Other Special Funding Opportunities
Sometimes UCSF leadership receives an invitation to compete for funding from a private foundation. Or, NSF might have an initiative that is of particular strategic interest on campus but might not typically be on a PI’s radar. In such cases, we maintain a table listing these opportunities by submission due date.
Below is a list of special funding opportunities. Please click the associated link in the table for more information on either the application or nomination process for a specific funder. The goal of this resource is to encourage grant submission to funding opportunities outside of the more typical NIH streams and to encourage recommendation of deserving colleagues for distinguished awards. Note that a larger list of distinguished awards can be found through this EVCP link.
If you intend to submit an application or nomination to an opportunity listed here, please inform us by email to [email protected]
Funder |
Mechanism |
Due Date |
Award Amount |
| Vilcek Foundation | 2020 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science | June 10, 2019 | $50,000.00 |
| 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences | Life Sciences Break Through Prize | April 1, 2019 at 12:00 midnight PDT (email intention to liz.catala[email protected]) | $3,000,000.00 |
| NIDDK-funded Health Delivery System Centers for Diabetes Translational Research (HDS-CDTR) | HDS-CDTR Request for Proposals 2019 | April 15, 2019 | $40,000.00 |
| UCSF Academic Senate | UCSF Senate's Chancellor's Funds | Now through mid-March 2019 | Varies |
| UC Davis California National Primate Research Center 2019 Call for Pilot Project | Aging Research Initiative | LOI due February 22, 2019 | Varies |
| The Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund | Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience | February 15, 2019 at 8:59 pm PST (email intention to [email protected]) | $225,000 payable over 3 years |
| UCOP UC Cancer Research Coordinating Committee (UC CRCC) | Proposals for Award Year 2020 | Required LOI: January 24, 2019 12:00 pm PT; Full proposals due April 4, 2019 | $75,000 Maximum Request |
| PhRMA Foundation | Health Outcomes | February 1, 2019 (email intention to [email protected]) | $100,000 for one year |
| L'Oreal USA | 2019 Women in Science Fellowship Program | February 1, 2019 | $60,000 |
| California InstituTe for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and UCSF Alpha Stem Cell Clinic | 2019 ASCC Fellowship | February 1, 2019 |
$75,000 toward salary |
| Arthritis National Research Foundation | RFA 2019-2020 Research Grant Program | January 18, 2019 5:00 pm Pacific | Various (see website) |
| University of California | 2019 UC Valley Fever Research Funding Opportunity | LOI due: 1/10/19 at 12 PM Pacific Time Invited full proposals due 2/28/19 at 12 PM Pacific Time |
$3,000,000 |
| American Society for Clinical Investigation | 2019 Seldin~Smith Award | October 29, 2018 | $30,000 |
| Michelson Prizes/Human Vaccines Project | Michelson Prizes | October 29, 2018 | $150,000 (three prizes - see website for details) |
| The Helmsley Trust and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative | Gut Cell Atlas | Application due November 13, 2018, 5:00 pm Pacific Time (email intention to [email protected]) | $250,000 - $1,000,000 annually for up to three years |
| Gates Foundation | Grand Challenges | November 14, 2018, 11:30 am PST (email intention to [email protected]) |
Initial grants are for $100,000 and successful projects are eligible to receive follow-on funding of up to USD $1 million |
| Doris Duke Charitable Foundation | Clinical Scientist Development Award | Pre-proposal deadline:November 28, 2018, noon, PT. (email intention to [email protected]) | Up to $495,000 each award over three years; approximately 17 grants will be awarded |
| The Shaw Prize | Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine | November 30, 2018 | $1,200,000 |
| The Kavli Prize | The Kavli Prize | December 2018 (nomination by committee) | $1,000,000 |
| Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation | Physician Scientist Award | Application deadline: Monday, December 3, 2018, 1 pm PT. (email intention to [email protected]) | $460,000 over four years |
| McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT | Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience | December 15, 2018 | $150,000 |
