Salute to America 250 – Outreach Across Japan

Overview:

On July 4, 2026, America will commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Under President Trump’s leadership, the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday has commenced the planning of a full year of festivities to continue through the end of 2026.  To mark the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship historically and to usher in a new golden age of bilateral relations into the future, U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass has mobilized Mission Japan to implement an ambitious set of activities in all 47 prefectures of Japan to showcase American excellence in culture, sports, education, and business and to highlight diplomatic, civilian, and military contributions to a shared bilateral vision.  This initiative seeks both to reinvigorate and celebrate existing partnerships and activities and to explore new areas of cooperation. U.S. Embassy Tokyo anticipates working closely with the recipient organization to ensure that all aspects of the program model support the White House’s Salute to America 250 goals. 

Project Audience: Public audiences in Japan’s 47 prefectures.  The U.S. Embassy will identify up to 12 prefectures for priority programming.  Primary audiences would include individuals or organizations with no prior Mission engagement through events open to the general public.  Secondary audiences would include those with existing ties to the U.S. Mission in Japan such as: alumni of U.S. government sponsored exchange programs; sister city and institutional partnership representatives; cultural, educational, economic partners with established U.S. ties; and Japan-based U.S. citizens serving as cultural figures, educators, entrepreneurs, or subjectmatter experts.   

Project Goal: Strengthen public awareness and positive perceptions of American excellence and binational cooperation among Japanese public audiences by highlighting the contributions of the United States in a golden age of U.S.-Japan relations. 

Project Objectives: Proposals should include one or more of the following objectives:  

Objective 1: Increase public awareness of American culture and excellence in food, sports, entrepreneurship, and education in 12 priority prefectures. Activities include but are not limited to large-scale, public facing engagement activities, including through participation by renowned U.S. sports, cultural, and musical figures. Success will be measured by: 

• At least 70% of surveyed attendees report increased awareness of American contributions to culture, education, entrepreneurship or sports, as measured through post-event surveys.     
• At least 70% of surveyed attendees report more favorable perceptions of U.S.Japan relations, as measured through post-event surveys. 

Solicitation limitations:

Limitation: ASU may submit only one (1) application to the sponsoring organization. Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, nonprofit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.

Per ASU LS: Due to the close sponsor deadline, this is available as a first-come, first-served opportunity. Limited Submissions will administratively review submitted applications.

Other information:

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement.
The U.S. Embassy anticipates awarding a cooperative agreement and will undertake reasonable and programmatically necessary substantial involvement.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan is pleased to announce a FY2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Click Salute to America 250 – Outreach across Japan for more information.

NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM)

Overview:

The S-STEM program provides IHEs with funds for scholarships to support academically talented, domestic low-income students with demonstrated financial need to enter the US workforce following completion of associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in S-STEM eligible disciplines. Funds also enable IHEs to establish and assess evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities and supports. S-STEM scholarship awards facilitate the establishment of infrastructure and collaborations to: (1) provide scholarships to academically promising, domestic low-income students with demonstrated financial need pursuing a degree in an eligible S-STEM eligible discipline; (2) adapt and implement evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities to support SSTEM scholars in ways that align with institutional context and available resources, taking into account scholars' strengths, needs, and realities; (3) increase retention, student success, and graduation of these NSF S-STEM scholars in STEM; and (4) disseminate effective outcomes, supports and interventions undertaken by the project.

Description of Program 
Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) The aim of Track 1 is to build capacity and develop infrastructure to support low-income STEM students at institutions that have not had a recent award from the S-STEM program. Institutions without active S-STEM or STEP funding in the 5 years prior to the submission deadline may submit to this track. The entire institution is ineligible if any program, department, or school within the institution has had an active STEP or S-STEM award in the past 5 years. Track 1 proposals may include a focus on student transfer or progression to graduate school for its scholars' benchmark of success.

Track 2 (Implementation Projects) Any IHE (as described under the eligibility section) can submit a Track 2 proposal, regardless of prior S-STEM or STEP awards.

Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia) Track 3 projects support multi-institutional collaborations that focus on a common interest or challenge. Interinstitutional Consortia projects represent varied collaborations, including partnerships between 2-year colleges and 4- year colleges and universities, between 4-year colleges and graduate programs, or between comparable institutions looking to implement and study parallel interventions. For example, a collaboration among community colleges and four-year institutions may focus on issues associated with successful transfer of low-income students from 2-year institutions to 4-year programs. In another example, a multi-institutional collaboration may focus on factors that contribute to the success or degree attainment of domestic, low-income students in different types of institutions.

