Current Funding Opportunities

2025 Spring Funding Cycle

The following limited submission funding opportunities are available for application.

There is no limit on the number of applications faculty can submit as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. All applications must be submitted separately.

Please review the due dates and eligibility requirements for each of the awards via the dropdown links below.

Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award

Eligible Faculty: Associate and full professors at HMS, HSDM and HMS affiliated hospitals. -- Applications due: February 24 (11:30 pm)
Focus: Novel basic and clinical neuroscience.

Application deadline: Monday, February 24th (11:30pm).   Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials to be submitted can be found via funding portal link. 

Nominations Available to HMS: 1    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.   

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:   Research projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. This should be a unique project for senior investigators who are encouraged to stretch their imagination into areas that can substantially change an area of research. 

Research projects that will likely lead to successful grant applications with NIH and other public and private funding entities and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals

Eligibility Criteria:   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 HERE for the Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award

 Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award website

Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Grant

Eligible Faculty: Early career HMS and HSDM quad faculty -- Applications due: February 24 (11:30pm)
Focus: Breast cancer.

Application deadline: Monday, February 24th (11:30pm).

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials to be submitted can be found via funding portal link. 

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 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.

HMS Quad faculty at any stage of their careers whose primary focus is breast cancer.  HMS faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through their primary 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

Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Projects Grants

Eligible Faculty:   HMS and HSDM quad faculty at any career stage. -- Applications due: February 24 (11:30pm)
Focus:  Breast cancer.

Application deadline: Monday, February 24th (11:30pm).

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials to be submitted can be found via funding portal link. 

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.  HMS faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through their primary institution.

*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 Breast Cancer Alliance Exceptional Projects Grants website

Pew Biomedical Scholars Program

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS, HSDM, HU-FAS, HU-SEAS, HCSPH. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Application deadline: Monday, March 10 (11:30pm).

Please submit your application through the Harvard University Funding Portal.    Required application materials to be submitted can be found via funding portal link. 

Nominations Available to Harvard University: 1   

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.

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.

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, 2025, nominees must hold full-time appointments at the rank of assistant professor. (Appointments such as research assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, assistant professor research track, visiting professor or instructor are not eligible.)
  3. On June 11, 2025, candidates must have been in such an appointment for less than four years (not appointed before June 11, 2021).  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. Candidates may be nominated by their institution two times in total. 
  5. 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)

Apply HERE for the Pew Biomedical Scholars Program

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Pew Charitable Trust Biomedical Scholars Program webpage.

 

 

 

Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program

Eligible Faculty:  Assistant Professors at HMS, HSDM and HMS Affiliated Hospitals. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus: Bioethics

Application deadline: Monday, March 10th (11:30pm).

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials can be found via funding portal link. 

Nominations Available to HMS:  1  Faculty at the affiliated hospitals may apply only through HMS Foundation Funds program. Harvard University is the nominating institution for these awards. Therefore, the HMS Foundation Funds Committee will select the HMS nominees and forward their applications to the Provost’s Office.  A Committee appointed by the Provost’s Office will review all applications and select the University’s nominees.

Funding and Award period:  50% of a Scholar’s salary plus benefits for three years, up to the NIH salary cap.

The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research. It supports research that goes beyond current work in bioethics to help resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical care, biomedical research, and public policy, and creates a community that enhances future bioethics research by Scholars and Alumni/ae.

Each year, the Foundation selects approximately three Greenwall Faculty Scholars to receive 50 percent salary support for three years to enable them to develop their research program. Applicants must be junior faculty members at a university or non-profit research institute that has tax-exempt status in the United States.  Scholars and Alumni/ae attend twice-yearly meetings, where they present their works in progress, receive feedback and mentoring from the Faculty Scholars Program Committee and other Scholars and Alumni/ae, and have the opportunity to develop collaborations with other researchers. The ongoing involvement of Alumni/ae with the Program provides them ongoing opportunities for professional development and feedback, and engages them in mentoring of younger Scholars.


The award supports 50% of a Scholar’s salary plus benefits for three years, up to the NIH salary cap, with 10% institutional costs for the salary and benefits. In addition, the foundation provides $5000 each year for limited project support and travel (no indirect costs are provided for these items).

Eligibility Criteria:  Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet been considered for tenure or an equivalent promotion; whose research will have an impact on public policy, biomedical research, or clinical practice; and who will make important contributions to the field of bioethics over their careers.

Applicants must hold a faculty appointment that allows at least 50 percent of their effort to perform research (often this is a faculty position with at least a 60 percent appointment in a tenure-track position or its equivalent).

Faculty Scholars will be selected on the basis of their achievements, the strength of their research project, their commitment to the field of bioethics, and support from their home institution, including after the end of this award. While the amount and quality of an applicant's research in bioethics will count favorably towards his/her application, outstanding candidates with less direct experience in bioethics will also be considered when their proposed work aims to advance the bioethics field. 

Within this group, priority will be given to applicants whose research addresses front-line bioethics, innovative ideas and/or emerging topics to move forward the field. Lower priority will be given to applicants who are primarily carrying out policy or advocacy work, educational reform or theoretical work with limited applicability to practice, research, or health care delivery.

The Greenwall Foundation particularly welcomes applicants from backgrounds that are under-represented in bioethics and academia.

Faculty at the affiliated hospitals may apply only through HMS Foundation Funds. Harvard University is the nominating institution for these awards. The HMS Foundation Funds Committee will select the HMS nominees and forward their applications to the Provost’s Office.  A Committee appointed by the Provost’s Office will review all applications and select the University’s nominees.

*Allowable Costs Under this Award:  10% of these funds may be utilized for indirect costs.

Apply here for the Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholars Program

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

 

 

 

Karin Grunebaum Cancer Research Foundation Faculty Fellowship

Eligible Faculty: Junior Faculty at HMS, HSDM and HMS Affiliated Hospitals. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus: Cancer Research

Application deadline: Monday, March 10th (11:30pm)

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials  can be found via funding portal link. 

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

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

 

 

Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Grant

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS, HSDM and HMS Affiliated Hospitals. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Application deadline: Monday, March 10th (11:30pm)

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Nominations Available to HMS:  2  

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

Eligible Faculty:  Faculty within the first to fourth year of your first tenure track appointment as of August 1, 2025 (Appointment start date must fall between August 1, 2021 - August 1, 2025).  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.   

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, 2025 (Appointment start date must fall between August 1, 2021 - August 1, 2025). 
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.

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.   

Apply HERE for the Mallinckrodt Foundation Grant

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

Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS, HSDM and HMS Affiliated Hospitals. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Application deadline: Monday, March 10th (11:30pm)

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials can be found via funding portal link. 

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, 2025.    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.

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

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

 Apply HERE for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program

 

Searle Scholars Program

Eligible Faculty: Assistant Professors at HMS, HSDM and HMS affiliated hospitals. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Application deadline: Monday, March 10th (11:30pm)

Applications must be submitted through the Harvard University Funding Portal.   Required application materials to be submitted can be found via funding portal link. 

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 2026 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2026 ) 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, 2024. 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.

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

Apply HERE for the Searle Scholars Program.

W.T. Grant Scholars Program

Eligible Faculty: HMS and HSDM faculty within seven years of a terminal degree. -- Applications due: March 10 (11:30pm)
Focus Areas:  Improving the lives of young people ages 5-25 in the U.S.

Application deadline: Monday, March 10th (11:30pm)

Click here to view the required application materials and submit your application through the Harvard University Funding Portal

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

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

Apply HERE for the W.T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program

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