Funding Opportunities
Internal and external funding opportunities collected by the CTSI.
CTSI PilotsThe Translational Pilot Program will solicit, review and award pilot grants designed to produce and test novel tools and methods to bridge translational gaps. |
Ignition FundsProviding ignition funding to accelerate progress for clinical and translational research projects. |
K12 FundingProviding 2-3 years of support for early-career research faculty from Wake Forest. |
Community Partnered Research AwardCommunity Engagement provides funding to support community and academic researchers via the Community Partnered Research Award. |
Voucher AwardStudies that identify a financial need can request funds from the voucher program to help overcome barriers related to transportation, child care, etc. |
Team Grant AcceleratorSupporting planning, pre-award, and post-award stages to incentivize investigators to pursue new large awards. |
Recurring Funding Opportunities
The CTSI is proud to offer these funding mechanisms:
- Ignition Funding
Deadline: 1/6/26
- Research Salary Bridge Funding
Deadline: 1/1/26
- Early Career Salary Support
Deadline: 1/1/26
School of Medicine and Advocate Health 2026 Requests For Proposals
The Wake Forest University Program for Leadership and Character invites proposals from any Wake Forest University School of Medicine or AHWFB or Advocate Health System employee with ideas for character development programs for current and/or future clinicians (i.e. students) and/or care team members.
Character in Medicine Grant 2026: The Character in Medicine Grant exists to empower employees of the Wake Forest University and Advocate Health System to design, implement, and/or more rigorously assess educational programs that promote participants’ character development.
This grant will fund proposals to launch pilot projects, revise existing programs, and/or implement research and/or assessment on programs to better understand their character growth impacts.
The Character in Medicine Grant is hosted by Wake Forest University’s Program for Leadership and Character, which “inspires, educates, and empowers leaders of character to serve humanity.” Toward this end, the Program develops and disseminates evidence-based educational programming that supports professionals’ growth as leaders of character. The Kern Family Foundation funds the work of the Program for Leadership and Character in medical education.
Funding amount will vary from $1,000 to $30,000. Any project over $7,500 will require assessment; see more info in the Application Questions section.
Any employee of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and/or Advocate Health System whose job responsibilities include designing, delivering, and/or assessing educational programming may apply for a Character in Medicine grant. Award recipients must be connected to an office (or resources) that will be able to carry out all of the program spending, reimbursements and budget tracking.
The Program is currently accepting applications for projects that will:
- Have a start date at least 2 months out from application submission in order to allow time for review. Review periods can take between two to six weeks.
Download Character in Medicine Grant Application.
Contact Suzanne Danhauer, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Well-being at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, or Lauren Iley-Spear, Program for Leadership and Character in the Professional Schools, with questions.
December Deadlines
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LAUNCH 2026: Healthy Aging & Alzheimer's Prevention Innovation Challenge
A Signature Incubator-Style Competition Hosted by the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Prevention Philanthropy Board of Advisors, powered by the Center for Healthcare Innovation. The Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Prevention Innovation Challenge is the first competition powered by the Center for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) and the new addition to CHI's annual innovation incubator, competition and accelerator program.
The Sticht Center for Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Prevention Innovation Challenge is the new flagship annual initiative of the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Prevention Philanthropy Board of Advisors. This incubator-style competition seeks bold, early-stage ideas that advance research, education, or clinical care for older adults. Eligible projects must involve at least one clinician, researcher, or trainee within the Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Proposals focused on palliative care are also welcome.
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine Sticht Center for Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Prevention in collaboration with the Advocate Health System promotes promising innovative ideas that have potential for immediate impact on the health care and wellness of older adults.
- Overall Objective: To promote the rapid translation of innovative concepts from either research or clinical care into the larger health system spanning wellness and prevention to diagnosis, treatment or coordinated care for seniors.
- Key goal: Facilitating the development and testing novel interventions or care models. The program funds full pilot innovation projects that have a high probability for scaling to this and other health systems and communities.
