PEN America
Program: 2026 Pen / Heim Translation Fund Grants
Synopsis: Supports translations-in-progress to help complete the work of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or drama, originally written by a single individual, into a first-ever English translation. Projects may have a maximum of 2 translators, but are limited to only one original author. Translators may submit 1 project per year, and those who have been awarded previously must wait 3 years before applying for funding.
Award details: $2K to $4K.
Announcement on website: https://pen.org/literary-grants/pen-heim-grants/
Application due date: June 1, 2025.
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Women’s Studio Workshop (WSW)
Program: Artist’s Book Residency Grant
Synopsis: Supports artists for a 6-8 week residency, to produce a limited edition book work. Working intensively in WSW’s studios, artists print and bind their own books and are encouraged to create an edition size 50 to 100 pages.
Award details: $350 per week stipend, up to $1K for materials and 250 for travel within the continental U.S, free onsite housing and 24/7 studio access. WSW can provide technical advice, training on new equipment and techniques, materials, and production assistance.
Announcement on website: https://wsworkshop.org/residencies/artists-book-residency-grant/
Application due date: July 15, 2025.
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Society for Neuroscience (SFN)
Program: The Patricia Goldman-Rakic Hall of Honor
Synopsis: Honors a neuroscientist, posthumously, who served the profession through exceptional achievements in neuroscience as evidenced by publications, inventions, awards, recognition at national and international levels in the field, and who exhibited an outstanding dedication to facilitating the advancement of women in neuroscience. Nominations must be made or endorsed by an SFN member.
Award details: The Recipient is recognized at the annual SFN meeting, and a family member of the honoree is invited to the meeting in honor of their memory.
Announcement on website: The Patricia Goldman-Rakic Hall of Honor
Nominations due date: Nomination due date has been extended to May 15, 2025.
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Society for Neuroscience (SFN)
Program: Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience
Synopsis: Supports and honors an individual whose recent, impactful activities have produced a significant cumulative contribution, or have advanced theoretical models or computational methods in neuroscience.
Award details: $30K, plus complimentary registration to the SFN annual meeting, and transportation to the meeting and 2 nights lodging during the meeting.
Announcement on website: https://www.sfn.org/careers/awards/outstanding-career-and-research-achievements-awards/swartz-prize-for-theoretical-and-computational-neuroscience
Nominations due date: Nomination due date has been extended to May 15, 2025.
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Hotricultural Research Institute / AmericanHort Foundation
Program: 2026 Research Grants
Synopsis: Supports research that specifically deals with green industry related issues. HRI seeks to support research that has definable outcomes and represents a return on investment for the green industry. HRI research strategically focuses on quantifying plant benefits, gathering consumer insights, creative innovative solutions, and producing practical and actionable solutions, and aims to support research that has defined outcomes, creates applicable advice for businesses, and represents a return on investment for the green industry.
Award details: $10K up to $35K, typically, although larger awards have been made.
Announcement on website: https://www.hriresearch.org/research-application-and-requirements
Application due date: May 31, 2025.
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Arnold Ventures
Program: Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System
Synopsis: Supports investigators to conduct causal research projects of policies, practices, and interventions related to community safety and the criminal justice system. The purpose is to generate new evidence to inform policies that will make communities safer and make the criminal justice system fairer and effective. Research projects must adhere to the following criteria:
- Propose a strong causal research design, which can reliably and validly isolate the treatment effect of a policy, practice, or intervention. Examples of such research designs include difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variables, and randomization.
- The policy, practice, or intervention being tested is in the United States.
- Outcomes include measures of real-world behaviors (such as crime rates or criminal justice involvement), as opposed to measures collected in a controlled lab setting or measures of perceptions.
Award details: Median award is $500K spread over 3-4 years. Applicants should specify the amount of funding requested from Arnold Ventures, reflecting the project timeline and the study scope, and include an approximate project budget that is consistent with AV’s cost policy
Announcement on website: Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System
Letter of Intent: May be submitted anytime.
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The Anxiety and Depression Initiative
Program: Empowering Mental Health Through Physical Activity – 2025 Get Out and Get Active Grant Cycle
Synopsis: Supports projects that research, educate, facilitate, advocate for the benefits of physical activity to improve mental health outcomes. In addition to supporting research initiatives on the impact of exercise on mental health and the identification of best practices in integrating physical activity with other therapies, this grant supports educational campaigns to help raise awareness of physical activity as a mental health tool. The program supports collaboration with mental health professionals and / or physical activity professionals to better incorporate physical activity into mental health treatment plans.
Award details: $10K to be disbursed over a 12-month project period.
Announcement on website: https://theadi.org/
Application due date: May 30, 2025.
