The W. M. Keck Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting Basic Science Research projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field. The W. M. Keck Foundation Research Program supports early-stage, high-risk basic science with the potential to open new fields or rewrite textbooks. They are not a funder of disease specific research, translational or applied work, optimization of existing techniques, or incremental extensions of established research directions or methods. They welcome work that other funders consider too early, too speculative, or too far from the prevailing paradigm. They do not require preliminary data or evidence that a federal agency has declined funding for the proposed work.
The W.M. Keck Foundation typically funds $1 – 1.3 million over a three-year period. This internal competition is open to investigators in the Advocate Health enterprise with a primary tenure-track faculty appointment at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Up to three projects will be selected to submit an application to the foundation.
Interested applicants should follow the RFA instructions and submit proposals electronically to the application system by Friday, October 16, 2026, at 11:59PM ET. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to foundationsahwfb@advocatehealth.org. Questions regarding the electronic submission system should be directed to Katelyn Still at Katelyn.Still@Advocatehealth.org.
Deadlines
- Internal Deadline: 10/16/2026 at 11:59PM ET
- Selection of Applicants: 11/01/2026
- External Deadline: 12/07/2026 at 4:30PM PT