Members of the health system, school of medicine, or training program may submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). Proposals may be initiated by or include professionals from all fields, including nursing, therapy, pharmacy, advanced practice providers, administrators, and both research and non-research faculty or staff.
For additional details, please review the RFA. All LOIs must be submitted through the REDCap submission link and must be received by December 1, 5:00pm EST.
Inquiries are strongly encouraged so that we can provide specific guidance in developing relevant and successful proposals. For additional information or clarification please contact: Laura Hayworth and Renee Woodard.
Letter of Intent Deadline: December 15, 2025 at 5:00PM ET
Wake Forest Pepper Center Early Career Faculty Scholar Positions Request for Applications (RFA)
The Research Education Core (REC) of the Wake Forest Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center seeks applications from early career faculty to support their development into independent scientists with an interest in aging, diseases that affect physical function in older adults, interventions that integrate pathways affecting physical function for new approaches to disability prevention, and clinical or community implementation of programs to preserve independence. Faculty with an interest in basic, clinical, translational, or population research are invited to apply.
Information sessions will be held on Tuesday, December 9th at 12 pm and Wednesday, December 10th at 4 pm via MS Teams.
RSVP to Elizabeth Owens by December 5th to confirm your attendance at one of the information sessions and receive a calendar invite.
Scholar Support:
- Protected research time (2-3 years of support is typical)
- A formal mentoring team
- Priority access to Pepper Center Research Support Cores and resources
- Travel funds
Qualifications:
- Faculty appointment at the Instructor or Assistant Professor level at the time of application. Physicians are encouraged to apply
- A proposed research project relevant to pathways to physical disability, muscle function, body composition, neurologic substrates of physical function, translation of insights from biology of aging, or novel applications of functional assessments to improve patient care
- Commitment to a research career with an aging focus
- Sufficient protected time (≥50%) dedicated to research and career development activities
- Letter of support from Department Chair / Section Head
Selection Process:
- Applicants whose proposed project aligns with the Wake Forest Pepper Center research themes (based on LOI) will be invited to submit a full application
- Applications are reviewed by three reviewers
- Endorsement by the Pepper Center Executive Committee
Please upload a letter of intent by 5 pm, December 19th via the electronic submission portal. Your LOI should include a brief summary of your training plan and your proposed research project along with its relevance to Wake Forest’s Pepper Center theme.
Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Denise Houston, PhD or Heidi Klepin, MD, MS to discuss their application prior to applying.
Deadlines:
Letter of Intent: December 19, 2025 by 5:00PM
Application: March 6, 2026
Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2026
January Deadlines
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Improving Health Decision Making with Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research: Retrospective Observational Studies Leveraging Existing Data Sources PCORI Funding Announcement - Cycle 1 2026
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) intends to release a new PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) Dec. 2, 2025 — Improving Health Decision Making With Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research in Cancer, Pain, Substance Use, Maternal Health, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Sensory Health, Endocrine and Metabolic Health, Mental and Behavioral Health, and Rare Diseases: Retrospective Observational Studies Leveraging Existing Data Sources.
PFA Overview
This PFA seeks to support well-designed, methodologically robust, retrospective observational patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) that will produce timely, impactful and patient-centered results to inform healthcare decision making and improve health outcomes.
Research Initiative Highlights
- Applicants must propose a clear comparative effectiveness question by leveraging well-established data sources and infrastructure, such as PCORnet®, ready for patient-centered CER.
- Given the retrospective observational nature of this PFA, applications are expected to compare existing interventions that represent a current decisional dilemma and have robust evidence of efficacy or are currently in widespread use.
- Clinical interventions (such as medications, diagnostic tests and procedures) and delivery system interventions (such as workforce, technologies and healthcare service delivery designs) are appropriate for these studies.
Important Dates and Resources:
December 2, 2025: Full announcement and application requirements are available at PCORI.org.
December 10, 2025: Applicant Town Hall, noon-1 pm (ET) —Register today!