Proposals with a strong focus on the transfer or advancement of students from one educational level to another should collaborate with appropriate institutional partners. For example, proposals focused on the transfer of students from 2- year institutions to 4-year institutions should include faculty and administrators from 2-year institutions and 4-year institutions in the leadership team; likewise, proposals focusing on the advancement of undergraduate students at predominately undergraduate institutions to graduate programs should include institutions, administrators, and Co-PIs representing both the undergraduate programs and the receiving graduate programs.

Planning Proposals Planning proposals may be submitted at any time following consultation with and consent of an S-STEM Program Officer. Planning Proposals should allow institutions to gather data, assess the needs of low-income students in the local context, design or pilot student support mechanisms, create or strengthen partnerships, or otherwise prepare for a Track 1, 2, or 3 submission. 

Conferences Proposals for conferences addressing important needs within the S-STEM community may be submitted at any time following consultation with an S-STEM program officer. Conference proposals that address effective student supports for low-income STEM students, professional development of S-STEM project personnel, and research collaborations of educational researchers and disciplinary scientists are especially encouraged.

Common Elements of Track 1, Track 2 and Track 3 proposals 
The following principles and expectations apply to submissions to Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building), Track 2 (Implementation Projects), and Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia). 

• Scholar Eligibility and Selection Criteria
• Evidence-based, context-specific interventions must be linked to low-income student needs
• Scholar Cohorts and Faculty Mentoring
• Involvement of Office of Financial Aid and Other Campus Partners
• Determination of Scholarship Amounts
• Analysis of Prospective Scholar Pool
• Additional participation requirements in other project activities
• Knowledge Generation and Dissemination
• Student data collection

Solicitation limitations:

Limitation: ASU may submit only two (2) applications to the sponsoring organization.
An institution may submit up to two proposals (either as a single institution or as a subawardee or a member of an inter-institutional consortia project (lead or co-lead) for a given S-STEM deadline.

Other information:

[See Important Information And Revision Notes here.] The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program solicitation has been revised for the FY2025 competition. Prospective Principal Investigators are encouraged to read the solicitation carefully.

Awards for Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) projects may not exceed $2,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years. 
Awards for Track 2 (Implementation Projects) projects may not exceed $2,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years. 
Awards for Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia) projects may not exceed $5,000,000 total for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)

Overview:

The following is a summary for the Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER). The description of the NSF component of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is available in the full funding announcement. 

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from early-career faculty at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply.

All CAREER proposals should describe an integrated path that will lead to a successful career as an outstanding researcher and educator. NSF recognizes that there is no single approach to an integrated research and education plan, but encourages all applicants to think creatively about the reciprocal relationship between the proposed research and education activities and how they may inform each other in their career development as both outstanding researchers and educators. These plans should reflect the proposer's own disciplinary and educational interests and goals, as well as the needs and context of his or her organization. Because there may be different expectations within different disciplinary fields and/or different organizations, a wide range of research and education activities may be appropriate for the CAREER program. In addition, NSF recognizes that some investigators, given their individual disciplinary and career interests, may wish to pursue an additional activity such as entrepreneurship, industry partnerships, or policy that enhances their research and education plans. Proposers are encouraged to communicate with the CAREER contact or cognizant Program Officer in the Division closest to their area of research to discuss the expectations and approaches that are most appropriate for that area (see https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/career/contacts.jsp for a list of CAREER contacts by division).

Solicitation limitations:

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1
An eligible Principal Investigator may submit only one CAREER proposal per annual competition. No co-PIs are permitted.

Other information:

The CAREER award, including indirect costs, is expected to total a minimum of $400,000 for the 5-year duration, with the following exceptions: Awards for proposals to the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), or the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) are expected to total a minimum of $500,000 for the 5-year duration. The PECASE award is an honorary award and does not provide additional funds. CAREER awards are eligible for supplemental funding as described in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Proposers must meet all of the following eligibility requirements as of the annual deadline:

• Hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by NSF;
• Be engaged in research in an area of science, engineering, or education supported by NSF;
• Hold at least a 50% tenure-track (or tenure-track-equivalent) position as an assistant professor (or equivalent title);
• Be untenured; and
• Have not previously received a CAREER award. (Prior or concurrent Federal support for other types of awards for non-duplicative research does not preclude eligibility.)

