Resources for new investigators are designed to be especially useful for early career researchers but may also be helpful for more experienced investigators. Resources shared on this page include internal and external links to grant relevant information and are intended to support professional learning around funding research, project planning, proposal development, and writing.
Office of Sponsored Programs & Research (OSPR)
OSPR@nu.edu
Fellows Award | MQ Mental Health Research supports early career scientists who are asking challenging questions that will contribute to transformative advances in mental health research. Application deadline - Varies
Small Grants | RSF (russellsage.org) - Applicants must be advanced doctoral students or post-docs/junior (non-tenured) faculty members who have been out of graduate school for two or fewer years. Application deadline - Open
The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience - McKnight Foundation encourages neuroscientists in the early stages of their career to focus on disorders of learning and memory. Candidates must hold a full-time appointment at the rank of assistant professor and must have served at that rank for less than four years at the application deadline. Application deadline - January
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation | (bbrfoundation.org) - The program offers up to $35,000 per year for two years to enable promising investigators to either extend their research fellowship training or to begin careers as independent research faculty. Application deadline - March
Strategy & Policy Fellows Program - SRF grants enable the recipients to research and write a book. The program supports junior or adjunct faculty, research associates, and post-docs who are engaged in policy-relevant research and writing. Application deadline - June
Research grant information | AFSP - Grants of up to $90,000 over two years are awarded to investigators at or below the level of assistant professor. Grants must allocate $10,000 for an established suicide researcher to mentor the Young Investigator. Application deadline - November
Homepage - American Federation for Aging Research (afar.org) - One-two year awards provide up to $100,000 to junior faculty to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer term research efforts on the biology of aging. Application deadline - December
In this webinar, program staff from three of the nation’s prominent funders of social, educational, economic and policy research provide an overview of programs and priorities, the basics of grant-seeking from private foundations, and what investigators should consider when writing a grant application. This webinar is designed to be especially useful for early career scholars but is also informative for more experienced investigators.
Webinar - What Investigators Should Know About Grant-Seeking from Private Foundations
Track top funding opportunities - Keep a running record of opportunities that align with your research objectives. This will help you narrow and refine your search efforts.
Review funded projects - Some organizations will publish/post access to previously funded projects. This type of research provides insight into funder trends and priorities.
Read funder FAQs - Often funders will provide more specific detail in their answers to frequently asked questions. Reviewing FAQs may further inform a proposal and give you a competitive edge.
