Discover Funding Opportunities

Taking a two-track approach to informing climate policy, the King Climate Action Initiative (K-CAI) at J-PAL funds proposals to design, pilot, evaluate, and scale innovations at the nexus of climate change and poverty. The Initiative has one regular funding cycle per year. K-CAI research awards fund full randomized evaluations, pilot research projects, and travel/proposal development projects to identify potentially high impact innovations and evaluate their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. K-CAI Path-to-Scale awards fund technical assistance to governments, firms, and NGOs to adapt, pilot, and scale evidence-based climate change solutions with demonstrated impact. Working across developing countries that will be hardest hit by climate change and high-emitting developed countries, K-CAI supports research and scaling projects across four outcome areas: climate change mitigation, pollution reduction, climate change adaptation, and energy access, prioritizing projects that have the potential to benefit people experiencing poverty.

The Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative (NGPI) is BWF's flagship funding mechanism in reproductive sciences, building upon the original Preterm Birth Initiative that ran from 2009 to 2019. After convening a Pregnancy Think Tank in 2019, BWF broadened the program's scope to address the interrelatedness of pregnancy duration, fetal growth, and adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and maternal medical complications. Following a strategic reassessment, the 2025-2026 cycle focuses on refined priority areas including underlying mechanisms of normal pregnancy, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and late term pregnancy loss (excluding projects on miscarriage at 10 weeks or less and infertility-related loss). The program especially welcomes applications focused on subtyping adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigating maternal-fetal interactions, and integrating animal models with clinical outcomes. This award targets projects that have a solid basis for expanded study and could leverage NGPI funds to build a stronger foundation of evidence, making them more competitive for larger grant mechanisms like R01. The program provides four years of funding and moved to an annual cycle to address limited funding mechanisms in reproductive sciences.

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund aims to stimulate the growth of new connections between thinkers working in largely disconnected fields, who, together, may change the course of climate change's impact on human health. Between Fall 2023 and Summer 2026, BWF will dedicate $1 million to supporting small, early-stage grants of $2,500–$50,000 toward achieving this goal. The program is primarily, but not exclusively, interested in activities that build connections between basic and early biomedical scientific approaches and ecological, environmental, geological, geographic, and planetary-scale thinking, as well as with population-focused fields, including epidemiology and public health, demography, economics, and urban planning. Also of interest is work piloting new approaches or interactions aimed at reducing the impact of health-centered activities, such as developing more sustainable systems for healthcare, care delivery, and biomedical research. Another area of interest is preparation for the impacts of extreme weather and other crises that can lead to large-scale disruptions, immediately affecting human health and the delivery of healthcare. Public outreach, climate communication, and education efforts focused on the intersection of climate and health are also appropriate for this call. This program supports work conceived through many kinds of creative thinking. Successful applicants include academic scientists, physicians, and public health experts, community organizations, science outreach centers, non-biomedical academic departments, and more.

In collaboration with PONANT EXPLORATIONS, The Explorers Club offers periodic opportunities for scientists and explorers to conduct research aboard Le Commandant Charcot during multi-week expedition voyages. Recipients come from a diverse community of changemakers from around the world working to support the mission of illuminating and preserving the world's landscapes, cultures and wildlife through science and education. The purpose of these expeditions is to advance scientific research while encouraging conversations of conservation as travelers explore new frontiers in search of discovery and a more sustainable future. The role of the science grantee is to conduct a research project and engage with PONANT EXPLORATIONS travelers via lectures, workshops and, where possible, inviting guests to partake in sample collections. The award provides onboard meals, access to the ship's lab facilities, and a double-occupancy scientist cabin.

The Stephenson Exploration Advancement (SEA) Program supports exploration and field research for marine exploration and conservation projects. Established through The Philip Stephenson Foundation, this grant category promotes marine exploration, protection, and conservation projects focused on adding value to people's lives and the health of the environment. The program is specifically designed for college undergraduates, graduate students, or independent explorers conducting fieldwork focused on marine research. The application cycle occurs annually, with applications opening in August for the following year's field season. Past recipients have conducted diverse marine research projects including coral bleaching resilience studies, manatee population monitoring through eDNA, whale shark prey identification, dolphin conservation initiatives, and deep-sea shark behavior research in locations spanning from the Arctic to Madagascar.