Tenure-Track Equivalency - For a position to be considered a tenure-track-equivalent position, it must meet all of the following requirements: (1) the employee has a continuing appointment that is expected to last the five years of a CAREER grant; (2) the appointment has substantial research and educational responsibilities; and (3) the proposed project relates to the employee's career goals and job responsibilities as well as to the mission of the department or organization. As stated in the Proposal Preparation Instructions, for non-tenure-track faculty, the Departmental Letter must affirm that the investigator's appointment is at an early-career level equivalent to pre-tenure status, and the Departmental Letter must clearly and convincingly demonstrate how the faculty member's appointment satisfies all the above requirements of tenure-track equivalency.

Professional Education & Training Grants

Overview:

RRF funds professional education and training projects that will be broadly disseminated to achieve a national impact. RRF recognizes the importance of a well-trained work force to serve older persons.

Of particular interest are programs that:

• Increase the knowledge and skills of professionals and paraprofessionals who serve older people
• Expand the capacity and number of professionals and paraprofessionals prepared to meet the growing needs of an aging population

Professional Education and Training Grants are provided to nonprofit organizations that are:

• Proposing a project that has a significant focus on those working with persons, age 60 and older
• Proposing a project that will have national reach across the U.S. or regional reach within the state of Illinois

Priority Areas
RRF Foundation for Aging focuses on improving the quality of life for older people. In an effort to strengthen the Foundation’s impact, RRF has established Priority Areas. These Priority Areas are specific topics in aging that will be given higher priority within the Foundation’s grantmaking program.

• Caregiving: Ensuring that caregivers are informed, well-trained, and supported, while providing care to older people in community settings.
• Economic security in later life: Valuing the dignity of older people through efforts that ensure and protect their economic security and well-being.
• Housing: Promoting efforts that make housing more affordable and provide coordinated services that enable older people to live safely in community settings.
• Social and intergenerational connectedness: Strengthening social bonds through efforts that promote meaningful connections, including those that span generations.
• Organizational capacity building: Improve management and governance of organizations in Illinois.
• Other promising projects: While Priority Areas reflect RRF’s primary funding interests, we remain open to supporting other opportunistic aging projects (on a selective basis).

Solicitation limitations:

ASU may submit only one (1) letter of inquiry to the sponsoring organization per deadline. 

Other information:

Application Information & Tips: At RRF, we want you to have the resources you need to prepare successful grant applications. Here you’ll find general grant exclusions, frequently asked questions, and more.

Awards: 2025 awards ranged between $50,000 and $375,000. See 2025 funded projects here.

Braille Training Program

Overview:

The [2026] Braille Training program offers financial assistance to projects that will (1) provide training in the use of braille for personnel providing vocational rehabilitation (VR) services or educational services to youth and adults who are blind; (2) develop braille training materials; (3) develop methods used to teach braille; and (4) develop activities used to promote the knowledge and use of braille and nonvisual access technology for youth and adults who are blind. The Braille Training program partners with States and public nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to provide information, material, equipment, and training in braille instruction. The support provided by the program will increase the knowledge and skills of personnel providing VR services or educational services to youth and adults who are blind. 

Priorities 
This notice includes one absolute priority. For FY 2026, and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications for this competition, the absolute priority is a priority as reflected in this document.  

Absolute Priority: We consider only applications that meet the absolute priority.  
Under this priority, we provide grants for the establishment or continuation of projects that provide— (1) Development of braille training materials; (2) In-service or pre-service training in the use of braille, the importance of braille literacy, and methods of teaching braille to youth and adults who are blind; and (3) Activities to promote knowledge and use of braille and nonvisual access technology for blind youth and adults through a program of training, demonstration, and evaluation conducted with leadership of experienced blind individuals, including the use of comprehensive, state-of-the art technology.

Other information:

See full funding opportunity announcement for Selection Criteria and Performance Measures.

Growing Convergence Research (GCR)

Overview:

Convergence research is a means for solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs or deep scientific challenges. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and developing novel paradigms that catalyze scientific discovery and innovation.

GCR identifies Convergence Research as having two primary characteristics:

• Research driven by a specific and compelling problem. Convergence research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs.
• Deep integration across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities and languages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities.

