Best Grants for Museums in Puerto Rico

The Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship, awarded by Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, supports first and second-year medical students conducting research over 2 to 12 months. With a total funding of $7,000, students can receive reimbursement for travel expenses up to $1,000 for presenting their findings at national conferences. Eligibility requires enrollment in schools with active AΩA chapters, while those taking a year off for research or holding a PhD are ineligible.

The FY26 Autism Research Program Clinical Trial Award aims to rapidly implement clinical trials that significantly impact autism treatment and management. Projects may range from small proof-of-concept trials to large-scale studies assessing efficacy in relevant populations. Applications are encouraged to partner experienced and early-career investigators and must include community collaborations to enhance research impact. At least one community partner is required to provide ongoing consultation throughout the project.

The FY26 Orthopaedic Research Program Clinical Research Award supports vital clinical research addressing orthopaedic-specific factors and interventions. It aims to generate evidence that optimizes patient outcomes and informs clinical care, benefiting Service Members, Veterans, and the public. Applications should focus on priority areas such as Ligamentous Trauma and Military Women’s Health, ensuring significant impact on patient care and mitigation of orthopaedic injuries.

The NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01) aims to support the career development of promising audiologists through rigorous postdoctoral research in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences. This initiative encourages independent investigation in health-related research relevant to NIDCD's mission. Applications are due on various dates, with the next deadline on June 13, 2024, providing opportunities for advancing research in audiology and related fields.

The NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award supports postdoctoral Au.D./Ph.D. audiologists in their research and career development. This grant aims to foster independence in scientific health-related research relevant to the NIDCD's mission. Key deadlines for applications span from June 2024 to May 2027, providing numerous opportunities for eligible candidates to secure funding and advance their careers in the biomedical and clinical sciences.

The NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01) aims to foster the development of promising audiologists through comprehensive postdoctoral research experiences. This funding opportunity supports individuals in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences, helping them become independent researchers. The deadlines for applications span from June 2024 to May 2027, ensuring ample time for preparation and submission.

The DoW Orthopaedic Applied Research Award supports innovative research aimed at improving treatment and functionality for individuals with combat-related orthopaedic injuries. Applicants are required to present preliminary data and focus on applied research that evaluates new solutions, including pharmacologic agents and rehabilitation techniques. This initiative emphasizes the importance of military relevance, aiming to benefit Service Members, their families, and Veterans, while clinical research proposals are not permitted.

The NSF SBIR/STTR programs are launching a pilot emphasis on advancing scientific instrumentation and enabling technologies to drive innovation and economic growth in the U.S. This initiative supports startups and small businesses developing critical scientific equipment and platforms, with funding opportunities up to $2 million for R&D. By prioritizing next-generation instrumentation, NSF aims to enhance the scientific enterprise and foster breakthroughs essential for the future of AI-driven discoveries and broader scientific advancements.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is launching a specialized entrepreneurship program aimed at life science researchers in the field of substance use disorders (SUD). This initiative will equip researchers with essential skills to transform their innovative ideas into viable products, focusing on aspects such as market evaluation, customer discovery, and intellectual property. The course will be delivered in a hybrid format to engage US-based SUD researchers effectively, fostering collaboration and advancing the field.

The Craft Research Fund Grant, initiated in 2005, is a key program supporting scholarly craft research in the U.S. It funds researchers and curators exploring craft history and theory, with a focus on projects that reveal new insights into craft practices, relationships between hand-made and digital technologies, and global contexts for American craft. The grant aims to encourage innovation and interdisciplinary approaches in the field, while prioritizing applications from underrepresented populations.

About Borealis Philanthropy

Borealis Philanthropy is a philanthropic social justice intermediary that works to resource grassroots leaders and social justice movements for transformative change. We help funders expand their reach and strengthen their impact through donor collaboratives that support a variety of issues, communities, and movements. Borealis is home to nine donor collaboratives, including the Disability Inclusion Fund and Disability x Tech.

