CNCF Grants 2007-08
I. Mission
The mission of Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (CNCF) is to help find a cure for neuroblastoma, educate the parents about this disease and heighten awareness in the communities about childhood cancer.
II. Pediatric Cancer Research Program
Funding applications will be accepted by CNCF in 2007-08 for junior investigators to support research in neuroblastoma. CNCF encourages innovative ideas and approaches to treatment and diagnosis.
The foundation will utilize objective and nondiscriminatory criteria in selecting grant recipients from among the applicants.
Grant proposals will be considered in the following categories:
- Basic, clinical, translational and applied research projects.
- Pain management during treatment and at the end-of-life for pediatric oncology patients.
The following will not be reviewed:
- Basic science grants that have no direct relevance to pediatric cancer.
Priority will be given in the following areas:
- Focus on neuroblastoma cancer.
- Post-doctoral Hem/Onc Fellows or Junior Faculty* for pediatric cancer research, especially neuroblastoma.
- PharmD or PhD pharmacology trainees interested in drug development for neuroblastoma.
- Psychologists, psychiatrists and social scientists with an interest in the psychological, social, emotional and behavioral issues of pediatric cancer patients; family issues, including the grieving process for parents and siblings.
*Criteria for Junior Faculty:
- is an instructor or assistant professor at the time the grant would commence.
- has not been a PI on a major RO1 level grant (RO1, PO1 project, R21, ACS RPG).
- senior fellows with a mentor.
Grant proposals will not be considered if they:
- Do not fall within the Foundations definition of pediatric cancer.
- Do not include the layman’s summary.
- Are received after application deadline (February 4, 2008).
III. Award Category
Research Grants
CNCF will be awarding grants of up to $50,000 per year. Funding may be used for salary support, hiring a technician, supplies or equipment under $5,000. Funding for “indirect costs” will not be allowed. Each applicant may apply for a maximum of two years per grant cycle. The continuation of the second year will be contingent upon a satisfactory progress report submitted 30 days prior to the end of the first year. Project renewals after the second year will be evaluated on a grant-by-grant basis. The goal of Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation research program is to provide funding for innovative projects expected to lead to future funding from other peer-reviewed sources.
IV. Statement of Policies
Eligibility
Proposals mustfall within the scope of CNCF’s funding priorities in order to be considered. Grants will be reviewed by the CNCF Medical Advisory Board.
Funds will generally be granted to nonprofit institutions or organizations. Researchers need not be U.S. citizens; however, all research must be conducted in the United States.
Table 1: Review Process Dates
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Deadline Date for Proposals
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February 4, 2008
6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
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Notification of Intent to Fund
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May 1, 2008
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Final Notification and First Grant Allocation
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May 15, 2008
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Project Start Date
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July 1, 2008
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1st year Report
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June 1, 2009
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2nd year Report, if applicable
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August 1, 2010
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Late applications will not be accepted. Applicants whose timely submitted proposals do not fit within the scope of CNCF’s eligibility criteria will be notified prior to May 15, 2008.
Renewal of Grants
Grants are funded for 2 years, contingent upon satisfactory progress in the initial year of funding. Renewal of grants beyond 2 years is discouraged, but will be considered with adequate justification. A complete proposal for an additional year, including a progress report, must be submitted before the application deadline.
Grant Budgets
Foundation funds must be used for the specific purpose for which they are granted, unless written permission is received by CNCF.
The Foundation will not make grants for construction of buildings or purchase of land, nor pay indirect costs.
Post-Award Requirements
CNCF has pledged to regularly report to its members how their donations are being used. The goodwill felt by these donors generates the continued income for future grant funding. Therefore, the following requirements must be adhered to by all CNCF grant recipients.
1. Reports
Prior to authorization of the 2nd year payment of a grant award and no later than thirty days prior to the end of the 1st grant year, recipients should send a written statement describing the value of the grant to their research or educational project. Comments should be limited to no more than three typed paragraphs. The 2nd year grant allocation will not be made until this statement has been received.
No later than thirty days following the end of the 2nd grant year, recipients should provide a progress report and summary of the benefits of the CNCF grant to their research or educational project. A final report of expenditures should also be included. Without this report, applicants will not be considered for continuation funding.
2. Publications
The awarded grant shall be publicized by the recipient institution, either in its own publications (e.g. student newspaper, alumni newsletter, institutional magazine, etc.) or in a local newspaper, with attribution to CNCF. Please forward copies of these news articles to CNCF as soon as they are published.
3. Miscellaneous Information – Action Required
Funding of a proposal authorizes CNCF to use the applicant’s name in soliciting contributions to fund its cancer research and education programs.
