Child Health Research Awards Program

The Charles H. Hood Foundation, established in 1942, is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for children throughout New England. Through its Child Health Research Awards Program, the Foundation supports the early careers of promising junior faculty by providing resources that enable them to pursue hypothesis-driven research relevant to child health and prepare for future funding opportunities. The Awards Program offers two-year grants totaling $200,000 ($100,000 per year including 10% indirect costs). Up to five awards are granted in each cycle. Research proposals must be directly focused on child health and may span clinical, basic science, public health, health services research, or epidemiology. Projects focusing on pregnant women, fetuses, or prenatal development are not eligible. Preference is given to proposals with clear relevance and impact on child health, demonstrated through a required impact statement. Eligible applicants must hold a doctoral degree, demonstrate research independence, and be within five years (PhD) or seven years (physician-scientist) of employment after completing training. All applicants must be employed at a nonprofit academic, medical, or research institution located within the six New England states—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut—working at least 0.8 FTE (four days/week) by the application deadline. U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is not required. The application deadline for the January 2026 award cycle is Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time. The funding period runs from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027. Applications must be submitted online and include multiple required components such as a research proposal, impact and non-technical summaries, biosketch, budget forms, institutional letters confirming independence, and confidential recommendation letters. Applicants must also complete a detailed eligibility checklist. Applicants are ineligible if they have secured $500,000 or more in combined direct costs from federal and non-federal sources during the first year of the award. Similarly, those who have held large multi-year grants exceeding $700,000 or served as PI or Co-PI on major NIH awards (e.g., R01, P01) are generally not eligible. One resubmission is allowed within one year of the original application. The application process and award decisions place strong emphasis on both the applicant’s potential for a successful research career and the significance of the proposed project to advancing child health. For questions, applicants can contact Charlene Mancusi, Director of Operations & Programs at the Charles H. Hood Foundation, via email at Charlene.Mancusi@CharlesHoodFoundation.org or phone at 617-279-2230.

Review eligibility guidelines carefully and confirm institutional endorsement early. Early submission is strongly advised due to strict cutoff.