DIF x Tech Fund

For the Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis, part of our efforts for disability rights and justice includes the ways disability and technology are working towards shared goals in our movements. The DIF x Tech initiative, supported by the Ford Foundation’s Technology & Society Program and the MacArthur Foundation’s Technology in the Public Interest, invites proposals that are working to bring about transformational change at the intersections of disability, justice, and technology

About the Disability Inclusion Fund and DIF x Tech

The Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF) supports U.S.-based groups run by and for people with disabilities to lead transformational change. The Fund is supported by donors including the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy, which is comprised of foundation presidents who are committed to disability inclusion as part of improving diversity, equity, and inclusion within philanthropy.

Part of the efforts of disability rights and justice includes the ways disability and technology are working towards shared goals in our movements. This newly launched initiative is housed at the Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF) and supported by Ford Foundation’s Technology & Society Program and the MacArthur Foundation’s Technology in the Public Interest. 

DIF x Tech Fund Values

All Disability x Tech award decisions will align with the DIF guiding values. The DIF guiding values are:

• Participation: Movement funding accountable to the disability rights movement. Those impacted by injustice/exclusion should be involved in strategies to advance justice/inclusion.
• Intersectionality: Acknowledging that disabled people have multiple and intersecting social and political identities that can influence their ability to have access and inclusion including race, gender identity, class, sexual orientation.
• Radical inclusion: Deeply committed to removing barriers and ensuring access so that those most affected by intersecting identities can participate, valuing lived experience.
• Leadership of those most impacted by ableism: Emphasis is given to organizations led by people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation, particularly disabled people of color, queer, gender nonconforming and women with disabilities.
• Cross-movement solidarity: Intentional focus on collaboration and bridge- building amongst disability justice activists and across movements.
• Sustainability: Resources and tools that support the growth of grassroots disabled-led organizations, and expand operational capacities for ongoing movement building. 

What we fund

We invite proposals that are at the nexus of technology, disability rights and justice. This opportunity may be a good fit for your organization, if you are doing work in any of these areas below:

• Disabled people sharing technical skills and knowledge with others in the community.
• Disabled people leading policy, rights, and disability justice activism work related to tech. 
• Disabled people participate in all stages of the design and development of new tech that will enrich lives of people with disabilities.
• Enabling collective and equitable access to digital infrastructure. 
• Expanding the participation, leadership, and thought partnership of overlooked and under-resourced people with disabilities in all areas of the technology sector.
• Partnerships between disability-focused engineering design labs and maker spaces within schools, centers for independent living, or local nonprofit organizations.
• Permissible Policy Work:
  • We may support nonpartisan policy education and advocacy related to disability and technology. Any lobbying must remain within applicable 501(c)(3) limits and Borealis grant restrictions.

The DoW Prostate Cancer Data Science Award supports innovative research using analytical approaches to analyze complex prostate cancer data. It covers areas such as bioinformatics, machine learning, and medical imaging, addressing significant challenges in prostate cancer research. This award allows multiple Principal Investigators, enhancing collaboration. Only the lead PI submits a pre-application, while all PIs must submit comprehensive applications. If any application is rejected, all related submissions may be withdrawn, ensuring a cohesive research effort.

The FY26 Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) Physician Research Award supports early-career clinician investigators in their transition to prostate cancer research. Applicants must include a mentor with relevant experience and outline a personalized development plan aimed at acquiring essential research skills. The award encourages innovative approaches to addressing the program's overarching challenges, ultimately enhancing the career trajectories of participating physicians in this critical field.

The FY26 Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) Early Investigator Research Award supports early-career researchers focusing on prostate cancer. Eligible applicants must possess a doctoral degree and less than three years of postdoctoral experience. Each application requires a mentorship component, ensuring guidance from an experienced researcher, along with a detailed development plan outlining the skills and expertise necessary for project completion and career advancement. This award addresses critical challenges in prostate cancer research.

The Limited Competition: Biomedical Research Environment & Sponsored Programs Administration Development (BRE-SPAD) Program aims to enhance the research capacity of resource-limited institutions. By focusing on essential areas like biomedical research environment and sponsored programs administration, this initiative seeks to foster rigorous and reproducible biomedical research. Eligible organizations are encouraged to submit proposals addressing their specific needs, thereby expanding the pool of qualified researchers and strengthening the settings for NIH-funded research.

