As an early-career faculty member, a number of opportunities across disciplines are
available to you via foundation support. If your review of the following opportunities does
not yield the results you want, please fill out the Foundation Relations Prospect Research Form and our team will reach back out to you within three weeks of submission with additional
opportunities if they exist.
Fellowship, research, and student grants should be submitted through the Sponsored
Programs Office. Investigators should follow SPO guidelines and fill out the Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal form at least two weeks prior to the submission deadline. Upon submission please
check the "Foundations (other than NSF)" box.
Federal Opportunities
The following resources links focus on a selection of US government funded opportunities:
Featured Foundation Opportunities
Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Grant
Research Grants - Early Career
Phillips Fund for Native American Research
Investigator Initiated Research Program
Additional Foundation Funding Opportunities
The link above provides a variety of funding opportunities aimed at advancing research
on aging and age-related diseases. These funding programs are designed to support
innovative studies, foster collaboration, and develop the careers of researchers in
the field of aging science.
The program provides $700,000 over five years to support physician-scientists committed
to academic careers. It bridges the gap between advanced postdoctoral or fellowship
training and the early years of faculty service, fostering career development in biomedical
research.
The program provides $505,000 over five years to assistant professors studying the
interactions between humans and infectious agents. It supports multidisciplinary research
exploring colonization, infection, commensalism, and other dynamics at molecular to
systemic levels. The program encourages high-risk projects with the potential to significantly
advance understanding of infectious diseases and health maintenance
The program provides start-up grants to tenure-track faculty members in their first
to fourth year at American institutions, who hold M.D. and/or Ph.D. degrees. These
grants offer $75,000 annually for up to three years to help researchers obtain R01
or other independent funding. Additionally, the Foundation offers Scholar Awards to
faculty in their fifth to eighth year, providing $125,000 per year for four years,
but this program is by invitation only.
The program provides $300,000 over three years to support the independent research
of exceptional early-career scientists in biomedical sciences and chemistry. It targets
tenure-track assistant professors in their first or second year, funding innovative,
high-risk, high-reward research projects. The program emphasizes potential for significant,
long-term contributions to medicine, chemistry, and biological sciences.
The program provides funding to early-career researchers who are pursuing innovative
approaches to biomedical research. Each scholar receives $300,000 over four years
($75,000 per year) to support their research endeavors. Nominees must hold a doctorate
and run an independent lab at the rank of assistant professor, demonstrating outstanding
promise and creativity in their field.
The program provides up to $110,000 per year, for a maximum of five years, to early-career
scholars conducting basic biomedical research. It supports research in cancer, immunology,
and neuroscience, as well as pain research through the Rita Allen Foundation Award
in Pain. Nominees must be nominated by an eligible institution and show promise for
making significant contributions to their fields.
Brain Sciences, Neuroscience, and Mental Illness
The program funds bold ideas with high impact to accelerate the next generation of
Alzheimer's and dementia research. It provides funding for early-career investigators
to pursue innovative research projects. The awards supports research that has a clear
path to impacting Alzheimer's and dementia care and treatment.
These grants support early-career scientists conducting neurobiological research relevant
to understanding and treating mental illnesses. The grants provide up to $35,000 per
year for two years. They serve as catalysts for additional funding by providing "proof
of concept" for the researcher's work.
This program funds pioneering research aimed at understanding, preventing, and treating
Alzheimer's disease. It offers both standard awards (up to $300,000 over three years)
and postdoctoral fellowship awards (up to $200,000 over two years). The program supports
scientists from diverse backgrounds and encourages applications from underrepresented
groups.
This program supports early career development for researchers in neuroscience. The
grants are intended to support scientists early in their careers when it can have
the most impact on their work. The fund provides salary support and research expenses
to allow the fellows to do innovative research.
These awards support innovative research by outstanding neuroscientists in the early
stages of their careers. The program focuses on supporting research related to memory
and brain diseases. The program provides $75,000 per year for three years.
The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) supports stem cell research through its
NYSCF Innovator Awards. The awards enable researchers to pursue cutting-edge stem
cell research. The NYSCF focuses on supporting innovative technologies in stem cell
research that will help accelerate the field.
These awards support promising early-career scientists conducting research in brain
health and related disorders. The awards are meant to help early-career scientists
to grow their careers. The program includes mentorship, networking, and resources
to help scientists make meaningful impacts in their field.
