Slots: Universities/Institutions are limited to three applications per cycle.
One application per cycle per investigator.
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Friday, July 18th, 2025, 5pm PT
Registration Deadline: Friday, September 19, 2025, 5pm PST
LOI: October 3rd, 2025, 5pm PST
Invited Proposals: December 12, 2025 5pm PST
Award Information
Award Type: Grant for basic science, ideally with potential translational applications
Award Amount: Up to $700,000 over three years. IDC cannot exceed 10%.
Mathers considers the budget request with these factors in mind: the number of researchers and their training; the type of model being used for experiments (mouse, drosophila, c. elegans, etc.); supplies required for experiments; genetic sequencing or other outsourced services, test setup development, etc. The grant does not fund lab equipment.
Who May Serve as PI: Faculty.
Link to Award: http://www.mathersfoundation.org/
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here:
RII-Limited-Submission-Application-Template.
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose/Additional Information:
- Examples of current research areas supported: immunology, microbiome, structural biology, cellular physiology, cancer biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology and infectious diseases, stem cell biology, and neuroscience.
- Research areas NOT supported: Plant biology, oceanography, space exploration, global warming, medical imaging technology, and electrical engineering technology development, research conducted in human subjects, clinical trials, drug discovery.
- Requests for funding previously federally supported research and/or applications pending federal approval will not be accorded priority consideration.
- Mathers reviewers look for innovative, novel proposals, which have scientific merit with an established published proof of concept, and which may not be fundable at the federal level.