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Program: Systems for Action (S4A)
Synopsis: Supports research studies that test novel ideas for aligning delivery and financing systems across sectors in ways that address the health and social needs of people experiencing health inequities. RWJF will fund a new cohort of community-led pilot studies to produce new, actionable evidence about how to help medical, social, and public health systems work together to address forms of systemic racism. This Call for Proposals (CFP) focuses specifically on systems alignment (SA) interventions that have the potential to dismantle or disrupt the health effects of systemic racism and to positively affect the health and well-being of communities that experience systemic racism. S4A prioritizes SA interventions that, if successful, can be rapidly replicated and spread to many communities and contexts across the U.S. in order to achieve broad national impact. While universities such as USC (and Dornsife) and contract research organizations are not eligible to serve as lead applicant organizations for this CFP, they may serve as fiscal sponsors for eligible applicant organizations.
Award details: Up to $200K for up to a 5-year project.
Announcement on website: https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2025/systems-for-action-community-led-systems-research-to-address-systemic-racism.html
Application due date: June 4, 2025.
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Charles H. Neilsen Foundation
Programs: Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum (SCIRTS) (1) Grants (2) Postdoctoral Fellowships
Synopsis: Supports the development of new approaches to restore / enhance function and prevent or alleviate complications that arise after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Research should be designed to demonstrate an improvement in function or clinical decision-making. The inclusion of individuals with SCI in the design of studies to aid the development of research that leads to an improved quality of life is encouraged. Rather than supporting basic cellular research or large-scale clinical trials, SCIRTS aims to generate initial data with clear translational significance that enable larger funding opportunities and future clinical trials. The Neilsen Foundation does not provide continuous funding to individual labs but does fund novel research with translational potential that may not be well positioned for federal funding at this time.
Award details: (1) Translational Spectrum Grants: Up to $400K over 3 years for research that may target any system or function affected by SCI or its sequelae during the acute or chronic injury period. (2) Postdoctoral Fellowships: Up to $200K over two years will be awarded in support of mentored postdoctoral training specialization in the field of SCI and to prepare the fellow to move into an independent research position.
Announcement on website: https://chnfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SCIRTS-2026-Application-Guide_FINAL-2.19.25_accessible.pdf
Letter of Intent due date: May 23, 2025.
Full application due date (invited): November 7, 2025.
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American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Program: 2025 AACR Trailblazer Cancer Research Grants for Early-Stage Investigators
Synopsis: Supports cancer researchers, help launch their careers, and enable them to become thought leaders in the field. These grants are intended to provide talented investigators with the resources and dedicated time to establish innovative, emerging research projects. Projects may be exploratory, developmental, or proof of concept. By funding paradigm-shifting research, these grants are intended to advance the understanding of cancer biology, drive groundbreaking translational discoveries, and / or improve patient outcomes. Eligible candidates are tenure-track assistant professors who are currently not under consideration for tenure and started their faculty position within the last 6 years. Candidates must have independent lab space and be current members of AACR. There are no national or geographic restrictions.
Award details: $1M over 3 years, including up to 20% indirect costs.
Announcement on website: https://www.aacr.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-Trailblazer-Early-Investigator-Award_PGs-FINAL.pdf
Letter of Intent due date: June 12, 2025.
Full application due date (invited): September 25, 2025. Grant term begins December 1, 2025.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Air Force Research Laboratory - Government Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/RW)
Program: University Day 2025
NOFO #: BAA FA8651-22-S-0001
Synopsis: Supports research from academic collaborators that currently do not have a relationship with AFRL/RW via an existing contract / grant. However, AFRL / RW will consider all U.S. Universities’ proposals. AFRL/RW intends to award short-term seedling projects in two research areas.
- RA 2 – BIOPRINCIPIC SYSTEMS (SENSORS, PROCESSING, CONTROL, AND
MATERIALS) (RWTCA) with Research Title: Collective Swarming Resulting from Emerging
Behavior by Autonomous Biological
- RA 17 – WEAPON AUTONOMY AND CONTROL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (RWTA) with Research Title: Computationally Efficient, Intelligent Guidance and Control Algorithms
Proposers shall propose against ONE research area topic only. Only those proposals that meet the highly selectable and / or selectable categories will be invited to the virtual pitch day.
Award details: $75K to $100K for 12 months (10 months for research and 2 months for compiling final report). 5 or 6 awards will be awarded.