Funding of a proposal also authorizes CNCF to link up to the website of the applicant’s institution. We understand that all web links must be approved by your Webmaster, and we will make appropriate arrangements to link to your site.
V. Guidelines for Submission
Proposals must be directly related to CNCF’s mission in order to be considered. The Adobe PDF format of the grant, cover page, section A-Layman’s Summary, Section B-Scientific Summary and Section C-Statement of Significance must be submitted in order to be considered for funding.
Cover Page
Please attach the cover page to the proposal typed, single-spaced, on plain, white paper, which adheres strictly to the guidelines and page limitations outlined below.
All page lengths are maximum. Font size should not be smaller than 12; proposals typed in a smaller font size or not adhering to the page limits will not be considered.
All pages following the cover page should be numbered; the name of the principal investigator should appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page. The order of the application should be as follows, adhering strictly to page limits:
Attach this cover page to the beginning of your application.
A. Layman’s Summary (1/2 page)
Please include a one-half page summary in layman’s language. This will help the CNCF Board of Directors evaluate the recommendations of the Medical Advisory Board.
The proposal will not be considered if this summary is omitted.
B. Scientific Summary (1/2 page)
Please include a one-half page summary that includes your research question(s).
C. Statement of Significance (1/2 page)
A statement of the significance of your proposed project with respect to the pediatric cancer research.
D. Specific Aims (1/2 page)
Statement of the goals, objectives and relevance to CNCF’s funding priorities. Only proposals which are directly related to CNCF’s priority of funding pediatric cancer research, especially neuroblastoma and education programs will be considered.
E. Background (1 page)
A statement of the problem or need that will be addressed by the proposed program.
F. Methods (3 pages)
A statement of the methods to be used in achieving the specific aims.
G. Timetable (1/2 page)
A timetable for implementing the proposal. Reviewers will weigh heavily the feasibility of carrying out the project in the projected time span.
H. Evaluation (1/2 page)
A statement describing the criteria by which the project will be evaluated. An example of the type of evaluation expected is as follows:
- Research programs might include new techniques developed or used; other reports or papers resulting from this research; and the extent to which the research project was conducted successfully and completed.
I. Preliminary Data (2 pages)
Please provide an account of the principal investigator or program director’s preliminary studies pertinent to the application information that will help to establish the experience and expertise of the investigator to pursue the proposed project. The complete references to appropriate publications and manuscripts submitted or accepted for publication may be listed, and are not part of the page limitations.
J. References (1 page)
List all references in “Cancer Research” format. Each reference must include the title, names of all authors, book or journal, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Limit the references to relevant and current literature. It is important to be concise and to include only those literature references pertinent to the proposed research.
K. Biographical Information
Please include a complete CV of the candidate and when indicated, the mentor’s CV. Additionally, please give the following information for the Principal Investigator.
- Name, title, date and place of birth
- Education (baccalaureate through postdoctoral training)
- Experience
- Honors
- Major research interests and role in proposed project
- Bibliography (maximum of 2 pages, preferably related to proposed research)
L. Budget (1 page)
Please justify each category requested. For all personnel to be covered by the grant please state the base salary, the percentage of effort to be devoted to the project and the amount of salary this item represents. Follow the NIH Budget Standards when completing your proposed budget. As noted earlier, CNCF will not pay for indirect costs.
M. Current Research Support
You must list amount, source of funds, title of research, period of time covered, specific aims and role for all related projects currently funded and those pending future funding. In addition, you must state any areas of potential overlap your proposed project may have with pending applications.
N. Certification
Certification for protection of human subjects and for care and treatment of laboratory animals should be obtained for all applicable projects, in accordance with NIH guidelines. This will only be required if your grant request is approved. No awards will be issued until CNCF receives the certification and a grant acceptance form signed by your institutional officials. Copies of relevant documentation should accompany the proposal, including I.R.B. approval and consent forms as well as an I.A.C.U.C. approval letter.
Applications must include all of the above parts (A – N) following the provided cover page.
Please send full application in Adobe PDF format to:
Grant Review Criteria
Scores will be given by the Medical Advisory Board according to the following criteria. Proposals not meeting CNCF’s funding guidelines will not be considered by the Board.
Scientific Review Criteria
- Clarity of specific aims and significance to pediatric cancer research, especially neuroblastoma research..
- Methodology
- Relevance of supporting data
- Competence of Principal Investigator and supporting personnel
- Appropriateness of project size to resources and timeline
- Budget
Achievability Criteria
- What will the new information proposed to be studied in the grant contribute to knowledge about neuroblastoma?
- Will the proposed project stimulate further scientific research on neuroblastoma?
- What is the likelihood that the research proposed will lead to new approaches to diagnoses, prognosticate, or treat neuroblastoma?