This program helps bridge the gap between training and independent research positions
for scientists. The program provides support for recent PhD graduates to start academic
careers. The Fellows to Faculty program funds institutions for up to three years while
the fellow is transitioning to a faculty role, as well as up to two years of support
for the fellow in their new faculty position.
ALSF grants fill critical voids in pediatric cancer research, funding innovative projects
reviewed via a process similar to the NIH. ALSF offers various grants like Innovation
Grants, Reach Grants, and Young Investigator Grants to support researchers at different
stages. The foundation aims to accelerate discoveries and improve outcomes for children
with cancer.
The ACS provides funding for cancer research across basic, translational, clinical,
and cancer control areas. It offers various grant mechanisms for independent investigators,
mentored researchers, and institutions. The grants aim to promote groundbreaking research,
enhance training, and build infrastructure to combat cancer.
This award supports exceptionally creative, early-career researchers with "high-risk/high-reward"
ideas in cancer prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. It provides $200,000 per year
for two years, with potential for two additional years of funding. The award targets
novel research lacking preliminary data needed for traditional funding.
St. Baldrick's Foundation funds childhood cancer research grants. The grants supports
investigators working on research projects aimed at finding new cures and treatments
for childhood cancers. This program focuses solely on childhood cancer research projects.
The Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Awards support innovative research from the next
generation of leaders in cancer research. These grants are awarded to outstanding
early career investigators to support high-impact, high-risk projects that are distinct
from their current research portfolio.
This award supports established scientists pursuing innovative brain cancer research.
The program provides financial support to leading cancer research studies. These studies
must contribute to the mission of curing brain cancer.
The program funds a variety of different research projects related to finding new
treatments for cancer. The award helps junior faculty leverage their independent research
careers towards leveraging larger grants (ex: R01 funding sources). Supports tenure-track
faculty early in their research by funding either laboratory-based fundamental research,
or translational research.
Child Health, Pediatrics, and Development
This program offers fellowships to early- and mid-career researchers dedicated to
improving the learning and development of children and youth worldwide. Funding is
awarded directly to the fellow’s institution and may be used over three years to cover
a portion of the fellow’s salary and for any purpose in support of the fellow’s research.
The Jacobs Foundation prioritizes fellows with great research ideas as well as the
potential to significantly contribute as a researcher.
This award encourages the development of researchers in child health by awarding small
grants to new researchers, helping them gain a foothold in this important area. Grants
from this program fund a wide variety of research topics that directly address children's
health. Each project needs to be under the guidance of a mentor who will assist the
awardee in their research.
These grants, capped at $30,000, support novice researchers, including physicians,
PhD candidates, and PharmD candidates, in conducting research related to the nutrition,
care, and development of infants and young children. Projects must be conducted under
the guidance of a mentor, whose qualifications will be considered during evaluation.
Applicants who hold or have received a K01 award from the National Institutes of Health
are ineligible.
Humanities and Social Sciences
The ACLS Emerging Voices Fellowships supported early-career scholars in the humanities
and humanistic social sciences by placing them at member institutions of the ACLS
Research University Consortium. Fellows advanced their research and professional development
while contributing to the teaching, programming, and administrative work of their
host universities. The program aimed to strengthen institutions of higher education
and humanistic disciplines by supporting scholars with diverse perspectives and the
ability to communicate effectively.
The New Directions Fellowships assist scholars in the humanities and humanistic social
sciences pursuing systematic training outside their primary fields. The program helps
scholars acquire methodological skills, prepares them to undertake research that crosses
disciplinary boundaries, and enriches their approaches to central questions in the
humanities. Awards typically provide funding for fellows to spend one to two years
acquiring necessary training.
The Whiting Public Engagement Programs support humanities faculty who incorporate
public engagement into their work. The programs include fellowships of $50,000 for
well-developed projects with clear public engagement strategies and seed grants of
up to $10,000 for projects at an earlier stage. The goal is to promote the value of
humanities in public life and cultivate communities dedicated to public service through
humanities.
These fellowships provide $75,000 over two years to early-career researchers in science
and mathematics. They recognize outstanding faculty members with the potential to
revolutionize their fields. Candidates must be tenure-track faculty members at a degree-granting
institution in the US or Canada.