Announcement on website: University Day 2025
Application due date: May 14, 2025.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory
Program: Quantum Characterization, Calibration, and Control (Q3)
NOFO #: W911NF25S0002
Synopsis: Supports projects focused on techniques for optimizing the performance of operations required for error correction that can enable fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC). Potential research areas of proposals responding to this call includes, but are not limited to, refined, platform-tailored methods of estimating the physical error models relevant for quantum error correction as well as identification of error mechanisms limiting experimental performance; methods for developing high-fidelity simultaneous control of many qubits adapted to system realities; and demonstrations of methods for calibration and recalibration which can scale to systems of 10s-100s of qubits in an efficient and long-term stable manner. A major component of QC3 will be experimental demonstration of advances to the state-of-the-art expected by the proposed research. Proposals should include a plan for experimentally demonstrating the proposed techniques, verifying their performance, and adapting to or learning from experimental non-idealities, using either existing experiments in partner laboratories or via cloud access, prior to the end of the program.
Award details: Anticipated awards will be made in the form of procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements, Other Transactions Agreements, and are subject to the availability of appropriations. Funding for the second year and beyond will be contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funds. Cost-sharing is not required.
Announcement on website: Quantum Characterization, Calibration, and Control (Q3)
White paper due date (strongly encouraged): May 30, 2025.
Proposal due date: August 7, 2025.
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Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Program: Global Opportunity: GlobalX Innovation Joint Challenge: AI for Advancing Maritime Security BAA for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology
NOFO #: N0001425SBC03
Synopsis: Supports projects that 1) define challenging and realistic maritime scene perception scenarios represented by real-world and/or synthetic data generated by sensors commonly found on UxV platforms, and 2) present innovative AI algorithms that can successfully operate on that representative data and determine operational context. Examples of such scenarios include (partial)
- Traffic Management: Identifying and categorizing different types of vessels (e.g., fishing boats, cargo ships, pleasure crafts) is crucial for traffic management.
- Port Security and Surveillance: AI can be used for port security applications, such as identifying unauthorized access, detecting suspicious objects, and monitoring vessel movements within the port area.
- Collision detection and Avoidance: AI can characterize the behavior and movement patterns of different vessels to maintain navigational situational awareness in challenging conditions such as line-of-sight occlusions and sudden lane changes in high-traffic areas. This allows a UxV to perform pre-emptive course alterations to avoid potential collisions.
Award details: Program funding is $250K for one or more awards. The project period is 12 months, with an option of an additional year based on a successful proof of concept.
Announcement on website: GlobalX Challenge
White Paper due date: May 23, 2025
Proposal pitch date: June 4, 2025
Proposal due date: June 23, 2025
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Health Program
Program: 2025 Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Award – Idea Development Award (DMDRP IDA)
NOFO #: HT942525DMDRPIDA
Synopsis: Supports projects that promote new ideas that are still in the early stages of development and have the potential to yield impactful data and new avenues of investigation. This award supports conceptually innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could lead to critical discoveries or major advancements that will accelerate progress in improving outcomes for individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Applications should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. The FY25 DMDRP IDA mechanism has a New Investigator category for applicants early in their careers (i.e., within 10 years of their first faculty appointment or equivalent) or for established investigators new to DMD research.
- The New Investigator – Early Stage category is designed to allow applicants early in their faculty appointments to compete for funding separately from established investigators.
- The New Investigator – Transitioning category is designed for investigators in an area other than muscular dystrophy, at or above the level of Assistant Professor, seeking to transition to
a career in DMD, thereby bringing their expertise to the field.
Preliminary data relevant to DMD that supports the feasibility of the research hypotheses and research approaches are required.Award details: $350K for direct costs over 2 years.
Announcement on website: Duchenne Muscular – Idea Development Award
Pre-Application due date: July 25, 2025.
Application due date: August 8, 2025.
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Department of Defense (DoD) / Defense Health Program
Program: Rare Cancer Concept Award
NOFO #: HT942525RCRPCA
Synopsis: Supports high-risk studies that have the potential to reveal entirely new avenues for investigation in rare cancers. “Rare Cancers” are defined as those cancers affecting 6 or fewer per 100,000 folks. Applications must describe how the new idea will be innovative and present as a novel course of investigation in the field of rare cancers. Preliminary data are not required. Investigators at the postdoc level and above are eligible to apply. Focus areas for this award are
- Biology: Identify disease-defining molecular pathways, cell context, and microenvironment.
- Pre-Clinical Research Model: Develop and validate rare tumor-specific models that can support clinical trial readiness.
- Therapy: Identify novel therapeutic strategies, including drug repurposing, to eliminate rare cancers.
Award details: $140K over 2 years. Indirect costs are to be negotiated in accordance with USC’s negotiated rate.
Announcement on website: Rare Cancer Concept Award
Pre-Application (Letter of Intent) due date: July 22, 2025.
Application due date: August 26, 2025.
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