Research grant proposals ready to be shipped to our Peer Review Committee

Research Grants Received!

This week the national office celebrated the official “kick-off” of the Foundation’s Research Program for the coming year. This past Monday, September 15, marked the deadline for researchers across the United States and abroad to submit their research grant proposals to the Foundation. That same afternoon, national office staff prepared and organized all of the rapidly accumulating proposals being delivered via Federal Express, UPS, DHL, and other overnight shipping services. To date, the Foundation has received 29 proposals from 25 research and academic institutions across the nation. More proposals are expected to arrive throughout the week, as appropriate deadline extensions were permitted for those impacted by Hurricane Ike.

This table was appropriately named the "Table of Hope."

The next step involves transitioning eligible proposals to the Foundation’s Peer Review Committee for consideration. The peer review process itself ensures that only proposals of the highest merit are selected for funding. Guidelines for this process mirror those of the National Institutes of Health, and emphasize a collaborative, professional framework for evaluation. The Peer Review Committee, save any noted conflicts of interest, follows a strict review procedure, allotting each committee member a specific proposal to analyze and review.

Scoring for the proposals ranges from 1.0 to 5.0, 5.0 (being the highest score possible) and is intended to reflect a comprehensive assessment of the overall scientific merit of each proposal. Proposals that receive a score of 2.0 or higher are considered “fundable” based on the Foundation’s established guidelines. This is not to say, however, that all proposals which receive a score of at least 2.0 or higher will be automatically given funding. In cases where the number of well-scoring proposals exceeds the Foundation’s budget of 1 million, those proposals which received the highest scores are allotted funding first, until all funds have been distributed.

Many are anxiously looking forward to November 15, when the peer review committee will gather to complete the final scoring process in Boston, Mass., and determine which grants shall be awarded funding for the coming year. Best of luck to all applicants!