The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation Grants

The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation supports cancer research initiatives throughout the United States, focusing on projects that aim to identify new treatments or cures for cancer. This private foundation has a longstanding history of funding early-stage research that demonstrates potential for future growth and additional support, particularly through government agencies. The foundation's funding strategy centers on providing one-year grants that empower new cancer researchers or support novel approaches by established investigators. The goal is to catalyze significant progress in cancer research by offering timely and flexible funding. The grant is available to investigators affiliated with U.S.-based nonprofit institutions. Eligible projects must clearly relate to cancer detection, treatment, or cure, and the relevance must be explicitly stated in the proposal. There is no fixed ceiling on grant amounts; however, requested funds must be proportional to the proposed project's scope and well-justified. Overhead costs exceeding 5% are typically not considered. Funding may support personnel, supplies, and essential equipment up to a value of $5,000, and a detailed budget justification is required. Final reports combining both scientific outcomes and financial accounting are due one year after the award date. Applicants must submit their proposals online through the foundation’s portal. The site allows applicants to either complete their submissions in one sitting or save progress and return to finish later. Once an application is submitted, it cannot be modified. The foundation offers three application cycles per year with deadlines on December 15, April 30, and August 31. Corresponding final reviews are conducted in May, September, and December respectively. Applicants will receive confirmation of submission through the platform; no further communication will be issued unless the proposal is selected. All decision notifications are sent via email to the Principal Investigator. The application process requires submission of several components: contact and institutional information, a project summary (maximum 1,700 characters), a detailed experimental approach (up to 20,000 characters), references, and preliminary results. Applicants must include a brief CV for the Principal Investigator and additional documentation for co-PIs and research staff, if applicable. The budget section must delineate salaries, effort percentages, and cost justifications. Applicants must also disclose all current and pending grants, along with their abstracts, time commitments, and potential overlaps. Prior to initiating the project, successful applicants must provide documentation verifying the nonprofit status of their institution as well as any required institutional approvals for work involving human or animal subjects. The foundation stipulates that in cases of overlapping grants, only one source of funding may be accepted. Final reports from awardees must not exceed six pages and are submitted via the same online portal used for the initial application. The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation does not provide reviewer feedback and does not accept email confirmations for submitted applications. While the application process does not include a pre-application phase or concept paper submission, the recurring nature of the grant allows for future submission opportunities for eligible investigators whose applications are not accepted initially.