The Biota Awards Postdoctoral Fellowships Program supports emerging leaders in biodiversity and conservation science during the postdoctoral phase of their career at institutions and organizations in Illinois. The program aims to attract and retain exceptional postdoctoral scientists in Illinois, help them develop independent research projects, and encourage creative thinking about how research can be applied to deliver on-the-ground results. The fellowships also focus on developing a more inclusive and equitable biodiversity research community by supporting fellows from a wide range of backgrounds. The Foundation is seeking proposals in all areas of biodiversity and conservation science, from the molecular to landscape scale, with particular interest in interdisciplinary projects that bridge academic research and conservation practice. These two-year awards provide annual salaries of $70,000 in Year 1 and $73,500 in Year 2, fringe benefits, an annual research and travel allowance of $20,000, up to $3,000 in relocation costs, and indirect costs of up to 15%. Funding is granted to Illinois institutions rather than individual researchers.

The Pioneer SCA3 Translational Research Award is granted annually by the National Ataxia Foundation to independent researchers for outstanding proposals that aim to make meaningful advancements in the treatment and care of individuals with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3). While proposals may include components related to other forms of ataxia, the primary focus must be on preclinical, translational or clinical research directly relevant to SCA3. Priority is placed on proposals that accelerate the development of disease-modifying therapies, support clinical trial readiness and biomarker discovery, bridge the gap between scientific discovery and therapeutic application, and significantly advance or alter our mechanistic understanding of SCA3 pathogenesis. The award provides up to $100,000 for one year (April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027) for direct research expenses only, with no more than 50% allocated to personnel costs and no indirect costs allowed. Proposals should demonstrate a clear path toward improving patient outcomes and advancing the field toward clinical solutions for SCA3. Interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, as well as those leveraging cutting-edge technologies or resources, are encouraged.

The NAF Research Seed Money Grant is a merit-based, nonrenewable award that provides support for new and innovative studies that advance understanding of the cause, pathogenesis, or treatment of hereditary, sporadic, and acquired ataxias. These grants serve as seed funding to assist established investigators during the early or pilot phases of research, or as supplemental funding for ongoing innovative projects demonstrating a critical need. It is expected that funded projects will generate preliminary data to support applications for larger grants from other funding sources. The grant provides up to $50,000 for direct research expenses only, with no more than 50% allocated to personnel costs. Indirect costs and cost sharing are not allowed. The funding period runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. NAF is committed to supporting research that advances scientific discovery and improves outcomes for all individuals living with ataxia, regardless of disease subtype. Equal priority is given to proposals targeting more common forms of ataxia with strong translational potential and proposals focused on rare, less characterized, or newly identified forms of ataxia that build critical foundational knowledge.

The Gerber Foundation offers research grants to improve the nutrition, care and development of infants and young children from the first year before birth to three years of age. The Foundation prioritizes projects that provide fresh approaches to solving common, everyday problems or emerging issues within this focus area. Projects should focus on issues faced by care providers that, when implemented, will improve health, nutrition and/or developmental outcomes. The board particularly seeks practical solutions that can be easily and rapidly implemented on a broad scale with a predictable timeframe to clinical application. The Foundation is looking for projects that will result in 'new' information, treatments or tools that will result in a change in practice, including new diagnostic tools, treatment regimens, symptom relief, preventative measures, and risk assessment tools. The program offers two award levels: Major Research Awards for experienced principal investigators (up to $350,000) and Novice Research Awards for researchers in training or within one year post-training (up to $30,000).

SPSSI SEAS grants are intended to promote awareness of SPSSI (Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues), to identify potential new members, and to promote SPSSI membership through support of various events and activities. The grants provide up to $1,000 USD per submission team based on actual expenses incurred. Funds may be used to publicize events, pay speakers' honoraria, reimburse speakers' travel expenses, print collateral materials, or other expenses related to the specific project. In the case of pre-conferences or other larger events, the award can be used to supplement other funding sources. Payment is matched against receipts submitted to SPSSI after the event has been held. Within 30 days after completion of the event, a brief report outlining the activities and outcomes achieved must be submitted to SPSSI. Particularly successful or innovative events may receive coverage in the SPSSI newsletter or on the SPSSI website.

The BrightFuture Climate Innovation Seed Grant 2026 supports early-stage startups, nonprofits, and research-driven initiatives developing scalable solutions that address climate resilience, carbon reduction, and sustainable resource management across Europe and the UK. We are looking for innovative, technology-driven or community-based solutions that demonstrate measurable environmental impact and clear scalability potential.

Aperture Science is offering funding for researchers pushing the boundaries of interdimensional transport technology. We seek proposals addressing quantum tunneling at macroscopic scales, stable wormhole generation, and momentum conservation in non-Euclidean transit systems. "Now you're thinking with portals!" — This grant supports exactly that kind of thinking. Previous recipients have achieved breakthroughs in spatial displacement, though companion cube preservation rates remain a challenge.