A distinct characteristic of convergence research, in contrast to other forms of multidisciplinary research, is that from the inception, the convergence paradigm intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers and stakeholders to frame the research questions, adopt common frameworks for addressing them, and create and implement innovative scientific approaches for their solution. This includes, when appropriate, developing new integrated theories, methods, research tools, and ways of communicating across disciplines and sectors. Research teams practicing convergence aim to develop sustainable collaborations that may not only create solutions to the specific problem studied, but also develop novel ways of investigating related research questions and open new research vistas.

This GCR solicitation targets multidisciplinary teams who are embracing convergence research as a means of developing highly innovative solutions to complex research problems. GCR proposals are expected to be bold and address scientific or technical challenges and bottlenecks which if resolved have the potential to transform scientific understanding and solve vexing problems. Successful GCR projects are anticipated to lead to paradigm shifting approaches within disciplines, establishment of new scientific communities, or development of transformative technologies that have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact.

The aim of GCR is to cultivate and grow the earliest foundations of convergent approaches for addressing a specific and compelling problem. As such, proposals submitted to this solicitation are expected to explore novel avenues not previously investigated that are at the forefront of advancing science through deep integration. Proposers must make a convincing case that the research to be conducted is within NSF's purview, integrates across NSF directorate or division boundaries, and is currently not supported by other NSF programs or solicitations.

Proposals must include the following:

• A description of a long-term scientific vision motivated by a specific societal and/or scientific problem;
• A rationale explaining proposal suitability for this solicitation and why the stated problem requires growing a new convergence research approach;
• Clear description of scientific or technical challenges and bottlenecks which if resolved have the potential to transform our foundational scientific understanding;
• A five-year research plan, divided into two phases (years 1-2 and years 3-5), that employs a novel convergence paradigm comprising deep integration across disciplines;
• A convergence management plan that outlines strategies and procedures for growing convergent science during the project and beyond and that articulates how progress will be assessed.

Please refer to the proposal preparation instructions below for more detail on each of these items.

Solicitation limitations:

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1
A PI or a co-PI may participate in only one GCR project at a time. 

Other information:

The proposers must outline a five-year research plan delineated in two phases, Phase I: years 1-2, and Phase II: years 3-5. The total budget for Phase I may not exceed $1,200,000, and the total for Phase II may not exceed $2,400,000. Successful proposals will be funded initially for two years. Each team's progress will be evaluated at a reverse site visit near the end of year 2; this will involve preparing a progress report and making a team presentation to a panel of reviewers/site visitors. Only teams that show exceptional progress according to the merit review and solicitation specific criteria during the first two years and that articulate plans for furthering advancements at the forefront of convergence research will be eligible for additional funding for up to three years pending availability of funds.

2026 (February) APS Foundation

Overview:

The APS Foundation is committed to supporting programs that strengthen academic achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in Arizona. Our funding focus is projects and programs that enhance STEM education and attainment, with a signature emphasis on professional development for STEM teachers. These projects are prioritized in our grantmaking process, though we welcome applications for any initiatives that support Arizona educators and students and enhance STEM learning.

Building a workforce proficient in STEM skills is essential to Arizona’s future. A strong STEM workforce helps attract and retain high-quality businesses and industries, fueling long-term economic growth and innovation across the state. 

To be eligible, organizations must:

• Be a registered 501(c)(3) public charity in good financial and public standing for 3+ years.
• Deliver programming that is facilitated within the state of Arizona.
• Submit a program that demonstrates the ability to:
  • Improve educational outcomes in STEM,
  • Increase access to STEM learning, and/or
  • Provide an innovative approach to education.

STEM Focused- program and projects that support Arizona’s youth and educators at the K-12 and college/university level.

• Curriculum
• Equipment
• Scholarships
• Stipends/salaries/consultants
• Suppose
• Transportation
• Printing/publication costs

Solicitation limitations:

ASU may submit only two (2) applications to the sponsoring organization. Note: This opportunity and sponsor are managed by the ASU Foundation. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions regarding eligibility or the program.

Other information:

The Limited Submissions internal application has been updated to match the sponsor's requirements. Please note that the sponsor has other requirements that can be addressed after the LS review process.

Research Project and Existing Program Evaluation Proposals

Overview:

The Brady Education Foundation seeks to improve educational outcomes for children, including those living in low-income communities. The Foundation pursues its mission by promoting collaboration among researchers, educators, and other stakeholders via the funding of Research Projects and Program Evaluations.

