Development Office Funding Opportunities

About: Path to a Cure: Pilot and Feasibility Awards are intended to support projects that will develop and test new hypotheses and/or new methods that could eventually contribute to the development of a cure for CF, (or those being applied to the problems of cystic fibrosis for the first time), and to support promising new investigators as they establish themselves in research areas relevant to cystic fibrosis. The intent of these awards is to enable investigators to collect sufficient data to compete successfully for support from the NIH or other funding agencies.
Pilot and Feasibility studies that may be high risk but high reward when it comes to advancing our understanding of the disease or developing technologies that can advance us towards a cure are encouraged to apply through this mechanism. Applications for continued funding of a project, or longterm support of an investigator, will not be considered through this program. Projects that are an extension of previous work should be submitted through the Path to a Cure: Research Grant mechanism

High Priority Topics of Interest:

•Characterize and evaluate the functional role of cell populations within either or both large and small conducting airways and submucosal glands and the contribution of CFTR functional restoration to cell fate and function

•Identification of cellular factor(s) and processes during protein translation that impact the fidelity and productivity of nonsense mutation readthrough

•Developing and applying novel gene insertion technologies in eukaryotic cells as a means of repairing/replacing multiple mutant CFTR gene variants (such as hotspot repair/exon replacement) other than those already served by small molecule modulators

•Evaluating potential gene insertion sites within the native CFTR locus or at safe harbor sites and determining the impact of chromosomal architecture and epigenetic state on insertion

•Identification of targeting ligands or chemical modifications to improve cell- and/or tissue-specific delivery of nucleic acid-based therapies to the lungs and extrapulmonary organs

•Developing novel chemistries and strategies to deliver large gene editing components (DNA, RNA, RNP) to relevant cells and tissues with a focus on understanding intracellular handling (endosomal escape, subcellular- or nuclear-localization, elimination/degradation pathways)

•Development of tools and strategies to evaluate immune and inflammatory response to genetic therapies (cargo and vehicle)

•Optimizing and validating in-vitro tools and assays to pre-clinically evaluate the efficacy and safety of restoring functional CFTR through gene repair, gene replacement, small molecules, or any other novel method in primary cells or tissues

Path to a Cure: Postdoctoral research fellowships are offered for support of postdoctoral research training related to CF. These awards are intended to enable research training in new research areas and methods to advance the scientific knowledge of the applicant and to collect data to enable their transition into an independent research career. Research projects proposed through this program should seek to develop new information that contributes to the development of new therapies focused upon repair or replacement of CFTR variants not served by existing small molecule modulators. Applicants seeking to submit proposals focused on topics such as mucociliary clearance and airway hydration, infection and inflammation, or nonlung manifestations of disease should apply through the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award program.

High Priority Topics of Interest:
•Characterize and evaluate the functional role of cell populations within either or both large and small conducting airways and submucosal glands and the contribution of CFTR functional restoration to cell fate and function

•Identification of cellular factor(s) and processes during protein translation that impact the fidelity and productivity of nonsense mutation readthrough

•Developing and applying novel gene insertion technologies in eukaryotic cells as a means of repairing/replacing multiple mutant CFTR gene variants (such as hotspot repair/exon replacement) other than those already served by small molecule modulators

•Evaluating potential gene insertion sites within the native CFTR locus or at safe harbor sites and determining the impact of chromosomal architecture and epigenetic state on insertion

•Identification of targeting ligands or chemical modifications to improve cell- and/or tissue-specific delivery of nucleic acid-based therapies to the lungs and extrapulmonary organs

•Developing novel chemistries and strategies to deliver large gene editing components (DNA, RNA, RNP) to relevant cells and tissues with a focus on understanding intracellular handling (endosomal escape, subcellular- or nuclear-localization, elimination/degradation pathways)

•Development of tools and strategies to evaluate immune and inflammatory response to genetic therapies (cargo and vehicle)

•Optimizing and validating in-vitro tools and assays to pre-clinically evaluate the efficacy and safety of restoring functional CFTR through gene repair, gene replacement, small molecules, or any other novel method in primary cells or tissues

About: Path to a Cure: Research Grants are intended to facilitate or enable the development of new information that may contribute to the development of new therapies focused upon repair or replacement of CFTR variants not served by existing small molecule modulators. Applicants seeking to submit proposals focused on topics such as mucociliary clearance and airway hydration, infection and inflammation, or non-lung manifestations of disease should apply through the Research Grant mechanism. Proposals must be hypothesis-driven and contain sufficient preliminary data to justify support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. However, proposals that aim to develop tools or reagents that are not typically hypothesis-driven but may facilitate research that could lead to a cure will be considered through this mechanism. Information derived from such studies will hopefully lead to submission to other funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

High Priority Topics of Interest:

