Spring Funding Cycle Award Opportunities

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required) 

Eligible Faculty:  Associate and full professors at HMS and HMS affiliated hospitals.

Research Focus:  Novel basic and clinical neuroscience.

Website: Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award 

Nominations Available to HMS: 2    All HMS Faculty must apply through the HMS Foundation Funds Program.  Harvard University is the official nominating institution.  HMS Nominees will move on to the Harvard-wide competition offered through the Office of the Vice Provost for Research where the final university nominee will be selected.   

Funding and Award Period: $75,000 per year for up to two years.* (funds must be used within the award period) 

Program Description:  Brain Research Foundation (BRF) Annual Scientific Innovations Award supports innovative discovery science in both basic and clinical neuroscience. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, cutting-edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established investigators. This funding opportunity is for projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings in a very short time frame. 

Funding Preferences: 

The foundation seeks unique projects from senior investigators who are encouraged to stretch their imagination into areas that can substantially change an area of research and will likely lead to successful grant applications with NIH and other public and private funding entities. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals

Eligibility Criteria:

The nominated candidate must be a full-time associate professor or full professor at HMS or HMS affiliated hospital, working in the area of studies of brain function in health and disease.  Current major NIH or other peer-reviewed funding is preferred but evidence of such funding in the past three years is essential. 

Studies should be related to either normal human brain development or specifically identified disease states. This includes molecular and clinical neuroscience as well as studies of neural, sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning in health and disease. The grant proposal must detail a new research project that is not funded by other sources. This grant is not to be used as bridge funding. 

*Allowable costs under this award:  100% of these funds must be utilized for direct costs.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required) 

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply Here for the Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Projects Grant

Eligible Faculty:   HMS quad faculty at any career stage

Research Focus:  Breast cancer.

Nominations Available to HMS: 2

Funding and Award Period: $100,000 for one year (Administrative costs, which are included in the $100,000 award, must be limited to 8% of grant funds.)

Program Description:  The mission of the Breast Cancer Alliance is to improve survival rates and quality of life for those impacted by breast cancer through better prevention, early detection, treatment and cure. 

Breast Cancer Alliance invites clinical doctors and research scientists at any stage of their careers, including post docs, whose current proposal is focused on breast cancer, to apply for an Exceptional Project Grant. This award recognizes creative, unique and innovative research and is open to applicants at institutions throughout the contiguous United States.

The research project must be directly related to the field of breast cancer. Areas of relevant research may include but are not limited to: diagnosis, etiology, immunology, genetics, therapies, prevention and clinical studies.

Eligibility Criteria: HMS Quad faculty at any stage of their careers whose primary focus is breast cancer. 

*Allowable costs under this award:  8% of the total $100,000 grant may be utilized for indirect costs.

Apply Here for the Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Projects Grant

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Projects Grants website

https://breastcanceralliance.org/how-to-apply

http://breastcanceralliance.org/what-we-fund

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required)

Eligible Faculty:   Early career HMS quad faculty

Research Focus:  Breast cancer.

Nominations Available to HMS: 2

Funding and Award Period: $125,000 over two years (administrative costs, which are included in the award, must be limited to 8% of grant funds).  Funding begins March 1, 2025

Program Description:  The mission of the Breast Cancer Alliance is to improve survival rates and quality of life for those impacted by breast cancer through better prevention, early detection, treatment and cure. 

The research project must be directly related to the field of breast cancer. Areas of relevant research may include but are not limited to: diagnosis, etiology, immunology, genetics, therapies, prevention and clinical studies.

Eligibility Criteria:.Applicants for 2025 grants must (i) have not held a faculty position for no more than four years following the completion of their training, as of March 1, 2024; (ii) have not been a principal investigator on an NIH R01 or equivalent national/international non-mentored award; and (iii) dedicate at least 50% of their work effort to research.

This grant is intended to help advance the careers of the young researchers who do not yet have their own major grant support but who design and conduct their own independent research projects.

Faculty located on the HMS quad should apply through the Foundation Funds. Faculty at the affiliated hospitals should apply through their own institution.

*Allowable costs under this award:  8% of the total $125,000 grant may be utilized for indirect costs.

Apply Here for the Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Grants

Additional information about this opportunity is available on Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Grants

http://breastcanceralliance.org/what-we-fund

https://breastcanceralliance.org/how-to-apply

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required) 

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS and HMS Affiliated Hospitals.

