External Funding Opportunities
***Limited Submission***
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Program: Grants for Arts Projects (GAP)
Synopsis: Supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector. GAP funds small medium or large projects in the following disciplines: Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Media Arts, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater, and Visual Arts.
Award details: Awards range from $10K to $100K per project with 1:1 cost share or match.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/nea-grants-for-arts/
External announcement on website: https://www.arts.gov/grants/grants-for-arts-projects/program-description
USC Internal due date: January 13, 2025.
Grants.gov submission: February 13, 2025.
Applicant Portal submission: February 26, 2025.
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***Limited Submission***
NSF / Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences — Division of Material Sciences
Program: Materials Innovation Platforms (MIP)
Solicitation #: 25-521
Synopsis: Supports transdisciplinary research and training, cutting-edge tools, and knowledge sharing in key enabling areas of national priority. The scientific focus of the overall MIP program is subject to change from competition to competition. Information about the existing MIPs, from two previous competitions in 2015 and 2019, can be found at https://mip.org/. This third MIP competition, in 2025, will accept proposals on alloys, amorphous, and composite materials. Given that the second MIP competition included an emphasis on biomaterials and polymer research, proposals mainly on these topics will not be considered in the third MIP competition.
Award details: $16M for up to 3 cooperative agreements.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/nsf-25-521/
External announcement on website: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf25521.pdf?VersionId=qgLT3n1ycQOz3dNVIeYwPN2845Rk7Dgl
USC Internal due date: February 14, 2025.
External due date: May 15, 2025.
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The Foundation for Advancement of Conservation (FAIC)
Program: Kress Conservation Fellowships (on behalf of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation)
Synopsis: Supports cultural institutions and conservation facilities to sponsor supervised post-graduate fellowship opportunities to help develop the skills of emerging conservators. Advanced skills in physical dexterity, patience, and concentration are required. Initial training provides basic qualifications that must be supplemented with practice in a specialized area. Emerging conservation professionals develop skills, hands-on experience, and confidence within a supervised environment. If a specific candidate for a fellowship is identified, application review will also be made regarding the potential for the Fellow to make a contribution to the conservation community, and the appropriateness of the proposed Fellowship experience for that individual. If no candidate is identified, the review process will include the appropriateness of the search procedure to fill the Fellowship position.
Award details: $44K Fellowships are expected to be awarded each year for 5 individuals for one-year post-graduate internships in advanced conservation at a cultural heritage institution or conservation facility.
Announcement on website: https://www.culturalheritage.org/resources/funding/professional-development/kress-conservation-fellowship
Submission due date: January 22, 2025.
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International Balzan Foundation
Program: 2025 Balzan Prizes
Synopsis: Supports and recognizes scholars in the following areas: Classics: Athenian Democracy Revisited; History of Contemporary Art; Atoms and Ultra Precise Measurement of Time; and Gene and Gene-Modified Cell Therapy
Award details: Each prize is 750,000 Swiss francs Half the Prize money will be awarded to the Prizewinner in recognition of their work. The other half will be used for a research project that will involve young researchers or research groups. The research proposal will be subject to the approval of the General Prize Committee.
Announcement and Instructions: 2025 Balzan Nominations; Balzan Instructions
Nominations due date: March 15, 2025.
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Foundation for Aging
Program: Research Grants
Synopsis: Supports research that focus on causes and solutions to significant problems for older adults (defined as 60 y/o and upwards). Specific areas of interest are housing, intergenerational connectedness, caregiving and economic security in later life.
Award details: Recent grants range up to $365K. Project periods run 1-3 years. 10% of the grant may be allocated for indirect costs
Announcement on website: https://www.rrf.org/
Letter of Intent due date: LOIs are accepted 3 times a year. The next due date is February 1, 2025.
Application due date: The next due date is May 5, 2025.
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American Psychological Association
Program: 2025 Alice F. Chang Wellness Grants (The 2025 Alice Change Grant will support a Graduate Student)
Synopsis: Supports research and research-based projects to improve the lives of cancer patients and / or cancer survivors through psychology. The grant will be awarded to a graduate student in odd years, and awarded to early career psychologists in even years. The 2025 Alice Chang Wellness grant will be awarded to a graduate student.
Award details: $16.5K
Announcement on website: https://ampsychfdn.org/funding/chang/
Application due date: February 7, 2025.