Research Projects
The Foundation supports research projects that have the potential to inform how to improve educational outcomes for children from birth through age 18. The Foundation is particularly focused on supporting research that is consistent with a strength-based perspective and has the potential to inform future educational research, practice, major philanthropic giving, and/or public policy.

Aims for Research Project (RP) proposals:

• Primary and secondary aims:
  • The Primary and any secondary aims must focus on developmental or educational research that will inform future education research, practice, philanthropic funding, and/or public policy.
  • Examples of this type of grant include (but are not limited to): measurement development, studies investigating factors associated with achievement outcomes, studies investigating strength families bring to the learning environment and how those can be capitalized upon to promote children’s learning and achievement outcomes, and policy studies.

Existing Program Evaluations
The Foundation supports the evaluation of programs that are feasible and sustainable (i.e., can work and be maintained in the real world of educational settings and systems), accessible (i.e., are available to and attainable by the families that need them), and strength-based (i.e., recognize the strengths that children and families bring to the learning environment that can be capitalized upon to promote strong academic outcomes). The Foundation also supports cost-benefit analyses of existing programs whose goals are to promote improved educational outcomes.

The Foundation is currently accepting Research Project (RP) proposals and Existing Program Evaluation (EPE) proposals. The Foundation is particularly focused on supporting projects that are consistent with a strength-based perspective and have the potential to inform future educational research, practice, major philanthropic giving, and/or public policy.

The proposed project may span up to three years (this applies to both Existing Program Evaluations and to Research Project proposals). Projects that would only analyze existing data sets (i.e., secondary data analyses; no new data collected) are expected to be conducted within 1.5 years.

Aims for Existing Program Evaluation (EPE proposals):

• Primary aim:
  • What works: The primary aim must concern evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to promote positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years).
• Secondary aims may also focus on one or more of the following:
  • What works for whom, under what conditions: Investigate variations in program effects; that is, test for moderation effects that inform whether effects are stronger for certain groups and/or under certain conditions than other groups or conditions.
  • Reasons for effects: Investigate mechanisms through which effects occur; that is, test for mediation effects that inform why the program is effective.
  • Cost-benefit analyses: Compare the total costs of the program (start-up and ongoing operational costs) with its estimated monetary benefits to determine the net cost or benefit associated with the program.
• Primary and secondary aims:
  • The Primary and any secondary aims must focus on educational research that will inform future education research, practice, philanthropic funding, and/or public policy.

Solicitation limitations:

Funding must be through the Principal Investigator’s home institution (i.e., the university, college, or non-profit research organization).

Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations only. This applies to the sponsoring institution as well as subcontracts.

Other information:

The application process for all grants begins with the submission of an LOI. If the LOI is approved, the applicant will be invited to submit a Stage 1 application. Stage 1 applications are accepted by invitation only.

LOI Submission* deadlines (submission windows for LOIs):

• 1/15/26 – 2/15/26 
• 5/15/26 – 6/15/26 
• 9/15-26 – 10/15/26 
• 1/15/27 – 2/15/27 
• Factors that cause applications to be disqualified
• Review criteria for EPE applications
• Review criteria for RP applications
• FAQs

*LOIs are accepted during these dates. If invited to submit a Stage 1 application, applicant can submit for this cycle or any future cycle (i.e., an applicant can submit for this cycle or wait to submit their Stage 1 application in a later cycle). If they choose to wait and submit for a later cycle, they are NOT required to resubmit their LOI.

Prior to submitting an LOI, all applicants are strongly encouraged to read through the criteria used to disqualify and review Stage 1 proposals. Download the complete guidelines concerning:

Duration: The proposed project may span up to three years (this applies to both Existing Program Evaluations and to Research Project proposals).  

Applied Research Competition

Overview:

The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) invites letters of intent for its 2026 Applied Research Competition. Through this competition, OAR seeks to promote evidence-based practices based on research in the following areas: 

• The analysis, evaluation, or comparison of current models of assessment, intervention, or systems of service delivery, including policy analysis 
• Applied aspects of educational, behavioral, or social/communicative intervention 
• Effective intervention across the lifespan for individuals considered severely affected by ASD 
• Issues affecting adults with autism such as continuing education, employment, residential supports, sexuality instruction, quality-of-life determinants, and services and supports for older autistic individuals 
• Issues related to family support, social and community integration, assessment and intervention with challenging behavior, and the use of technology in support of learners with ASD 2. 
• Belonging and Interpersonal Skills 
• Communication and Language 
• Community-Based Assessment and Intervention 
• Community-Engaged Research 
• Community Living and Supports 
• Gender, Reproductive, and Sexual Health 
• Improving Access to and Effectiveness of Existing Systems and Services 
• Intersectionality, Equity, and Diversity 
• Mid-life and Older Adults 

