Text from UMass Amherst Foundation Relations:
Please see below a list of current and recurring limited submission funding opportunities for the entire year. As individual foundations share the particular requirements and deadlines of each annual grantmaking cycle with differing amounts of lead time, we are providing you with the general parameters of those opportunities that are not currently active so that you can begin to prepare for any that might interest you.
As a reminder, limited submission funding programs are those that restrict the number of applications an institution can submit. To manage this, an internal selection process is employed that determines which proposal(s) will move forward. At UMass Amherst, this process begins with the completion of an internal application through InfoReady (direct links to which are included in the both the active opportunities below and in our weekly Foundation Funding Guide). Once submitted, internal applications are reviewed by a committee that includes the Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement, a representative of the Provost’s office, and the Associate Deans of Research from applicants' colleges. Once a nominee is selected, our office reaches out to that individual with details of next steps in the submission process. As we do with all proposals bound for private foundations, our office assists nominees with refining the narrative portions of their applications and assembling the required elements of their submissions. (You may click here to learn about the full menu of services we provide.)
We encourage you to reach out to our office for assistance and guidance as you consider your application plans. We look forward to working with you!
Marco Monoc, Ph.D.
Executive Director of Foundation Relations
e-mail: mmonoc@uma-foundation.org
Rebecca G. Feinberg, MPH
Director of Foundation Relations
e-mail: rfeinberg@uma-foundation.org
Ruofan Li, MEd
Coordinator of Foundation Relations
e-mail: rli@uma-foundation.org
AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT INTERNAL DEADLINES
Please note that all proposals must be submitted by the Office of Pre-Award Services (OPAS), which has a five-day review process. For more detailed information on OPAS’s review policy, including specific requirements and timeline examples, please click here.
Current Limited Submission Opportunities
Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation
Macy Faculty Scholars Program 2026
Internal Deadline: 06/25/2025
Funder Deadline: 08/01/2025
Amount: $250,000
Focus: Early-career Educators in Nursing
Tang Prize
2026 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Sciences
Internal Deadline: 07/15/2025
Funder Deadline: 09/15/2025
Amount: $1,530,000
Frontiers Research Foundation
Frontiers Planet Prize 2026
Internal Deadline: 09/15/2025
Funder Deadline: 11/01/2025
Amount: Up to $1 Million
Focus: Breakthrough research across all disciplines, on condition that it is focused on the 9 Planetary Boundaries
Upcoming Limited Submission Opportunities
Greenwall Foundation
Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics
Application opens: Summer
Funder Deadline: Mid-September (LOI)
Amount: 50% of the scholar’s salary plus benefits for three years
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program
Funder Deadline: Early November
Amount: $200,000
Focus: Research in the social sciences and humanities that address important and enduring issues confronting our society
Warren Alpert Foundation
Distinguished Scholars Fellowship Award
Application opens: July
Funder Deadline: 11/01/2025
Amount: $400,000
Focus: Postdoctoral scientists in neurosciences
Brain Research Foundation
Seed Grants Program
Application opens: Early September
Funder Deadline: Mid-November (LOI)
Amount: $80,000
Focus: New research projects in the field of neuroscience that will likely lead to extramural funding from NIH or other outside funding sources (assistant or associate professor)
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
New Directions Fellowships
Funder Deadline: TBA
Amount: Up to $300,000
Focus: Faculty members in the humanities to pursue systematic training outside their own fields
Sawyer Seminars
Note: Sawyer Seminars will be paused for the next 2025-2026 cycle to undergo a full review and refresh. The Foundation has administered this program for three decades, and during this time, Mellon has undergone significant changes in its strategic priorities. For this reason, Mellon is presently considering the future of the Seminars and how they can more closely align with these priorities.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Moore Inventor Fellows
Application opens: Mid-September
Nomination Deadline: Mid-November
Application Deadline: Mid-December
Amount: $675,000 (host institutions are required to contribute additional $150,000)
Focus: Scientist-inventors who create new tools and technologies with a high potential to accelerate progress in scientific discovery, environmental conservation and patient care
Blavatnik Family Foundation
Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists
Nomination Deadline: Early December
Amount: $250,000
Focus: Young faculty members in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences
Dreyfus Foundation
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
Funder Deadline: Next January
Amount: $100,000
Focus: Research and teaching careers of talented early career faculty in the chemical sciences
Note: The 2025 internal nomination for this award closed in 2024.
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
New Innovator In Food and Agriculture Research Award
Funder Deadline: TBA
Amount: Up to $450,000
Focus: Early-career scientists