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Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
Program: Managing Pain Topical PCORI Funding Announcement — Cycle 1, 2025
Synopsis: Supports studies that address meaningful decisional dilemmas faced by patients, clinicians and members of the broader health and healthcare community when seeking and obtaining pain-related care and to improve patient-centered outcomes. Applications may propose patient-, healthcare provider- and/or systems-level clinical effective research (CER) studies addressing acute or chronic pain across the care continuum in any clinical context. Comparators may include pharmacological, non-pharmacological and / or combination therapies, as appropriate. Systems-level interventions may include patients, healthcare providers and/or care teams and various settings where care is delivered, organized, purchased or coordinated. At least one validated primary outcome must be focused on pain. Additional outcomes of interest should be well justified and clinically meaningful, impactful and supported by stakeholder input. Secondary outcomes may focus on patient and caregiver quality of life, caregiver support and assessment of patient-centered economic and other burdens. Examples of areas of interest include (partial)
- pain in individuals living with limitations in cognitive functioning;
- neuropathic pain;
- pain in individuals with sickle cell disease.
Award details: Up to $12M for up to 5 years.
Announcement on website: https://www.pcori.org/funding-opportunities/announcement/managing-pain-topical-pcori-funding-announcement-cycle-1-2025
Letter of Interest due date: January 14, 2025.
Application due date (invited): May 6, 2025.
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Global Action to End Smoking (GA)
Program: Advancing Innovative Smoking Cessation through Dissemination, Implementation & Training Grants — Small-Scale Investigator-Initiated Applications Request for Proposals (RFP)
Synopsis: Supports projects that disseminate science-based information about smoking cessation tools that are available to people who smoke, their healthcare providers, health journalists including the wider media community, and the general public. This RFP will fund diverse strategies within GA’s strategic plan relating to its Dissemination, Implementation, and Training (DIT) work stream, tailored to the needs of respective countries or populations, that: (1) increase awareness of locally available cessation options and their importance, (2) correct widespread misperceptions about the relative risk of nicotine compared to combusted tobacco, and (3) disseminate accurate and consistent messaging about the potential role of reduced-risk nicotine products for smokers who cannot or will not quit using traditional interventions. Additionally, GA encourages strong implementation research that examines the important and dynamic contextual factors that may influence the effectiveness of interventions in specific low or middle-income countries or for marginalized populations in high-income countries.
Award details: The application budget needs to be consistent with the small-scale proposal and respective work plan. Awards for this announcement may not exceed $500K for up to 12 months project duration.
Announcement on website: https://globalactiontoendsmoking.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Final-Companion-RFP-Cessation-Education_V12-2.pdf
Application due date: January 17, 2025.
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National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Program: 2026 Creative Writing Fellowships
NOFO #: 2025NEA03LFCW
Synopsis: Supports published creative writers for prose (fiction and creative non-fiction). Fellowship is intended to enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the primary criteria for review are the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the submitted writing sample. An individual may submit only one application for FY 2026 Literature Fellowships funding. You may not apply for both a Creative Writing Fellowship and a Translation Project in the same calendar year. U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. are eligible to apply.
Award details: $50K
Announcement on website: https://www.arts.gov/grants/creative-writing-fellowships
Application due date: March 12, 2025.
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National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Program: Challenge America
Synopsis: Supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups / communities. The term “underserved,” as defined by the NEA’s legislation and agency policy, refers to those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited relative to geography, ethnicity, economic status, or disability. This program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, returning Challenge America applicants, or applicants that have not been recently recommended for funding in one of NEA’s other grant programs
Award details: All awards are $10K, with a required 1:1 minimum cost share from non-federal sources. Cost share / matching funds may be all cash, all in-kind (third-party) contributions, or a combination of cash and in-kind contributions.
Announcement on website: https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/FY26-CA-Grant-Program-Details-FINAL.pdf
Application due date: Application is a 2-Part process. Part 1: Grants.gov submission by April 24, 2025.
Part 2: NEA application submission window: April 29, 2025 to May 13, 2025.
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Department of State / Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)
Program: Request for Statements of Interest: Promoting Human Rights and Accountability in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea)
NOFO #: DFOP0017071
Synopsis: Supports activities for two categories: (1) Fostering accountability for serious human rights abuses and transnational repression; and (2) Advancing the human rights of vulnerable populations. The Statements of Interest (SOI) process, a two-step process, allows applicants to submit program ideas for DRL to evaluate before requiring a full proposal. As a first step, applicants must submit a brief, three-page concept note that clearly explains a program idea and its objectives before developing a full proposal application. All SOIs must be grounded in a survivor-centered, ‘Do No Harm’ approach and must be led by or include consultation and / or engagement with the North Korean defector and escapee community as experts or partners. Applicants should clearly articulate a strong understanding of the current operating environment and describe measures that may be taken to mitigate risks to project implementation, staff, and beneficiaries, including Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policies and enforcement mechanisms or standard operating procedures. Applicants must also demonstrate an ability to localize project activities by leveraging the expertise of North Korean human rights organizations, activists and defector and escapee communities.