Focus: Inequity in Medical Education and Health Care

Nominations Available to HMS: 1

Funding and Award Period:  $25,000  to support a project performed in the United States to support racial and ethnic minorities. 

Funding for the fellowship begins in November of the year the fellowship is awarded and must be used for direct costs. The recipient will be required to submit a final narrative and financial report by November 2026.

Program Description: This award recognizes an outstanding junior faculty member who demonstrates leadership potential in addressing inequity in medical education and health care; demonstrated efforts in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States; and is committed to a career in academic medicine. The recipient receives a $25,000 grant to support a project performed in the United States to support racial and ethnic minorities. 

Recipients are required to accept the award at Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA
NOTE:  HMS faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation Funds program.  

Eligibility  Criteria :

Harvard Medical School may nominate one current faculty member per year for this award. 

A candidate must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Hold the rank of full-time assistant professor in a LCME-accredited U.S. medical school department.
• Have held the assistant professor position appointment beginning no earlier than July 1, 2020.
• Have received only one appointment as assistant professor.
• Hold a MD, PhD, or have earned another doctoral degree.

Required Application Materials
1.  Nominating letter signed by your department or division head, discussing the nominees:  
          I.  Demonstrated efforts in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.
          II.  Potential for leadership in addressing inequities in medical education in health care.
          III.  Strong promise for a career in academic medicine.
2.  A personal statement discussing your motivations and objectives for a career in academic medicine (not to exceed two double-spaced pages).
3.  A project description which could include project aims, objectives, goals, and potential accomplishments (not to exceed two double-spaced pages).
4.  NIH Biosketch, which clearly indicates exact date of appointment (Limit 10 pages) 

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required) 

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Eligible Faculty: HMS and HMS affiliated hospital faculty with approximately three to eight years of full-time faculty experience at the time of application.  Must have a doctoral degree

Focus:  The Macy Faculty Scholars Program aims to accelerate needed reforms in health professions education to accommodate the dramatic changes occurring in medical practice and health care delivery.  The Foundation is looking for mid-career faculty who are committed to careers in health professional education, have served for more than five years on the faculty of the sponsoring school, are innovators, and have shown promise as future leaders.

Nominations Available to HMS: 1

Program Description: The Macy Faculty Scholars Program aims to identify and nurture promising early career educators in medicine and nursing. The program will help develop the next generation of national leaders in medical and nursing education by identifying outstanding educators, physicians, nurses, and role models—individuals who represent the breadth of diversity seen in learners, patient populations, and health care settings around the country. By providing the Scholars with resources—especially protected time, mentorship, and a professional network of colleagues—the program aims to accelerate Scholars’ careers, to turn their teaching practice into scholarship, and to help them become impactful leaders locally, nationally, and beyond.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA The eligible candidate must: 

• Be a doctorally prepared faculty member in good standing at the sponsoring school.  
• Have served for approximately three to eight years as a benefits-eligible faculty member, ideally at the sponsoring school.  
• Have an identified senior faculty member who will provide advice on the candidate’s project and career development.  
• Have an educational scholarship project with the appropriate institutional support. 
• Have an institutional commitment for the protection of 50% of the candidate’s time. 
• Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories. 

Required Materials:

1. Statement of the applicants’ career objectives and personal goals for this program, plus a description of the educational project to be undertaken (Limit 3 pages). 
2. Nominating letter from your department or division head.  Please include:
3. A description of the applicants’ potential as an educator and future leader.
4. A commitment to advise the applicant on project work and career development.
5. Please explain how the applicants time will be protected and describe the role of the candidate in the department. 
6. NIH Biosketch (Limit 10 pages).

SELECTION CRITERIA 

The following factors will be considered in the selection process:

1.  Evidence that the candidate is viewed by learners as an effective educator. 
2. Whether the candidate is in a position to directly influence learners in the local environment. 
3. Evidence of an ability to turn daily work into scholarship that has been disseminated. 
4. Merit of the proposed project and the likelihood that it will influence national trends in health professions education and—ultimately—improve the health of the public. 
5. Evidence of a strong mentor and of institutional support. 
6. Shows potential to become a national leader in health professions education.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Macy Foundation website

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Funding Amount: $300,000; $75,000 per year for a four-year period.

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at Harvard Medical School,  Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, , Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.  As of September 8, 2024, applicants must have received their appointment on or after June 10, 2020. 

