Formal Proposal Application Instructions

Formal Proposals are by invitation only. Unsolicited Formal Proposals are not accepted. Early submissions are appreciated; however, late applications will not be reviewed.  Any questions can be sent to [email protected].

Declined formal proposals cannot be appealed for reconsideration.

 

REQUIRED INFORMATION

Grantee Portal

Full Proposal

  • Lay Abstract- Provide a summary of the project proposal, for a highly educated lay audience.  Key personnel should be mentioned here, along with their contributions to the project. (2,500-character limit, including spaces)
  • Scientific Abstract- Includes background, goals, methodology, and significance
  • What makes this investigation unique and/or innovative? Includes potential scientific impact if project is successful.
  • Is this investigation a new direction from your prior research efforts?
  • Would you consider this project high risk / high reward? Please explain. 
  • Total Budget (including indirect costs) This is a text field for the total budget amount only.
  • Has this request been submitted elsewhere for funding? This is a yes/no field.
    Your response has no direct bearing on the Foundation’s funding decision. 

 

Grant Terms Information

Created By (Date)- Portal will populate this field.

Desired Start Date – The desired start date may be more than 90 days after the due date depending on many criteria including review time, grant agreement timeline, budgetary concerns, etc. Ultimately the Foundation will select the start date for all grants.

Start Date/End Date- The Foundation will enter this information if a grant is awarded.

 

REQUIRED INFORMATION

Documents

Scientific Proposal (PDF)

The proposal narrative should be written for a scientific audience.  It is meant to be a standalone document for the reviewers and should follow the order of the required sections listed below.

The LOI is included in the evaluation and may be used by the reviewers. In general, information should not be duplicated in the PDF. The maximum number of pages allowed is seven (7).

Additional pages for supplementary information such as figures, references, letters of support, proofs, etc. are permissible and should be combined into a single document with the narrative.

Applicants should update supplementary information from what was included in the LOI as needed.

  • Scientific Abstract–Includes background, goals, methodology, and significance.
  • Specific aims of the proposed investigation and proof of concept
  • History of prior or related research–Includes contemporaneous or historical efforts by other investigators addressing similar or collaborative efforts and how your work is different or related. Includes proof of concept evidence/validation for the project, whether the evidence is preliminary, and whether proof of concept has been published.
  • How the investigation will be conducted–Includes details about test plan/methodology and timeframe to achieve them.
  • What makes this investigation unique and/or innovative? –Includes potential scientific impact if project is successful.
  • Would you consider this project high risk / high reward? Why?
  • Is this investigation a new direction from your prior research efforts?

 

Budget and Budget Justification

A detailed budget must include line-item costs for applicable salaries and wages, fringe benefits, laboratory supplies, core services, travel, miscellaneous costs, etc. A separate budget justification must include descriptions of all major expense categories listed in the budget. Indirect costs should be calculated based on total costs and may not exceed 10%. *The total budget for three (3) years cannot exceed $600,000-700,000.

  • Supervisors for graduate students assigned to the project should be listed.
  • Sub-awards are allowed; however, only the primary institution is funded by the Foundation.
  • The Foundation does not support:
    • Construction design, building costs, renovations, etc.
    • Cost Sharing– The total cost of the project should be no higher than $700,000 (budget limit including indirect costs)
    • Student Tuition– including fees, etc.
    • Equipment Costs over $5,000
    • Computers, computer-generated systems/and AI data generation
  • Benefits/fringe rate, including health insurance may be approved on a case-by-case basis, notwithstanding agreements with other agencies, i.e. DHHS.
  • Expenses for core services- (e.g. Cryo-EM, sequencing) may not be approved if considered excessive.)

CV.s or NIH Biosketches

C.V.s or NIH biosketches of each team member involved should be submitted under the “Requested Documents” section. This includes the PI, collaborators, and post-docs and graduate students who spend 30% or more of their time on the project.

  • C.V.s/Biosketches for the PI and collaborators should include active and pending support as well as recent support (past three (3) years). C.V.s should not exceed five (5) pages.
  • Postdocs and graduate students should list other funding support they receive or have applied for (fellowships, training grants, etc.). If a grant is awarded for a proposed project, the Foundation will require prior notification and approval to use other sources of funding.