Award details: Budget requests must be between $100K and $1M.
Announcement on website: Promoting Human Rights and Accountability in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea)
Statement of Interest due date: January 10, 2025.
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education
Program: Uplift Climate and Environmental Community Action Grant
NOFO #: EPA-R-HQ-UCECA-25-01
Synopsis: Supports the development of a community of practice that will bring together Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs), including Minority-Serving IHEs, community-based organizationss, philanthropy, the private sector, and government entities to learn from one another about the climate and environmental justice challenges that disadvantaged communities face, identify solutions, develop partnerships, and engage with government (at the local, state, and / or federal levels) through a variety of public processes such as advisory councils, rulemaking processes, grant opportunities, to ensure that their vital voices are a part of and help to inform decisions that impact disadvantaged communities.
Award details: One award will be made at an estimated $2.5M over a 3-year project period.
Announcement on website: UPLIFT
UPLIFT CECA Grant Application Information Webinar: January 9, 2025.
Application due date: February 25, 2025.
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Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) / Resilient Systems Office (RSO)
Program: Innovations Solutions Opening (ISO) / Performance and Reliability Evaluation for Continuous Modifications and uSEability of AI (PRECISE-AI)
NOFO / ISO #: ARPA-H-SOL-25-113
Synopsis: Supports projects to create novel self-correction techniques that optimally maintain the peak performance of clinical AI decision support tools, both when operating independently and in combination with the clinicians who use them. PRECISE-AI aspires to create a future where predictive AI models continuously communicate with clinicians in a way that appropriately earns the clinician’s trust. Proposers should address critical challenges in the ability of AI-Decision Support Tools to actively monitor and maintain their optimal performance with consideration to local health systems, operational processes such as data acquisition, and patient characteristics, after their commercial deployment. Because such techniques are in their infancy, PRECISE-AI will advance the science behind continuous monitoring capabilities and move beyond monitoring into degradation detection, root cause analysis, self-correction, and bidirectional communication with clinicians. PRECISE-AI aims to create and validate robust AI degradation detection and auto-correction capabilities that provide the technical means to accomplish goals laid out in the AI Executive Order, and the risk management frameworks created by organizations such as the Federal Drug Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Award details: Multiple awards in the form of Other Transaction (OT) agreements or no award at all may result from this funding opportunity. The number of awards selected will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. If warranted, portions of resulting awards may be segregated into pre-priced options. Government may also only fund portions of the project, and may opt to fund projects by phases.
Announcement on website: PRECISE-AI
Proposal due date: January 25, 2025.
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Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) / Research and Directorate – Chemical and Biological Technology Department (RD-CB)
Program: Fundamental Research to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD) Broad Agency Announcement
NOFO #: HDTRA1-25-S-0001 – Amendment 1
Synopsis: Supports research for Thrust Area 1 — Fundamental Science for Chemical and Biological Defense. Fundamental science for chemical and biological (CB) defense includes science and technology research that advances knowledge in physical and life sciences to defend and counter chemical and biological WMD that could be used against our Nation. The solicitation provides details of fundamental research efforts for this funding opportunity. BAA solicits ideas and topic-based pre-application white papers for long-term challenges that offer a significant contribution to the current body of knowledge. A portion of this effort is expected to be devoted to awards for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education programs with a C-WMD focus, such as, but not limited to postdoctoral fellowships, stipends, degrees, visiting scientist programs, student exchange programs, and development of accredited C-WMD curricula.
Award details: Efforts for Thrust Area 1 may be proposed for up to 5 years. Awards may be for a base period of 1 year, with 4 additional years as possible options, a base period of 2 years with 3 additional years as possible options, or a base period of 3 years with 2 additional years as possible options.
Announcement on website: Fundamental Research to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (C-WMD) BAA
White Paper and Application submission: Proposals will be invited after review of the required white paper. BAA runs until September 30, 2034.
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NSF / Directorate for Geosciences — Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)
Program: Structure and Physics of the Solid Earth (SPSE)
Solicitation #: 25-518
Synopsis: Supports projects that will advance fundamental knowledge about the ongoing dynamical processes over the age of the Earth that evolve the structure of planet Earth and underpin geohazards. SPSE supports research at all temporal and spatial scales, from the Earth's core to its crust. Through laboratory, field, theoretical, and computational studies, the program encompasses a wide range of disciplines including structural geology, tectonics, and geophysics. Research in these areas can help improve our understanding of natural hazards including earthquakes and mass flows, as well as Earth’s formation and its magnetic field. Examples of research areas that could be pursued through this solicitation include (partial)
- Fundamental physical processes that underpin geohazards, including those arising from earthquakes and mass flows
- Physical and rheological properties of Earth materials and their relationship to tectonic or geophysical processes in the lithosphere, mantle and core
- Global and planetary-scale processes, the Earth’s heat budget through time, and the origins of plate tectonics
Award details: $22M program funding for an estimated 60 to 75 awards.