The DoW Prostate Cancer Idea Development Award for fiscal year 2026 supports innovative research ideas that address the Prostate Cancer Research Program's overarching challenges. This award emphasizes new investigators within 10 years of their terminal degree, encouraging collaboration with experienced researchers in the field. By fostering unique approaches to prostate cancer research, the program aims to make significant contributions to advancing understanding and treatment of this disease.

The DoW Military Burn, Patient-Centered Research Award aims to enhance the implementation of burn care research into clinical practice for military settings. The FY26 program supports clinical trials and research that directly benefit burn patients in resource-limited environments, fostering collaborations between experienced researchers and junior scholars. This initiative addresses critical gaps in combat burn care, ensuring effective interventions and guidelines are developed and utilized in operational battlespaces.

The FY26 Military Burn Research Program (MBRP) Discovery Award aims to support groundbreaking research in combat-relevant burn care. This award encourages innovative and exploratory studies that provide new insights and foundational data for future clinical research. The focus is on novel approaches that lay the groundwork for scientific advancements and product development in burn care, ensuring robust preliminary data generation for subsequent research initiatives.

The FY26 Military Burn Research Program (MBRP) Technology/Therapeutic Development Award (TTDA) aims to translate promising preclinical findings into burn products for clinical use in challenging environments. This award supports the development of both tangible products, like medical devices, and knowledge products that enhance health outcomes. A new Mentorship Option encourages collaboration between experienced researchers and junior scientists, fostering the next generation of leaders in military burn care research.

The FY26 Melanoma Research Program Team Science Award promotes collaborative, hypothesis-driven research to enhance melanoma care. This funding supports multidisciplinary teams of two to three Principal Investigators (PIs) to tackle complex challenges in melanoma. With approximately $18.9M available, the program aims to fund nine projects with a maximum of $2.1M per award over three years. Awards will be made by September 30, 2027, using FY26 funds that expire on September 30, 2032.

The FY26 Melanoma Research Program Idea Award encourages innovative and high-risk research to advance melanoma treatment. With a budget of approximately $5.6M for 10 awards, each grant can fund up to $0.56M over a maximum of 2 years. The program aims to support projects that establish proof of principle and generate preliminary data for future funding opportunities. Notably, preliminary data is discouraged, and applicants must receive an invitation to submit a full application after the pre-application stage.

The Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32) supports early-stage postdoctoral scholars through rigorous research and career development over three years. Applicants must submit their proposals up to a year before or two years after starting their postdoctoral positions. This award emphasizes innovative research ideas and strategic planning for training and mentorship, aiming to cultivate independent investigators in research fields aligned with the missions of NIH Institutes and Centers.

The FY26 Melanoma Research Program Survivorship Research Award aims to enhance the well-being of melanoma survivors through innovative research. This funding opportunity supports studies that prioritize quality of life, involving melanoma survivors or their families as collaborators. With approximately $2.04M available, two awards of up to $1.02M each will be granted for research over a maximum period of three years. Applications must be submitted by September 30, 2027, to be funded with FY26 resources.

The Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (K25) aims to attract researchers with quantitative science backgrounds to NIH-relevant studies. It provides support and protected time for professionals to integrate their expertise in areas like mathematics and statistics with health research. Notably, it does not support independent clinical trials, focusing instead on collaborative experiences under mentorship. The application process involves specific deadlines for submissions, including standard, renewal, and AIDS-related grants, encouraging diverse participation in significant health research.

The NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) aims to support emerging scientists by providing protected time for career development in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences. This award, effective for three to five years, encourages research independence and may be beneficial for those transitioning fields or returning from a hiatus due to personal circumstances. Deadlines for applications vary, with important dates set for standard, renewal, and AIDS-related submissions.

The NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) supports early-career scientists with up to five years of protected time for intensive research training in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences. This award is tailored for those pursuing independence in research and is particularly beneficial for individuals transitioning fields or returning from a hiatus. Importantly, applicants must not lead independent clinical trials but may participate in trials overseen by mentors.

The NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) aims to develop the research careers of individuals with clinical doctoral degrees. This program provides essential support and protected time for intensive, supervised research experiences in biomedical and behavioral fields, including translational research. Important deadlines for applications span from June 2024 to February 2027, accommodating various grant types, including standard and AIDS-related applications.