Current Foundation Award Opportunities

Application Deadline: February 22nd (11:30 PM)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (HUFP)

Nominations Available:  1   

Funding and Award period:  $300,000 over a four year grant period.*

Eligible Faculty:  Assistant Professors at Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 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.

• Applicants must have received their appointment on or after June 12, 2023.
• Candidates must have a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine or a related field, including engineering and physical sciences.
• As of September 8, 2026, 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.)
• On June 13, 2026, candidates must have been in such an appointment for less than three years (not appointed before June 12, 2023), whether or not such an appointment was on a tenure track. 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.
• Funding from the NIH, other government sources, and project grants from non-profit associations do not pose a conflict with the Pew scholars program. 

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.

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 three 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 evidence that the candidates are successful independent investigators with a strong publication history.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

*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)

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Pew Biomedical Scholars Website.

Application Deadline: February 22nd (11:30 PM)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Focus: Biomedical Science and Engineering

Nominations Available to HMS:  1    

Funding and Award period:  $110,000 per year for up to five years (100% of the funds must be utilized for direct costs).

Eligible Faculty:  Assistant Professors within the first three years of their faculty careers.   HMS Faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through the Foundation funds.

• Candidates should be independent investigators within the early stages of their career with committed start-up funds and lab space from their respective institutions
• Candidates should provide persuasive evidence of distinguished achievement or extraordinary promise in research in one of the relevant fields: cancer, immunology or neuroscience.
• 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.

Program Description:  The Foundation supports pioneering biomedical research with the potential to transform challenging health problems through the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program.   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.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Application Deadline: February 22nd (11:30 PM)

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

Focus:  Basic Biomedical Research

Nominations Available to HMS: 2    

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal                                                  

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

Program Description:  The Searle Scholars Program is a limited submission award program that makes grants to support the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment

The Searle Scholars Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. 

Applicants for the 2027 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2027) 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, 2025. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent). 

Eligibility Criteria:  Applicants for the 2027 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2027 ) 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, 2025. 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.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal    

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

Application Deadline: February 22nd (11:30pm)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

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

Research Focus:  Novel basic and clinical neuroscience.

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:  The 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.

Funding is to be directed at 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. 

The Brain Research Foundation is looking for projects that will likely yield:

• Successful grant applications with NIH and other public and private funding entities.
• Cutting-edge findings and publication in high impact journals.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The nominated candidate must be a full-time associate professor or full professor at Harvard Medical School, including faculty at the affiliated hospitals, working in the area 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

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

Application Deadline: February 22nd (11:30pm)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal 

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.  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 through the Harvard University Funding Portal 

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

Application deadline: February 22nd (11:30pm)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Eligible Faculty:   Early career HMS Quad faculty. HMS faculty at the affiliated hospitals must apply through their primary institution.

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). 

Program Description:  Breast Cancer Alliance invites clinical doctors and research scientists who are in the early stages of their careers, including post docs, whose research is focused on breast cancer, to apply for funding for the Young Investigator Grant. 

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. 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.

Eligible applicants:

• Must not have held a tenure track faculty or tenure track research position for more than four years following completion of their training, as of March 1, 2026
• Must not have been or are not a principal investigator on an NIH R01 or equivalent national/international non-mentored award as of March 1, 2026
• Must dedicate at least 50% of their work effort to research.

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

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

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