OAR seeks to fund studies that expand the body of knowledge related to autism intervention and treatment, produce practical and clearly objective results, have the potential to positively affect public policy, and provide outcomes that offer to enhance quality of life for persons with autism and their families. While applicants are always free to submit on any relevant area of research or intervention, this year, OAR will prioritize funding for early career investigators and projects that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Generally, OAR places special emphasis on research addressing the following areas: 

Physical Health and Mental Health Study duration may range from one to two years.

Solicitation limitations:

Researchers may only submit one LOI.

At least one member of the research team must hold a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree and maintain a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility.

Other information:

OAR funds pilot studies that range from 1-2 years. The maximum grant amount is $50,000 regardless of study duration. With this year’s competition, OAR will consider awarding up to 9 grant awards of $50,000 each.

Read about the competition timeline and application process:

• Request for Applications (PDF)
• Application Overview

Global Call for Ideas

Overview:

Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) is committed to promoting scientific and religious exploration that inspires new perspectives on life’s deepest questions. We are pleased to announce that we are currently looking for new ideas to catalyze discovery and accelerate progress in the spiritual search for meaning, purpose, and truth.

As part of TWCF’s strategic planning process, we are seeking to engage the global community in a search for the best ideas wherever they may be found. This is not a traditional request for project proposals. Rather, with this Request for Ideas (RFI) we seek submissions of emerging topics that will form the basis of new funding priorities. This opportunity is expected to result in programmatic priorities funded in the range of USD 5-20 million, over a 5-7 year period.

We are looking for ideas to form the basis of future funding priorities aligned with the foundation’s purpose. Ideas should be bold and innovative, with the potential to deepen or expand our understanding of ultimate reality and what it means to be human. We seek ideas for rigorous research programs that can impact how we each see the world and our place within it. Recognizing that these discoveries may come from diverse sources we seek ideas that might illuminate and point to discoveries in three of our core areas of interest: 

1. the fundamental processes, structures and constituents of the natural world 
2. what it is to be human, as well as the various ways human beings can progress spiritually through their understanding and pursuit of virtues such as love, creativity, gratitude, forgiveness, spirituality, connection, and other positive concepts. 
3. the nature of transcendent divinity and human responses to it. 

Central to TWCF’s mission is our commitment to meaning, purpose, and truth as realities that can be known and pursued. TWCF can fund curiosity-driven research on big questions that expand the horizons of humanity’s perspectives, without necessarily expecting definitive answers. We welcome bold ideas that have potential to generate new insights, even if those ideas may be seen as too risky or contrarian by other funders. 

As well as discovery focused research, we are also open to ideas for more applied programs in specific topics (see Core Funding Areas) that will lead to long-term future benefits for humanity. 

Our current priorities and funded projects exemplify, but do not limit, the range and types of topics that we are interested in. A full description of the scope of our work can also be found in the descriptions of our core funding areas (see Appendix). We invite ideas from a wide range of disciplines, spanning the natural and social sciences, as well as humanities like philosophy and theology. Interdisciplinary ideas that integrate insights from different perspectives through open-minded inquiry are strongly encouraged.

All of TWCF’s strategic priorities are designed to advance the foundation's mandate. Within each strategic priority, individual projects must also align with one of our core funding areas. The largest focus of our grantmaking is on ‘Big Questions in Science & Religion’ outlined above, with over two thirds of our resources directed to this funding area. 

We also fund research and education programs in several specific areas chosen by our founder: genetics, character virtue development, genius, individual freedoms & free markets and voluntary family planning. Ideas related to one of these areas are also welcome.
 

Solicitation limitations:

May submit more than one idea (see PDF)

Other information:

Link to RFI Guidance and FAQs (PDF)

This opportunity is expected to result in programmatic priorities funded in the range of USD 5-20 million, over a 5-7 year period.
Important Context (from RD): Templeton’s Global Call for Ideas is not a traditional grant competition. The USD 5–20M noted in the announcement reflects the expected total investment in the final priority area, not a single grant award. Individual submitters may receive smaller planning or concept awards depending on program development.