Current Foundation Award Opportunities

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Eligible Faculty: Assistant and Associate Professors at HMS and HMS Affiliated Hospitals (must have been appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor between January 15, 2018 and January 15, 2021).

Research Focus: Basic Biomedical Research

Nominations Available to HMS:  2  

Funding and Award period: Each total grant is limited to $125,000/year for a four-year grant period.  100% of these funds must be utilized for direct costs.

Eligible Faculty:  Assistant and Associate Professors within 5 – 8 years of their appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor.   

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, and are in their fifth to eighth year of a tenure-track position, with start-up support to move the project forward to the point where other independent funding can be obtained.  Candidates may have an R01.

Eligibility Criteria:

1.  Must hold MD and/or PhD degree(s) 

2.  Be within 5 – 8 years of their appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor as of January 15, 2024.  (Applicants must have been appointed to Assistant Professor rank between January 15, 2018 and January 15, 2021). 

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

4.  Candidates may have an R01, however the proposed project will be less competitive if it already has significant funding.  

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

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Application Deadline: October 26th (11:30 PM)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal (HUFP)

Eligible Faculty: Assistant, Associate and Full Professors at HMS, HMS Affiliated Hospitals and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health . HMS is the sole nominating institution in the Harvard community for this award.  Faculty at these institutions must apply here for the HMS nomination.

Nominations Available to HMS:  1   

Funding and Award period:  $100,000 for a two year grant period.*

Program Description:  The Mary Kay Foundation Cancer Research Program supports innovative translational researches in ovarian, uterine, breast or cervical cancer. Goal is to improve diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, or treatment of cancers that affect women.

Eligibility Criteria:

1.  Faculty member at the rank of assistant, associate or full Professor

2.  Postdoctoral trainees and instructors are NOT eligible

3.  Translational research in ovarian, uterine, breast or cervical cancer. 

*Allowable Costs Under this Award:  Up to 15% of the award may be utilized for indirect costs.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

Additional information about this opportunity is available on the Mary Kay Foundation website

Application Deadline: October 26th (11:30 PM)

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal

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.

Focus: Biomedical Science and Engineering

Nominations Available to HMS:  2    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:  $875,000 over a five year grant period.*

Program Description: 

The Fellowship Program provides support for highly creative researchers early in their careers; faculty members who are well established and well-funded are less likely to receive the award. Packard Fellows are inquisitive, passionate scientists and engineers who take a creative approach to their research, dare to think big, and follow new ideas wherever they lead. The Foundation emphasizes support for innovative individual research that involves the Fellows, their students, and junior colleagues, rather than extensions or components of large-scale, ongoing research programs

Candidates must be faculty members who are eligible to serve as principal investigators engaged in research in the natural and physical sciences or engineering and must be within the first three years of their faculty careers. Disciplines that will be considered include physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering. Candidates engaged in research in the social sciences will not be considered.  

Eligibility Criteria:

1.  Candidates must be within the first three years of their faculty careers.  Specifically, the initial faculty appointment, whether at HMS or another institution before HMS must have begun no earlier than May 31, 2023, and no later than May 31, 2026.   Note: While instructors at HMS are often considered junior faculty and eligible to apply for foundation grants, they may be at a competitive disadvantage in the national selection process.  Instructors should only apply if they had demonstrated academic independence and research that is not an extension of a senior mentor.  Instructors interested in applying should contact the HMS Foundation Funds Coordinator.

2.  Candidates must be engaged in research in the natural sciences or engineering.  Disciplines that will be considered include physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering.  The program does not fund clinical research.

1. Summary of the proposed research. (Limit 2 pages and a third page may be used for references)
2. Nominating letter signed by your department or division head AND co-signed by a research sponsor/mentor. If your
department/division head is your research mentor, then only one signature is required. (Limit 2 pages)
3. Statement of the resources/facilities available for the project as is standard for NIH grants. (Limit 1 page)
4. Up-to-date biosketch in NIH format, including publications and listing of current, past and pending sources of funding
(Limit 10 pages)

*Allowable Costs Under this Award:  $17,500 of the award is available to the institution to compensate for administrative costs.

Apply through the Harvard University Funding Portal