Best Grants for Rare Diseases in Utah

Respiratory therapists pursuing advanced degrees who work with respiratory diseases can receive up to US $5,000 to support postgraduate education, including conference travel and recognition, across the U.S., including Utah. With a mission to promote respiratory health, American Respiratory Care Foundation provides awards for tuition and related educational expenses in accredited graduate programs.

Respiratory researchers conducting university hospital projects in respiratory care and airway management in Utah may be eligible for this fellowship, which supports original research using bench, animal, or human models. The American Respiratory Care Foundation selects fellows from high-quality abstracts accepted for presentation at the AARC Congress, providing travel, lodging, registration, and recognition.

With a mission to promote respiratory health, American Respiratory Care Foundation provides Utah respiratory researchers with up to US $5,000 for educational or credentialing research in respiratory care. Master’s or doctoral students and other qualified investigators studying respiratory diseases, including rare conditions, can receive funding plus support to attend the AARC Congress.

Nonprofit organizations conducting respiratory care research in Utah can seek up to US $10,000 to support investigations involving respiratory therapists or technicians. American Respiratory Care Foundation’s Parker B. Francis Respiratory Research Grant funds projects on respiratory care and related topics, which may benefit programs addressing respiratory aspects of rare diseases.

Nonprofit organizations conducting respiratory care or cardiopulmonary research, with meaningful involvement from respiratory therapists or technicians, can seek up to US $10,000 in supplemental project funding, including in Utah. American Respiratory Care Foundation’s Jerome M. Sullivan Research Fund supports original studies in respiratory care practice, management, and education that advance respiratory health knowledge.

Early-career respiratory researchers focusing on pediatric respiratory therapy can receive up to US $5,000 for mentorship, hands-on experience, and starter project needs through the Smallwood Young Investigator Fellowship. Utah investigators working on respiratory diseases and systems may be eligible, with funds granted to their employer or university to support professional development.

Health care professionals from outside the U.S. interested in advancing respiratory care can access an intensive observational fellowship through the American Respiratory Care Foundation. Grants from American Respiratory Care Foundation help Utah respiratory diseases and systems professionals visit multiple U.S. hospitals, educational programs, and care sites, and attend the AARC Congress, with in-country lodging, meals, and local transportation covered.

Focused on biomedical career development, this NIH program invites U.S. institutions with eligible faculty to support mentored research in cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic diseases and sleep disorders. Utah researchers working on respiratory or related rare disease topics may be eligible for up to US $130,000 to advance toward independent investigation.

Early-stage pulmonary fibrosis researchers in Utah and across the U.S. can seek $100,000 over two years for mentored basic, translational, clinical, epidemiological, or health services research projects. Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation supports post-docs and junior faculty aiming to become independent investigators and secure larger “K” or “R”-level awards, including work on rare interstitial lung diseases.

Postdoctoral fellows in the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research conducting cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, or related biomedical research can apply for NIH’s K22 Career Transition Award, supporting a mentored intramural phase and an extramural phase. Grants from the National Institutes of Health help U.S. researchers, including those moving to Utah institutions, establish independent clinical research careers that may address rare diseases.

Research institutions and biomedical scientists studying leprosy can access funding through the Heiser Program to advance diagnosis, treatment, and transmission-blocking tools, including work related to respiratory and skin diseases. Grants from The New York Community Trust support leprosy-focused biomedical research in the U.S., which may benefit Utah-based rare disease research programs.

Early-career medical and research professionals pursuing sarcoidosis studies at U.S. institutions can apply for Foundation For Sarcoidosis Research fellowships, receiving US $150,000 over two years for salary support. International and U.S. applicants focused on respiratory and immune system diseases may benefit, especially those aiming to transition from fellowship to faculty roles, including those based in Utah.

Early-career medical and health researchers at academic or research institutions in low- or middle-income countries can seek approximately US $140,000 to support mentored clinical research and career development, including work on respiratory and other diseases. Focused on global health, the National Institutes of Health invites Utah-linked collaborators to partner with eligible LMIC investigators on rare or complex disease projects.

Early-career research scientists at academic or research institutions in eligible low- and middle-income countries can seek approximately US $140,000 in mentored health research career development support, including for respiratory and other diseases. The National Institutes of Health Emerging Global Leader Award funds 3–5 years of protected time and research aligned with applicants’ national health priorities.

NIH provides Utah medical research institutions and universities with funding for basic and early translational nonmalignant hematology studies, including work related to respiratory and other blood-related diseases. This R01 program from the National Institutes of Health supports innovative projects aligned with NIDDK, NIA, and NHLBI missions and may benefit rare disease researchers in hematology-focused areas.

Small U.S. small business concerns developing heart, lung, blood, or sleep disorder technologies for rare diseases or young pediatric populations can access later-stage SBIR Phase IIB funding through the National Institutes of Health. Grants from NIH help advance prior SBIR/STTR Phase II projects toward regulatory approval and commercialization by supporting key R&D milestones and partnerships.

