioners supporting pet owners and animal-assisted interventions.

·       Public Health Impact: Explores how pet ownership helps with issues like anxiety, loneliness, trauma, obesity, and cardiovascular health.

·       Diverse Populations: Highlights pet support for well-being in diverse or underrepresented populations.

·       Veterinary Medicine: Examines how the human-animal bond affects care quality, access, and veterinary team well-being.

·       Variety of Pet Species: Research spans multiple species, including dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, horses, and fish.

·       International Perspectives: Investigates health outcomes of pet ownership and AAI across cultures and under-represented communities globally.

For more information, please contact Melissa Anderson at ande2476@msu.edu 

Learn More about Human Animal Bond Research institute – Addressing Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interaction

Additional Information:
The Brady Education Foundation is accepting Research (RP) proposals and Existing Program Evaluation (EPE) proposals that have the potential to provide data that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and family income.

Research Project (RP) proposals:

The primary and any secondary aims must concern obtaining information that will inform how to address disparities in educational opportunities associated with race, ethnicity, and/or family income.

Existing Program Evaluation (EPE) proposals:

The primary aim must concern evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to promote positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years) with the goal of informing ways to close the educational opportunity gaps associated with race, ethnicity, and income.

Secondary aims may also focus on one or more of the following:

• What works for whom, under what conditions: Investigate variations in program effects; that is, test for moderation effects that inform whether effects are stronger for certain groups and/or under certain conditions than other groups or conditions.
• Reasons for effects: Investigate mechanisms through which effects occur; that is, test for mediation effects that inform why the program is effective.
• Cost-benefit analyses: Compare the total costs of the program (start-up and ongoing operational costs) with its estimated monetary benefits to determine the net cost or benefit associated with the program.

The Foundation prioritizes projects that foster strong collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and community stakeholders, and include team members with relevant project leadership experience. They welcome teams with a mix of early-career and experienced scholars. Projects should focus on ecocultural strengths, examining sociocultural practices that support skill development in racially minoritized and linguistically diverse children. For evaluating existing programs, the Foundation favors those grounded in strength-based approaches that address the unique assets and needs of racially and ethnically diverse or low-income children. Funding is strictly for evaluation purposes when operational costs are already secured, with a preference for rigorous designs such as randomized control trials or well-controlled comparison groups. Additionally, the evaluated programs should be practical, sustainable, and capable of yielding measurable outcomes for children.

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

Learn More about Brady Education Foundation – Research Projects and Existing Program Evaluations

Additional Information:

XPRIZE Water Scarcity is a $119 million, 5-year global competition designed to drive widespread access to clean water by creating reliable, sustainable, and affordable seawater desalination systems. It is made possible through the support of the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative, a non-profit organization committed to driving coordinated action to address the growing threat of global water scarcity, founded by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

Traditional desalination methods are unaffordable to low- to medium-income countries, face increasing threats to operations from pollution and climate change, and drive negative environmental impacts, making them an unsustainable solution to mitigating water scarcity. XPRIZE Water Scarcity will generate novel seawater desalination technologies that will be reliable, affordable, and sustainable, increasing access to clean water. If this prize is successful, it will significantly help reduce the risk of water scarcity and help alleviate water stress worldwide, while protecting the environment. New, reliable, cost effective, and sustainable desalination solutions will allow widespread access to clean water. Utilizing seawater desalination technology, allowing us to access more than 96% of Earth's water resources year-round will help drive a world where clean water is equitably and sustainably abundant, enabling people and the environment to prosper.

XPRIZE Water Scarcity is set to revolutionize desalination - reimagining systems, methods, and materials to drive its scalable and sustainable use. We encourage global innovators from various fields to identify solutions to effectively disrupt this industry. XPRIZE competitions are driven by teams of innovative groups and individuals, comprising subject matter experts, enthusiasts, start-ups, student teams, amateurs, and all problem-solvers in between. A winning idea can come from anyone, anywhere. The winning teams will create new desalination solutions to enable future-proof water supply for communities and ecosystems. These solutions must be scalable, cost-effective, reliable, and resilient in a changing climate. They should demonstrate enhanced environmental sustainability across energy and materials and minimize harm to marine life. ??

NOTE: It is essential to form a team of national/international partners for this competition.

Competition Guidelines

https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/5cb25086-82d2-4c89-94f0-8450813a0fd3/de83ea1c-62ff-4de1-901c-f2bfbefb91ff/XPRIZE%20Water%20Scarcity%20Guidelines_Version%201_1March2024.pdf

NOTE: The guidelines are currently in draft form and open to public feedback until June 1, 2024 after which they will be finalized.

How To Win

In addressing global water scarcity, we focus on two strategic pathways:

?    Track A - The New Desalination System – (Award: $70 million, plus $20 million Moonshot Award.) The winning team will reliably and most sustainably generate one million liters of potable water per day (1,000 m3/ day) from seawater at the lowest cost, below a target benchmark to ensure global accessibility, over the course of 1 year.

?    Track B - Novel Membrane Materials – (Award: $9.5 million.)  The winning team will most sustainably and cost-effectively treat seawater to potable water quality using reverse osmosis membranes, demonstrating an operational lifetime of 10 years or more.

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

Learn More about X-Prize: Water Scarcity Competition

Additional Information:

The American Psychological Foundation offers various funding opportunities for psychologists using psychology to address major issues and improve lives. Here are 7 funding opportunities available in 2025:

• Up to $60,000 to fund innovative interventions, based on psychological knowledge, that directly address pressing needs of communities due 1/31/25 (Direct Action Visionary Grants direct link)
• $45,000 to support activities related to the advancement and application of knowledge about gifted children due 3/6/25 (Esther Katz Rosen Fund Grants direct link)
• Up to $20,000 to seed innovation through supporting research, education and intervention projects and programs that use psychology to solve social problems in a number of priority areas due 4/3/25 (Visionary Grants direct link)
• $22,500 to support research on the general topic of psychotherapy due 4/17/25 (Walter Katkovsky Research Grants direct link)
• Up to $22,000 to support early career psychologists conducting research in the area of early intervention and treatment for serious emotional disturbance in children due 4/24/25 (Grant for Psychologists Investigating Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) direct link)
• Up to $21,000 to support research of contemporary LGBTQIA+ issues in an effort to dispel stereotypes and other negative information that leads to prejudice and discrimination due 6/12/25 (Springfield Research Fund Grants direct link)
• $20,000 to further the research, practice, or education of an early career psychologist on the connection between mental and physical health, particularly for work that contributes to public health due 7/10/25 (Marian R. Stuart Grant direct link)

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

Learn More about American Psychological Foundation – Various Funding Opportunities

Grant Details:

The Thrasher Research Fund provides grants for clinical, hypothesis-driven research that offers substantial promise for meaningful advances in preventing, diagnosing, and treating children’s diseases, particularly research with the potential for broad-based applications.

The fund invites concept papers for its early-career awards program. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded in support of medical research in children’s health conducted by new researchers under the guidance of a mentor. In this funding cycle, the fund anticipates awarding grants to 16 researchers with the potential to become independent principal investigators. The fund is open to various research topics, as it does not focus on a particular disease but on children’s health broadly defined. However, the fund is particularly interested in applicants with great potential to impact children’s health through medical research.

Applicants must be a physician in a residency/fellowship training program, or have completed that program no more than one year before the concept paper deadline; or a postdoctoral researcher who has received a doctoral-level degree no more than three years before the date of submission of the concept paper.

Concept papers are due September 5, 2024, at 12 noon MT, and selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, due October 29, 2024, at 12 noon MT.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see website.

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

Learn More about Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Awards