The Beckman Young Investigator Program provides research support to the most promising
young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical
and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments, and
materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.
The Blavatnik Awards honor exceptional young scientists and engineers for groundbreaking
discoveries. The awards recognize innovative achievements and future potential across
various disciplines. These awards are given at the national level in the US, UK, and
Israel.
This competition seeks to identify outstanding early-stage inventors who harness science
and technology solutions to enhance scientific research, strengthen environmental
conservation, or improve the experience and outcomes of patient care.
These grants support international teams conducting innovative, interdisciplinary
research in the life sciences. The program encourages high-risk, frontier research
that pushes disciplinary boundaries. Grants are typically awarded for three years.
These awards support early-career teacher-scholars in chemistry, physics, and astronomy.
The program funds innovative research proposals and supports the integration of research
and teaching. Each award provides $100,000 over three years.
The intent of the Investigator in Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics, and Theoretical
Computer Science programs is to support outstanding scientists in their most productive
years, when they are establishing creative new research directions, providing leadership
to the field, and effectively mentoring junior scientists.
This program supports early-career researchers studying the reduction of inequality
in youth outcomes. It provides $350,000 over five years to researchers. It supports
researchers that study the effect of structural racism on youth development.
This award supports promising healthcare and academic professionals in their early
careers to explore innovative questions and pilot studies. The goal is to provide
preliminary data and training necessary for the applicant's future success as a research
scientist. The award develops research skills to enhance the awardee's chances of
obtaining a high-quality career position.
The Psychosocial Research (PSR) portfolio supports research that addresses the interrelation
of behavioral, social, psychological, and other quality of life factors that will
benefit people living with spinal cord injury. Areas of interest include: aging, caregiving,
employment, health behaviors and fitness, independent living, self-management, and
technology access.
These $150,000 research grants support early-career investigators working on disruptive
and transformative research for major global diseases. The prizes emphasize team-based
research with a focus on immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy. Researchers
are encouraged to apply innovative approaches to major challenges in human immunology
and vaccine development.
Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) offers a variety of funding opportunities to support
research aimed at curing, preventing, and treating type 1 diabetes (T1D). These opportunities
include strategic research agreements, conference and workshop support, and training
fellowships. The grants are designed to support researchers at various stages, from
postdoctoral fellows to established investigators, and cover a broad range of T1D-related
research areas.
This prize recognizes significant discoveries in mathematics, across all branches
of the subject. It rewards mathematicians who have made profound contributions to
the field. The prize was founded by Yuri Milner and is funded by grants from foundations
established by Yuri and Julia Milner.
This prize honors individuals who have made profound contributions to fundamental
physics, including theoretical, mathematical, and experimental physicists. It recognizes
groundbreaking discoveries that deepen our understanding of the universe.
Promotes the science of cosmology and other branches of astronomy.
This program supports early-career faculty in the chemical sciences with a $100,000
unrestricted research grant. It recognizes those who demonstrate leadership in original
scholarly research and dedication to education, particularly with undergraduates.
Institutions may nominate only one candidate annually.
The New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award offers early-career scientists
crucial funding to launch them into successful research careers. This support helps
them establish a strong foundation for their future work in the field.
This fellowship recognizes innovative, promising early-career professors in the Americas
who are exploring breakthrough, high-impact research in computer science or a related
field. Provisions of the award include $100,000 USD awarded annually for two years.
Faculty must be nominated by their university or a Microsoft Research lab member.
This program provides support to emerging scholars and policy experts specializing
in areas such as American foreign policy, international relations, security studies,
military strategy, and diplomatic or military history. Its goal is to bolster the
U.S. community of researchers and analysts focused on these critical topics.
The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award
designed to support junior faculty conducting innovative research in bioethics. It
focuses on addressing critical ethical challenges in clinical, biomedical, and public
health decision-making, policy, and practice. The program also fosters a collaborative
community of scholars and alumni to advance future bioethics research and professional
development.
Before submitting please ensure that the foundation that you are interested in does
not appear on the Restricted Foundations list. Additionally, although numerous research opportunities are listed above, the Office of Foundation Relations works most specifically with foundations funding
non-research oriented work. If you would like to schedule a funding search or proposal
consultation for strictly research oriented work, please contact: rd-l@mtu.edu. Contact the Office of Foundation Relations with any questions.