•Characterize and evaluate the functional role of cell populations within either or both large and small conducting airways and submucosal glands and the contribution of CFTR functional restoration to cell fate and function
•Identification of cellular factor(s) and processes during protein translation that impact the fidelity and productivity of nonsense mutation readthrough
•Developing and applying novel gene insertion technologies in eukaryotic cells as a means of repairing/replacing multiple mutant CFTR gene variants (such as hotspot repair/exon replacement) other than those already served by small molecule modulators
•Evaluating potential gene insertion sites within the native CFTR locus or at safe harbor sites and determining the impact of chromosomal architecture and epigenetic state on insertion
•Identification of targeting ligands or chemical modifications to improve cell- and/or tissue-specific delivery of nucleic acid-based therapies to the lungs and extrapulmonary organs
•Developing novel chemistries and strategies to deliver large gene editing components (DNA, RNA, RNP) to relevant cells and tissues with a focus on understanding intracellular handling (endosomal escape, subcellular- or nuclear-localization, elimination/degradation pathways)
•Development of tools and strategies to evaluate immune and inflammatory response to genetic therapies (cargo and vehicle)
•Optimizing and validating in-vitro tools and assays to pre-clinically evaluate the efficacy and safety of restoring functional CFTR through gene repair, gene replacement, small molecules, or any other novel method in primary cells or tissues

About: RWJF and the NCCs are interested in research that identifies the root causes of structural discrimination; challenges harmful narratives that undermine individual and community health and wellbeing; and disrupts growing mis- and disinformation. While HERA is still in its early stages, RWJF and the NCCs are launching this first CFP to sustain and advance health equity research during this critical time, while generating insights that can help shape HERA’s future funding priorities and strategies. Such research can generate knowledge that shows how to advance health equity through systems change. With this background in mind, proposals submitted under this first CFP must include the characteristics described below:
• Research through equitable community partnership.
• Research that focuses on at least one RWJF Prioritized System.
• Research that informs systems change.
• Research that leads to actionable solutions.

About: The goal of the Focused Antibiotics program is to reformulate existing antibiotics to spare the gut microbiome without loss of treatment efficacy. To achieve this goal, the Focused Antibiotics program will work across 2 primary thrust areas.

Thrust 1 seeks to reformulate existing antibiotics to avoid increasing antibiotic resistance in the bacteria that live in us, while maintaining the same or better treatment success. In parallel, work in this thrust aims to ensure that these antibiotics can be produced at scale and at an acceptable price to enable their use as potential new firstline therapeutics.

Thrust 2 seeks to enable iterative design of these newly formulated, focused antibiotics by identifying a surrogate marker based on specific antibiotic induced microbiome changes. This will require new analyses of human cohort data to match gut microbiome predictors of subsequent resistant infections with better than 80% predictive accuracy.

About: 
Although all groups studying disease progression biomarkers are eligible to apply, Target ALS is particularly interested in supporting projects that propose the study of:
• novel biomarkers predictive of disease progression or phenoconversion
• biomarkers with utility as treatment response
• biomarkers for patient population stratification (e.g., fast vs slow progressors, cognitive impairment, peripheral immunity)
• novel analytical approaches to blood-based biomarkers, including AI/ML-extracted signatures
Confidentiality of the investigator’s data, research, and intellectual property will be strictly honored. Target ALS does not seek ownership of any intellectual property or financial gains that result from its funding.

Eligibility: 
You are eligible to submit a proposal if you:
Have had your doctoral degree for LESS than 4 years; time spent in clinical-only training is not counted.
Do not have a faculty appointment (e.g., Instructor, Research Assistant Professor)

Deadline:
•Full application due June 1, 2026

Eligibility:
Applicant must be an ACR or ARP member at the time of submission and for the duration of the award

• ACR Members:
o Applicants must have received a priority score and summary statement on their NIH K08, K23, K25, K99/R00, or VA CDA-2 award. Applicants whose career development applications were unscored are not eligible.
o Have earned a DO, MD, MD/PhD, or DO/PhD degree or be currently enrolled in an ACGME accredited clinical training program and have completed at least 1 year of training by the start of the award term

• ARP Members:
o Applicants must have received a priority score, summary statement, and funding decision on their on their NIH K01, K08, K23, K25, K99/R00, or VA CDA-2 award. Applicants whose career development applications were unscored are not eligible.
o Have earned a PhD*, DSc, or equivalent doctoral degree

About: The purpose of this award is to provide bridge funding for promising investigators as they are revising outstanding individual career development award applications (i.e., applications for NIH K series awards, VA CDA-2 awards, or any equivalent career development awards). Through this bridge funding award, the Foundation will support junior faculty members so that they have the highest likelihood of achieving success in obtaining longer term career development awards

Highlighted Topic: Psoriatic Arthritis
Through a generous contribution by Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinics Multicenter Advancement Network (PPACMAN), funding for one Career Development Bridge Funding Award: K Bridge has been provided for research focused on advancing the understanding and treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

Eligibility:
Applicant must be an ACR or ARP member at the time of submission and for the duration of the award

• ACR Members:
o Applicants must have less than 1 year (or a lapse) remaining on one of the following awards: NIH K08, K23, K25, K99/R00, VA CDA, institutional K, or Rheumatology Research Foundation Investigator Award.
o Have earned a DO, MD, MD/PhD, or DO/PhD degree and have completed a Rheumatology fellowship.

• ARP Members:
o Applicants must have less than one year (or a lapse) remaining on one of the following awards: NIH K01, K08, K23, K25, K99/R00, VA CDA, institutional K, or Rheumatology Research Foundation Investigator Award.
o Have earned a PhD*, DSc, or equivalent degree.