Announcement on website: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf25518.pdf
Application due date: Proposals may be submitted anytime.
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NSF / Directorate for Geosciences – Division of Earth Sciences (EAR)
Program: Water, Landscape, and Critical Zone Processes (WaLCZ)
Solicitation #: 25-519
Synopsis: Supports robust, hypothesis-driven research that investigates
underlying mechanisms or controls on the Earth’s near-surface environment and how that environment responds to change. These projects can be contained within a single traditional research domain (e.g. hydrology, geomorphology, environmental geochemistry) or involve multiple domains. Proposals must focus on filling knowledge gaps and advancing process-based understanding of Earth-surface environments, rather than applying existing knowledge to case-specific problems or focusing on the design of engineered systems. Examples of research interests include (partial)
- Aqueous geochemical processes and cycling in near-surface environmental systems and how elements and energy are exchanged within and between atmospheric, terrestrial, and aquatic systems
- Hydrologic processes, water availability, and water quality on and beneath the Earth’s surface and relationships of water with material and living components of the environment
- Advancing our capabilities in integrated and realistic modeling of near-surface systems from pore to continental scales using the full model continuum (from data-driven to process-based)
Award details: $23,850M program funding of which 60-80 awards are expected to be made.
Announcement on website: https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf25519.pdf?VersionId=t.oQBJEU18KaC5xQkW47iR0emgTACmQL
Proposal due date: Proposals may be submitted anytime.
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NIH / Across Most Institutes
Program: Exploratory / Development Research Project Grant (Parent R21 — Exploratory and Development)
NOFO #: PA-25-304
Synopsis: Supports new exploratory and developmental research projects. For example, such projects could assess the feasibility of a novel area of investigation or a new experimental system that has the potential to enhance health-related research. Another example could include the unique and innovative use of an existing methodology to explore a new scientific area. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.
Award details: The combined budget for direct costs for the two-year project period may not exceed $275,000. No more than $200,000 may be requested in any single year.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-25-304.html:
Application due dates: Triannual due dates through 2027. Next due date is February 16, 2025.
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NIH / National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Program: Innovative Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R61 — Phase 1 Exploratory/Developmental Grant)
NOFO #: RFA-CA-25-001
Synopsis: Supports the development of novel capabilities involving a high degree of technical innovation for targeting, probing, or assessing molecular and cellular features of cancer biology. Well-suited applications must propose the development of technologies that offer the potential to accelerate and / or enhance research in the areas of cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment, cancer control, epidemiology, and / or address issues associated with cancer health disparities. Technologies proposed for development may be intended to have widespread applicability but must be focused on improving molecular and / or cellular characterizations of cancer biology.
Award details: Maximum award is $150K for direct costs for up to 3 years project period. 17 awards by NCI are estimated to be made.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-25-001.html
Letter of Intent due date: 30 days prior to application submission.
Application due dates: Two due dates in 2025: April 4, 2025 and October 3, 2025.
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NIH / National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Program: Institutional Training Program to advance translational research on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) (T32 Institutional National Research Service Award)
NOFO #: PAR-25-247
Synopsis: Supports institutional training programs for predoctoral and postdoctoral level researchers from various educational backgrounds (i.e., basic biology, translational and clinical research, data science, and behavioral research). The program invites eligible institutions to develop interdisciplinary training programs that will provide trainees with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct rigorous and cutting-edge basic, translational, behavioral, population-based, and clinical research for AD/ADRD.
Award details: Application budgets are not limited but must reflect the needs of a maximum project period of 5 years.
Announcement on website: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-25-247.html
Letter of Intent due date: 30 days before submission.
Application due date: April 25, 2025.
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Other External Funding Opportunity
Dana Foundation
Program: Neuroscience and Society (for graduate students)
Synopsis: Supports pilot experiential education programs in Neuroscience & Society for graduate students in neuroscience, the humanities, social sciences, law, medicine, and other relevant fields. Programs should combine science and non-science approaches to equip students to think deeply about neuroscience and associated ethical, legal, and societal issues.
Award details: $150K over 18 months.
Announcement on website: https://dana.org/article/new-priority-areas-and-opportunities-for-funding-in-2025/
Letter of Interest due date (prioritized): While LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the 2025 calendar year, the Foundation is currently prioritizing LOIs received before January 31, 2025, to best align with their funding cycles. Please contact Jennifer Lidar at <jlidar@usc.edu> if you have interest.
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