Discover Funding Opportunities

The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) Graduate Research Fellowship is a one-year, non-renewable award that provides funding to outstanding graduate students conducting research that contributes to the understanding, diagnosis, or treatment of hereditary, sporadic, or acquired ataxias. Proposals across the spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research are accepted. The goal of this fellowship is to foster early engagement in the ataxia research field and support the development of foundational skills for future scientific careers. This award is intended to nurture promising graduate students and provide early exposure to impactful research in ataxia, helping to cultivate the future leaders of this field. Funding may be used for direct research expenses only, including all or part of the fellow's salary.

The NAF Post-doctoral Fellowship Awards provide one-year support for early-career researchers conducting innovative studies that can expand our understanding of the cause, pathogenesis, or treatment of hereditary, sporadic, and acquired ataxias. This fellowship is intended to foster the development of promising scientists by supporting mentored research experiences that build toward independent research careers. Funded projects are expected to generate high-quality preliminary data, strengthen research skills, and position fellows for future grant applications and academic advancement. The fellowship supports projects that are innovative and have the potential to contribute meaningfully to understanding of ataxia, including studies focused on fundamental mechanisms of disease, model development and validation, emerging therapeutic targets or strategies, and early-stage data collection. The fellowship is intended to be a bridge to independence, helping recipients develop the skills, knowledge, and preliminary data necessary to become competitive for long-term research funding and establish themselves as leaders in the ataxia research community.

The NAF Early Career Investigator Award is a one-year grant designed to support outstanding early-stage scientists who have completed their postdoctoral training within the past 6 years and hold a junior faculty or clinical fellow appointment. This award aims to foster the development of independent research careers by providing seed funding for innovative, high-impact studies in the field of ataxia. Proposals are welcome across the full spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research, but must have a clear and significant focus on advancing our understanding of the causes, pathogenesis, or treatment of hereditary, sporadic, or acquired ataxias. The award is designed to act as a catalyst for early-career investigators, helping them build the foundation necessary to secure long-term funding and become future leaders in ataxia research. Priority is given to projects focused on fundamental disease mechanisms, development and validation of disease models, identification of emerging therapeutic targets or strategies, and early-stage data collection that can support future external grant applications.

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.