January 6, 2026: LOI Deadline
For preliminary information, please review the preannouncement on the PCORI website. Questions may be directed to PCORI PFA. PCORI encourages sharing this information with others who may be interested.
Research Centers
An Institutionally-Supported Research Center is an interdepartmental unit focused predominantly on translational, clinical and/or basic science research which facilitates development of a common, focused research agenda aligned with strategic priorities, coordinating contributions from multiple disciplines (other centers, divisions/departments, and programs). We are pleased to announce the following opportunities are now available:
Research Centers – The purpose of this RFA is to invite applications to develop an Institutionally-Supported Advocate Health/Wake Forest University School of Medicine Research Center. This document also provides the framework for a renewal application of an existing center. Research Centers support mature areas of research that reflect depth in translational, clinical and/or basic science research. View the full RFA for Research Centers here.
Emerging Research Centers - The purpose of this RFA is to invite applications to develop an Institutionally-Supported Advocate Health/Wake Forest University School of Medicine Emerging Research Center. This document also provides the framework for a renewal application of an existing center. Emerging Research Centers support new ideas in need of investment for growth. The investment is intended to catalyze the formation of a team for the specific purpose of developing a strategic vision in order to grow a critical base of extramurally funded research. This research can be established in translational, clinical and/or basic science research. View the full RFA for Emerging Research Centers here.
Direct questions and applications to Lynne Wagenknecht, Vice Dean for Population Health Research, and/or Lindsay Trost, CTSI Administrative Director.
Foundation Funding Opportunities
Interested applicants may contact the Foundation Relations Team.
| Neurology | CURE Epilepsy | Taking Flight Award LOI |
$125,000 | 1/6/2026 |
| PHS, Varied | William T. Grant Foundation | Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence LOI | $600,000 | 1/7/2026 |
| Cancer, Pediatrics | ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation | Game Changer Grant LOI | $600,000 | 1/12/2026 |
View More Foundation Funding Opportunities
The Duke Endowment
The Duke Endowment has a long history of supporting our health system across the Carolinas. In accordance with the Endowment's request, all inquiries from the health system will be routed through the designated Philanthropy/Foundation representatives in each market. If you are based in the Charlotte market, please reach out to Rachel Ellis. Those in the Winston market, please contact Chad Daniel.
The Duke Endowment will not accept or review any applications submitted directly by faculty who have not coordinated with the Philanthropy/Foundation representative in their market. This ensures all submissions are properly managed and align with the Endowment's expectations and current funding priorities.
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Other
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NeuroNEXT Grant
The NeuroNEXT Network is designed to efficiently conduct Phase II Clinical Trials. NeuroNEXT Network is now accepting proposals. Applications for exploratory clinical trials of investigational agents (drugs, biologics, surgical therapies or devices) that may contribute to the justification for and provide the data required for designing a future trial, for biomarker validation studies, or for proof of mechanism clinical studies are encouraged. Successful applicants will be given access to the NeuroNEXT infrastructure to support the efficient implementation of the proposed study at multiple sites and statistical and data management.
If you are interested, please schedule a meeting to discuss your proposal with the NeuroNEXT Study Team. This opportunity is ongoing until 2028.
- Benefits of Partnering with NeuroNEXT
- Applying for a NeuroNEXT Grant
- Contact: Mysha Sissine, Program Manager
NIH
Professional Associations and Societies
Please refer to the individual Program or Funding Opportunity Announcement for deadline information.
- American Cancer Society
- The Triological Society
- American Heart Association
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Federation for Aging Research
- Alzheimer's Association
- ALS Association
- American Diabetes Association
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education
- Society for Pediatric Dermatology
Additional Resources
Listed below are some quick ways to find external funding opportunities through search mechanisms and announcement listservs.
Additional Resources
- For detailed information on funding opportunities, search www.grants.gov with keywords related to your research interests.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- NIH Career Development Awards (K-Series)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- North Carolina Biotechnology Center