Early Career Foundation Funding

American Federation for Aging Research - Research Grants for Junior Faculty

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.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Career Awards for Medical Scientists

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. 

Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease

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

Edward Mallinckrodt Jr Foundation - Grants 

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.

Kinship Foundation - Searle Scholars Program 

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.

Pew Charitable Trusts - Pew Biomedical Scholars

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.

Rita Allen Foundation - Scholars Program

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.

1907 Research - 1907 Trailblazer Award 

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.

Brain and Behavior Research Foundation - NARSAD Young Investigator Grant 

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.

BrightFocus Foundation - Fellowship Awards

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.

Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Inc. - Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in the Neurosciences 

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.

McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience - McKnight Scholar Awards 

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.

New York Stem Cell Foundation - Neuroscience Investigator Awards

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.

One Mind Institute - Rising Star Research Awards 

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.

Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative - Bridge to Independence Award 

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.

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer - Young Investigator Grants

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.

American Cancer Society - Research Scholar Grants 

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.

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation - Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award

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 for Cancer Research - Emerging Leader Award 

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 for Cancer Research - emerging Leader Award

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.

The Sontag Foundation - Distinguished Scientist Award 

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 V Foundation - V Scholar Award 

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.  

Jacobs Foundation -Research Fellowships 

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.

Thrasher Research Fund - Early Career Award

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.

The Gerber Foundation - Novice Research Awards

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.

American Council of Learned Societies - ACLS Emerging Voices Fellowships 

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.

Mellon Foundation - New Directors Fellowship 

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 - Public Engagement Fellowship/Seed Grant 

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.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation - Sloan Research Fellowships

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.

Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation -Beckman Young Investigators Program 

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.

Blavatnik Family Foundation - Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists

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.

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation - Moore Inventor Fellows

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.

Human Frontier Science Program - Young Investigator's Grants 

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.

Research Corporation for Science Advancement - Cottrell Scholar Award 

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.

Simons Foundation - Simons Investigators in Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics, and Theoretical Computer Science

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.

William T. Grant Foundation - Scholars Grants 

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.

American Heart Association - Career Development Grant 

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.

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation - Psychosocial Research 

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.

Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants 

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.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation - Career Development Award 

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.

Breakthrough Prize - New Horizons in Mathematics 

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.

Breakthrough Prize - New Horizons in Physics Prize 

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. 

International Astronomical Union - The Gruber Foundation Fellowships

Promotes the science of cosmology and other branches of astronomy. 

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. - Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program 

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.

Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research - New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award

The New Innovator in Food and 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.

Microsoft Foundation - Faculty Fellowship

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.

Smith Richardson Foundation - Strategy and Policy Fellows Program 

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 Foundation - Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics

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.