| Rita Allen Foundation and the American Pain Society | Award in Pain | Application due December 17, 2018, 8:59 pm Pacific Time (email intention to [email protected]) | $150,000 over three years |
| Cystic Fibrosis Research Pilot Projects | Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research Development Program (RDP) and NIH/NIDDK P30 Cystic Fibrosis Research and Translational Core Center | LOI due 10/15/18 (for questions please contact: [email protected]) |
$50,000 - $60,000 per year over 2 years |
| Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Catalyst Grant | Catalyst Grant | Application Deadline December 7, 2018 9 am PT (email intention to [email protected]) |
$500,000 over three years |
| Johnson & Johnson Innovation Award Program for Neuroscience | Johnson & Johnson Innovation Award Program for Neuroscience | August 15, 2018 (questions contact [email protected]) |
TBD |
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Systems for Action | Application Deadline September 12, 2018 12 pm PST (email intention to [email protected]) |
Up to $250,000 over four years |
| Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation | Diagnostics Accelerator | Application Deadline September 14, 2018 2 pm PST (email intention to [email protected]) |
Proof-of-principle awards up to $500,000 |
| William T. Grant Foundation | Institutional Challenge Grant | Application Deadline September 7, 2018 12 pm PST (email intention to [email protected]) |
up to $650,000 over 3 years |
| Burroughs Wellcome Fund | Career Awards for Medical Scientists | Application Deadline October 1, 2018 1 pm PDT (email intention to [email protected]) |
$700,000 over five years |
| Burroughs Wellcome Fund | Career Awards at the Scientific Interface | Application Deadline September 5, 2018 1 pm PDT (email intention to [email protected]) |
$500,000 over five years |
| UCSF Wolfe Meningioma Program Project Award | UCSF Wolfe Meningioma Program Project Award RFA | September 7, 2018 | $45,000 for one year |
| California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM) | CIAPM Request for Proposals 2018 | LOI July 27, 2018 | For 2-4 projects, approximately $1.8 million to $3.5 million total per project |
| PhRMA Foundation 2019 Award - Informatics | Informatics Awards | September 1, 2018 at 11:59 pm EDT | $20,000 per year up to two years |
| PhRMA Foundation 2019 Award - Pharmaceutics | Pharmaceutics Awards | September 1, 2018 at 11:59 pm EDT | $20,000 in stipend support per year for up to two years |
| PhRMA Foundation 2019 Award - Pharmacology/Toxicology | Pharmacology/Toxicology Awards | September 1, 2018 at 11:50 pm EDT | $20,000 per year up to two years |
| Robert L. Fine Cancer Research Foundation | Robert L. Fine Cancer Research Foundation Application | August 31, 2018 | $250,000 over a two year period |
| Elton John AIDS Foundation 2018 RFP | Annual Open RFP | LOI: 6/30/2018 Invited full proposals:Due August 2018 (TBD) |
$20,000 to $100,000 for first year |
| Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation | Innovation Award | LOI due July 6, 2018 1 PM PDT ([email protected]) |
$300,000 over 2 years |
| C-DOCTOR Summer 2018 ITP Team Award | C-DOCTOR RFP | July 31, 2018 (2 page pre-proposal due 5:00 pm PDT) | Up to $150,000 over 1 year |
| Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation | Beckman Young Investigators | LOI Opens 5/15/2018 Due August 6, 2018 |
~ $600,000 over 4 years |
| The Mark Foundation's Emerging Leader Awards | Emerging Leaders Award | LOI: 6/4/18 at 5:00 pm Eastern | $750,000 over 3 years |
| 2019 UC Multicampus Research Program and Initiative ucop.edu | 2019 MRPI_RFP |
LOI: 05/24/18 at noon Pacific Time Due: 08/02/2018 at noon Pacific Time |
$8 million in total available funding across all awards and award types for the two-year period |
| Rosenman Institute | 2018 Rosenman Innovation Award | 04/19/2018 | Total value of the two awards is estimated at $50,000 |
| UC CAI University of California Center for Accelerated Innovation | UC CAI NHLBI Technology Development Award | 03/23/2018 Pre-Application due 04/30/2018 Full Application See website for ALL Submission dates |
Up to $200,000 |
| Edward A. Dickson Emeritis Professorship Award | The Dickson Emeritus Professorship Award | Annually due in January | $10,000 |
| Partnership for Clean Competition Funding Opportunity | cleancompetition.org | Pre-app: 03/01; 07/01, 11/01 Full app: 04/01; 08/01, 12/01 |
$10K to more than $400K |
| California Wellness Foundation | California Wellness Foundation Grants List | On-going | Open ended |