Note: Faculty at BIDMC, BWH, CH, DFCI and MGH should NOT apply for the Harvard University nomination. Faulty at these HMS affiliated hospitals are invited to submit separate nominations for this award through their institution.. Please contact your research administration representative for details.

Nominations Available to Harvard University: 1    

Funding and Award Period: $75,000 per year for up to four years.*

Program Description:  The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health.  Awards are granted in the broad field of biomedical research, including areas such as bioengineering, biophysics, and chemistry.  The program supports the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first four years of their appointment at the assistant professor level.

Candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. This program does not fund clinical trials research. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied biomedical research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply.

Ideas with the potential to produce an unusually high impact are encouraged. Selection of the successful candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards, and publications.   Considerable weight is given to to evidence that the   Competitive candidates are successful independent investigators with a strong publication history.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Candidates must have a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine or a related field.
2. As of September 8, 2024, nominees must hold full-time appointments at the rank of assistant professor and run an independent lab. (Appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor or instructor are not eligible.)
3. On June 10, 2024, candidates must have been in such an appointment for less than four years (not appointed before June 10, 2020).  Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, in work toward board certification, or on parental leave does not count as part of this four-year limit. Candidates who took parental leave should contact the Foundation Funds Program Coordinator (clare_lamont@hms.harvard.edu) to ensure that application reviewers are aware of their circumstances.
4. Funding from the NIH, other government sources, and project grants from non-profit associations do not pose a conflict with the Pew scholars program. 

The amount of the award that may be used for the principal investigator’s salary is limited to $12,500 per year (including benefits) or $50,000 over the duration of the grant. There are no limits on student or postdoctoral salaries.
Not more than 8 percent ($24,000) of the total award value may be allocated for facilities and administration (F&A) charges or indirect costs (IDCs)

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program website

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Eligible Faculty: Junior Faculty at HMS and HMS Affiliated Hospitals   HMS Faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation funds.

Focus: Cancer Research

Nominations Available to HMS:  1   

Funding and Award period:  $40,000 for one year*.   

Program Description:  The intent of the Grunebaum Foundation Faculty Fellowship is to provide support to independent junior faculty at Harvard medical School who exhibit a commitment to an academic career in cancer research. 

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must be within the first five years of their faculty appointment with a focused on basic or translational cancer research. Applicants must be independent research faculty at the time of application Faculty with R01 NIH or comparable funding are not eligible to apply.

Applications for a second year extension may be considered.

*Allowable Costs Under this Award:  Not more than 10% of this award can be used for indirect costs

Applicants must submit the following as a single PDF:

Nominating letter signed by your department or division head.

A letter of interest describing your personal commitment to a career as a physician-scientist.

 A summary of your proposed research project (Limit 3 pages)

CV or NIH Biosketch

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Grunebaum Foundation Website

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Eligible Faculty:  Faculty within the first to fourth year of your first tenure track appointment as of August 1, 2024.  HMS Faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation funds.

Harvard University is the official nominating institution.  HMS Nominees will move on to the Harvard-wide competition offered through the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. 

Research Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Nominations Available to HMS:  2  

Funding and Award period: $60,000 per year for up to 3 years.*

Program Description:  The mission of the Foundation is to support early stage investigators engaged in basic biomedical research that has the potential to significantly advance the understanding, diagnosis or treatment of disease.

The funds are designed to provide faculty members who hold M.D. and/or Ph.D. degrees who are within the first to fourth years of their first tenure track position, with support to move the project forward to the point where R01 or other independent funding can be obtained.  

Eligibility Criteria:

1.  Must hold a PHD or MD/PHD degrees

2.  Applicants must be within the first to fourth year of your first tenure track appointment as of August 1, 2024 

3.  Have support to move their project forward to the point where independent funding can be obtained.

4.  Candidates with current R01 funding should not apply

*Allowable Costs Under this Award:  100% of these funds must be utilized for direct costs.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Mallinckrodt Foundation website

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required)

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS and HMS Affiliated Hospitals   

Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Nominations Available to HMS:  1   

Funding and Award period:  $110,000 per year for up to five years.*

Eligible Faculty:  Assistant Professors.   HMS Faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation funds.

Program Description:  The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program funds basic biomedical research in the fields of cancer, immunology and neuroscience. The program embraces innovative research with above-average risk and ground-breaking possibilities.