Small business concerns developing heart, lung, blood, or sleep-related technologies that need federal regulatory approval can seek up to US $3,500,000 for late-stage R&D and commercialization, including in Utah. Grants from US Dept. of Health & Human Services: National Institutes of Health support Phase IIB SBIR projects that bridge the gap between Phase II and market readiness.

Doctoral students conducting physical therapy or respiratory systems research at accredited institutions, including those in Utah, can receive up to US $7,500 to support their coursework phase. The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research prioritizes acute care, cardiology and pulmonary, PT education, and pelvic health, and seeks candidates committed to academic research and education careers.

The EMF/Fisher and Paykel High Flow Therapy Research aims to explore the use of high flow therapy as a first-line respiratory support in emergency departments. This research seeks to assess the number of patients with acute respiratory failure who may benefit from this therapy, understand the characteristics of EMS services, and identify patient outcomes. By analyzing these factors, the study intends to enhance patient care and inform effective health policies in emergency medicine.

The NHLBI Catalyze program aims to transition basic science discoveries into effective treatments for diseases under the NHLBI mission. This initiative supports early-stage product definition, prototype design, and assay development for HLBS disorders. The R61 phase focuses on initial designs and experimental setups, while the R33 phase extends support for prototype testing and user feedback. Successful completion prepares products for in vivo testing, enhancing health and societal outcomes with NIH and other support.

The IRSS RIFM Special Award for Inhalation Toxicology offers a $500 prize for trainees contributing to inhalation toxicology research. Sponsored by the Society of Toxicology, this award encourages innovative evaluations of inhaled toxicants, exposure science advancements, and risk assessment research. Applicants must submit a one-page summary of their work and a pending abstract for presentation at the SOT Annual Meeting, alongside a mentor's support letter. This award aims to promote excellence in the field.

The Community Foundation of Shelby County

Our Mission

To inspire donor generosity and transform it into meaningful, lasting impact through charitable gifts.

Our Vision

To be the primary partner for donors who want to advance the community’s quality of life and capacity for excellence.

Heidi Norris Scholarship

Auglaize, Shelby or Mercer County residents majoring in Respiratory Therapy or a closely related field who are one year removed from high school, surpassed college freshman status and, have maintained a college GPA of not less than 2.5, and who are pursuing an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree.

Selection based upon:

Financial need, academic ability, community and school service, and recommendations.

Awards

• One $1,500 scholarship

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) intends to release an Implementation of Findings From PCORI's Research Investments PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) on Aug. 4, 2026, seeking to fund implementation projects that promote the uptake of peer-reviewed findings from specific PCORI-funded patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) in the context of the body of related evidence. This PFA is an open competition opportunity for principal investigators to propose implementation projects that move evidence toward practical use in improving health care and health outcomes. Applicants may propose projects with budgets up to $1.8 million in total direct costs.

PCORI seeks to fund implementation projects that incorporate active, multicomponent strategies that will lead to uptake and integration of evidence generated by PCORI-funded research in practice settings. Implementation should target specific end users with a clear interest in — and ability to benefit from — the evidence. Proposed implementation projects will adapt findings as needed to facilitate uptake in the proposed settings and accomplish scale-up to reach larger numbers and/or scale-out to reach broader populations and settings. Applicants must demonstrate commitment and buy-in — including from leadership as well as frontline staff critical to the success of the project — from proposed implementation sites across multiple health systems, such that they provide a supportive context and infrastructure for undertaking the proposed project. In addition, projects should involve regional and national stakeholder organizations positioned to extend uptake in broader venues.  

Applications must be guided by an established conceptual model or framework and, where possible, by evidence regarding effective strategies for implementing evidence-based practices and interventions. Additionally, applications must include a rigorous evaluation plan that documents the successful execution of the implementation approach and the impact of the project on health care and health outcomes as feasible and appropriate within the project scope.

The Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings Clinical Research Network (CAUSE) aims to enhance asthma prevention and treatment in economically disadvantaged pediatric populations. Funded by the NIH, CAUSE supports multi-site clinical studies to identify innovative strategies and treatment targets for asthma. Utilizing systems biology, the network seeks to discover specific disease endotypes suitable for new therapeutic approaches, addressing the high burden of asthma in urban settings.

The Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Centers (AADCRC) program, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), aims to enhance research on asthma and related allergic diseases. This initiative fosters multi-center, multidisciplinary research to explore disease mechanisms and treatment responses. By promoting clinical trials and observational studies, the AADCRC seeks to advance understanding and improve interventions for conditions such as asthma and food allergies, ultimately benefiting public health.

The US Flu Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) Network aims to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines against influenza and other respiratory pathogens, which are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality. This funding opportunity invites proposals for surveillance studies, including annual VE assessments, acute respiratory illness tracking, household transmission research, and immunogenicity studies. Applicants can apply for either Component A or B, with the option to include additional components based on their primary selection.