Open Call: Research Seed Money Grant Program 2027

Donor Name: National Ataxia Foundation

Reference URL:https://www.ataxia.org/researcher-resources/

The Research Seed Money Grant provides short-term funding to support innovative studies advancing the understanding, pathogenesis, or treatment of ataxia.

The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) is a patient-centered nonprofit organization that accelerates the development of treatments for ataxia and fosters collaboration to advance scientific discovery globally. Through its Annual Research Grant Program, NAF provides limited, short-term financial support to catalyze new and innovative research in the field of ataxia, aiming to generate preliminary data that can lead to larger grants from other sources.

The Research Seed Money Grant is a merit-based, nonrenewable award designed to support studies that advance understanding of the cause, pathogenesis, or treatment of hereditary, sporadic, and acquired ataxias. The grant is intended for established investigators at the early or pilot phase of research or for ongoing innovative projects with a critical need for funding.

NAF gives equal priority to research focused on both common and rare forms of ataxia. For well-characterized types, projects should demonstrate strong translational potential, such as advancing clinical trial readiness, accelerating treatment development, or significantly impacting clinical care and patient outcomes. For rare or newly identified forms, foundational research that addresses mechanistic questions or develops novel disease models is encouraged, even if immediate translational application is not demonstrated.

The grant provides $50,000 USD for direct research expenses only, which may include salary or stipend costs (up to 50% of the award), laboratory reagents, essential equipment (up to 20% of the budget), animal care, publication costs (up to $2,500), and travel for presenting NAF-funded work (up to $2,000). Indirect costs, fringe benefits, tuition, relocation, and other unallowable expenses are excluded.

Applicants must have completed postdoctoral training more than five years prior to application, hold a full-time appointment as a faculty member, clinician, or senior scientist at an academic, nonprofit, or for-profit institution, and may be based in the U.S. or internationally. Individuals who have received any NAF grant within the past two fiscal years, have an active NAF grant under a no-cost extension, or are delinquent with reporting requirements are ineligible. Only one Letter of Intent may be submitted per funding cycle, and duplicate funding is not permitted.

The application process requires submission of a Letter of Intent by November 18, 2026, followed by a full proposal upon invitation. All applications are reviewed competitively for scientific merit, feasibility, and alignment with NAF’s mission and funding priorities. Funding decisions are communicated in June 2027.

For more information, visit National Ataxia Foundation.

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