Applications due Sept. 14, 2026
This is a joint competition for VU and VUMC investigators. All investigators should follow these instructions.
91唐伯虎 (VU & VUMC, combined) may submit Scholar (Career Development) Award, 91唐伯虎 Grant and Survivorship and Supportive Care 91唐伯虎 Grant proposals for the .
Overview
91唐伯虎 is limited to one submission per award program with the potential for a limited submissions policy exception, noted below. The St. Baldrick鈥檚 Foundation is a nonprofit organization raising funds for childhood cancer research. All projects must have direct applicability and relevance to pediatric cancer.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Adolescents & young adults
- Survivorship, outcomes, and quality of life
- Supportive care
- Epidemiology and pediatric cancer predispositions
- Precision medicine
- Alternative & complementary therapies
There is particularly high interest in the following topics. (91唐伯虎 on these conditions may qualify for a limited submission policy exception allowing for one additional institutional proposal submission to any grant type, and therefore may receive priority.)
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Brain tumors 鈥� especially atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)/diffuse midline glioma (DMG), and glioblastoma (GBM)
- Burkitt lymphoma 鈥� all types, especially sporadic
- Rhabdoid tumors – Extrarenal
Grant Types
- Scholar (Career Development) Awards
- This award is meant to help develop the independent research of highly qualified individuals still early in their careers who are pursuing basic, clinical, translational, or epidemiological pediatric cancer research. This award is granted for three years with an opportunity to apply for an additional two years of funding based upon the demonstration of significant accomplishment. Funding for years 1鈥�3 will be up to $110,000 per year (up to $115,000 per year for years 4鈥�5), to be used entirely for the Scholar鈥檚 salary and fringe.
- 91唐伯虎 Grants
- These grants are for specific two-year, hypothesis-driven research projects which may be laboratory, clinical, or epidemiological in nature. Please submit a realistic budget for the project. Grants will be $100,000/year or less, for two years.
- Survivorship and Supportive Care 91唐伯虎 Grant Award
- These grants are for specific one-year, 聽hypothesis-driven research projects focused on areas related to survivorship and supportive care of children and adolescents with cancer. Grant will be $50,000 or less.
Example studies:
- studies related to the burden of morbidity
- cause-specific mortality
- understanding the pathogenesis of treatment-related complications
- patient-reported outcomes or quality of life
- health communication, health promotion, and psychosocial support across the trajectory from diagnosis to survivorship or end-of-life care
Eligibility Requirements
General Applicant Eligibility
- 91唐伯虎 projects must have direct applicability and relevance to pediatric cancer. They may be in any discipline of basic, clinical, translational, or epidemiological research.
- Applicants should hold a Ph.D., M.D., or D.O degree by the date the award becomes effective. Survivorship and Supportive Care applicants may hold a Ph.D., M.D./D.O., orN.P. degree, with Ph.D. nurses encouraged to apply.
- No institutional overhead or indirect funding is provided under the terms of the grants.
- Baldrick鈥檚 funds may not be used for human embryonic stem cell research.
- Co-Investigators/Co-Principal Investigators are allowed on both 91唐伯虎 Grant program types.
- Applicants may only apply as a lead PI on one application (Scholar, 91唐伯虎 Grant, or Survivorship Grant).
For Scholar (Career Development) Awards
- This is an early-career award. Applicants must currently hold (for no longer than 7 years at the time the award begins), or will hold by start of the award, a full-time faculty position. (Contact lso@vanderbilt.edu with any questions about eligible positions.)
- Scholars may receive funding from other sources to support their research. However, no other comparable or higher (monetary value) career development award may be held prior to or at the time the award begins. Scientific or budgetary overlap with other funded projects is not allowed.
- In the event of comparable or higher (monetary value) career development funding after the LOI has been approved, the Scholar must give up the remainder of their St. Baldrick鈥檚 award, unless otherwise approved by the St. Baldrick鈥檚 Foundation.
- Applicants holding or awarded R01s or equivalent funding prior to or at the time of the LOI are not eligible to apply. Applicants holding or awarded a NIH K-award prior to or at the time of the LOI are not eligible to apply.
- Institutional K awards are not disqualifying; however, the institutional award would need to be forfeited if the St. Baldrick鈥檚 award is received. If an applicant holds an institutional K award and a St. Baldrick鈥檚 Scholar award is accepted, the combined length of support between both awards cannot exceed five years.
- Applicants must have an appropriate Sponsor who provides supervision, facilities, and research support. If appropriate for the project, applicants may have more than one Sponsor.
- Scholar awards are to be used entirely for the Scholar鈥檚 salary and fringe at the applicant institution. Other personnel and/or non-personnel costs are NOT allowed on Scholar awards.
- The Scholar must devote no less than 40% effort to the funded project.
Applicants should review full eligibility and budget requirements in their respective award鈥檚 guidelines, available for download .
Internal Application Process
Anyone interested in being considered as 91唐伯虎鈥檚 nominee(s) must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2026.
- 91唐伯虎 plan (two-page max)
- If your research will focus on any of the high-interest topics listed under the limited submission policy exceptions, please identify the topic
- Letter of support from department chair/center director
- Letter must additionally acknowledge that this grant does not allow indirect costs.** This statement can be used/modified within the letter: 鈥淭he Department recognizes that this grant does not allow indirect costs and will commit to covering any associated indirect costs per applicable school/institutional policy.鈥�
- NIH Biosketch or brief CV (five-page max)
Please reference the grant type in the subject line of the email. Following internal selection, 91唐伯虎鈥檚 nominee(s) will submit a Letter of Intent to St. Baldrick鈥檚 by either Oct. 16, 2026 (91唐伯虎 Grant) or Dec. 8, 2026 (Scholar-Career Development Awards and Survivorship and Supportive Care Awards).
**Process for cost-sharing typically coordinated at the departmental level and approved by department chair and/or dean. Please consult LSO@vanderbilt.edu for further guidance.