Rita Allen Foundation Scholars are distinguished by their bold approaches to basic scientific questions that address problems of global concern, as well as their potential for learning, leadership and collaboration.

Eligibility Criteria:

1.  Candidates should be independent investigators within the first three years of their appointment to Assistant Professor as of May 31, 2024.    Candidates should provide persuasive evidence of distinguished achievement or extraordinary promise in research in one of the relevant fields: cancer, immunology or neuroscience.

2.  While instructors at HMS are often considered junior faculty they may be at a competitive disadvantage in the national selection.  Instructors who wish to apply must demonstrate significant research independence.  Interested instructors should contact the HMS Foundation Funds Program Coordinator at clare_lamont@hms.harvard.edu, prior to applying.

3.  Candidates must have received committed start-up funds from their respective institutions

4.  Candidates must have lab space from their institutions.

Rita Allen Foundation Scholars may not accept an award from the Beckman Young Investigator Program, Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Searle Scholars Program or Vallee Scholars Program that would take effect beginning in year one of the RAF award. Rita Allen Scholars may apply for awards from these organizations that would take effect beginning in year two of the RAF award. Other sources of funding also may influence selection.

Required Application Materials: 

Please submit the following documents as a single PDF:

1. A letter of nomination from a Department Chair or Center Director.  The letter must include confirmation that the nominee has received institutional/start-up funding.
2. A proposal/narrative plan of work of no more than two pages (a third page may be used for related graphics and/or references).  Please include responses to the following: how would Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award enable the candidate to pursue new ideas and take strategic risks (1 paragraph),  how this proposal differs from or relates to the candidate's other supported projects (1 paragraph)
3. NIH Biosketch that includes details of current and pending support from other funding sources.  Please state if you have submitted applications for the Beckman Young Investigator Program, Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Searle Scholars Program or Vallee Scholars Program (Limit 10 pages).

*Allowable Costs Under this Award:  100% of the funds must be utilized for direct costs.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Rita Allen Foundation website

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS and HMS affiliated hospitals.

Focus:  Basic Biomedical Research

Nominations Available to HMS: 2    

Funding and Award Period: $100,000 per year for up to three years.*

Program Description:  The Searle Scholars Program is intended to support the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment.   The goal of this program is to support researchers with the potential to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants for the 2025 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2025 ) are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.
• Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after May 1, 2023. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent).
• The Searle Scholars Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for our Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on this website.
• The Searle Scholars Program does not place any restrictions on funding from other sources of support. The Searle Scholars award is meant to supplement other funding an investigator receives

 *No part of this award may be allocated for indirect costs.

Faculty at HMS affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation Funds Program

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Searle Scholars Program webpage

This information is from the spring 2024 application cycle and will be updated in early 2025 for the next funding cycle

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required)

Eligible Faculty: HMS faculty within seven years of a terminal degree.  Faculty at HMS affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation Funds Program.

Research Focus Areas:  Reducing inequality or improving the use of research evidence to improve the lives of young people ages 5-25 in the U.S.

Nominations Available to HMS: 1

Funding and Award Period: Up to $350,000 over five years

Program Description:  The Foundation’s mission is to support research to improve the lives of young people ages 5-25 in the United States.

The William T. Grant Scholars Program supports career development for promising early-career researchers. The program funds five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’ expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas.

Applicants should have a track record of conducting high-quality research and an interest in pursuing a significant shift in their trajectories as researchers. The foundation recognizes that early-career researchers are rarely given incentives or support to take measured risks in their work, so this award includes a mentoring component, as well as a supportive academic community. Awards are based on applicants’ potential to become influential researchers, as well as their plans to expand their expertise in new and significant ways. 

Researchers interested in applying for a William T. Grant Scholars Award must select one of the foundations two focus areas; reducing inequality or improving the use of research evidence.

Reducing Inequality

In this focus area, the W. T. Grant Foundation supports research to build, test, and increase understanding of approaches to reducing inequality in youth outcomes, especially on the basis of race, ethnicity, economic standing, language minority status, or immigrant origins. The foundation is interested in research on programs, policies, and practices to reduce inequality in academic, social, behavioral, and economic outcomes.

Improving the Use of Research Evidence

The foundation supports research to identify, build, and test strategies to ensure that research evidence is used in ways that benefit youth. The foundation is particularly interested in research on improving the use of research evidence by state and local decision makers, mid-level managers, and intermediaries.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants must have received their terminal degree within seven years of submitting their application. We calculate this by adding seven years to the date the doctoral degree was conferred. In medicine, the seven-year maximum is dated from the completion of the first residency.
• Applicants must be employed in tenure-track positions.. 
• The award may not be used as a post-doctoral fellowship.
• Applicants of any discipline are eligible.

Allowable costs under this award:* Up to 7.5% of total direct costs

Selection Criteria

Applicant

• Applicant demonstrates potential to become an influential researcher. An ability to conduct and communicate creative, sophisticated research is proven through prior training and publications. Competitive applicants have a promising track record of first authored, high-quality empirical publications in peer-reviewed outlets. The quality of publications is more important than the quantity.
• Applicant will significantly expand his or her expertise through this award. The applicant should identify area(s) in which the award will appreciably expand his or her expertise, and specific details should be provided in the research and mentoring plans. Expansion of expertise can involve a different discipline, method, and/or content area than the applicants’ prior research and training.

Research Plan

• Research area is a strong fit with one of the Foundation’s current focus areas. Proposed research on reducing inequality should aim to build, test, and increase understanding of a program, policy, or practice to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people ages 5–25 in the United States. Proposed research on improving the use of research evidence should inform strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit young people ages 5–25 in the United States.
• Proposals reflect a mastery of relevant theory and empirical findings, and clearly state the theoretical and empirical contributions they will make to the existing research base. Projects may focus on either generating or testing theory, depending on the state of knowledge about a topic.
• Although we do not expect that any one project will or should impact policy or practice, the findings should have relevance for policy or practice.
• Research plan reflects high standards of evidence and rigorous methods, commensurate with the proposal’s goals. The latter years or projects of the research plan may, by necessity, be described in less detail than those of the first few, but successful applicants provide enough specificity for reviewers to be assured of the rigor and feasibility of the plan:
  • Research designs, methods, and analysis plans clearly fit the research questions under study.
  • Discussions of case selection, sampling, and measurement include a compelling rationale that they are well-suited to address the research questions or hypotheses. For example, samples are appropriate in size and composition to answer the study’s questions. Qualitative case selection—whether critical, comparative, or otherwise—are appropriate to answer the proposed questions.
  • The quantitative and/or qualitative analysis plan demonstrate awareness of the strengths and limits of the specific analytic techniques and how they will be applied in the current project.
  • If proposing mixed methods, plans for integrating the methods and data are clear and compelling.
  • Where relevant, there is attention to generalizability of findings and to statistical power to detect meaningful effects.
    Research plan demonstrates adequate consideration of the gender, ethnic, and cultural appropriateness of concepts, methods, and measures.
• Research plan is feasible. The work can be successfully completed given the resources and time frame. Some research plans require additional funding, and in those cases, applicants have viable plans for acquiring that support.
• Research plan is cohesive and multiple studies (if proposed) are well-integrated.
• Research plan will significantly extend the applicant’s expertise in new and significant ways. Applicant provides specific details about how the research activities will stretch his or her expertise.

Required Application Materials:

1. Summary of proposed research (limit 2 pages. A third page may be used for references)

Please highlight your potential to become an influential researcher and your ability to conduct and communicate creative, sophisticated research. Competitive applicants will have a promising track record of first authored, high-quality empirical publications in peer-reviewed outlets. The quality of publications is more important than the quantity.

Please address how this award will significantly expand your expertise and identify area(s) in which the award will appreciably expand your expertise, and specific details should be provided in the research and mentoring plans. Expansion of expertise can involve a different discipline, method, and/or content area than your prior research and training.

Identify how your area is a strong fit with one of the Foundation’s current focus areas; reducing inequality and improving the use of research evidence. Proposed research on reducing inequality should aim to build, test, and increase understanding of a program, policy, or practice to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people ages 5–25 in the United States. Proposed research on improving the use of research evidence should inform strategies to improve the use of research evidence in ways that benefit young people ages 5–25 in the United States.

Proposals reflect a mastery of relevant theory and empirical findings, and clearly state the theoretical and empirical contributions they will make to the existing research base. Projects may focus on either generating or testing theory, depending on the state of knowledge about a topic.

2. Nominating letter signed by your department or division head.
3. NIH Biosketch, including past and pending sources of funding.  For current funding include abstract and specific aims and indicate if there is any overlap with your proposal.  (Limit 10 pages).

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (Harvard Key Required)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the  W.T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program website.