External Funding

• National Institutes of Health: NIH Weekly Funding Notice
• Grants.gov Search Tool: Funding Database Search Tool
• National Science Foundation: NSF Funding Search Tool
• Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health: ARPA-H Funding Opportunities 
• Department of Defense (DOD):
  • Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Funding Opportunities
  • Army Research Office (ARO) & Army Research Lab (ARL) Funding Opportunities
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Funding Opportunities
  • Office of Naval Research (ONR) Funding Opportunities
  • Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Funding Opportunities
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Funding Opportunities

Limited Submission opportunities that include units outside the SOM are administered by the Office of Research Development (ORD).  More information on opportunities and deadlines can be found here:  https://research.unc.edu/research-development/limited-submissions/

Please note that any any limited submission that is not on the ORD calendar and has less than 45-days before the first due date will be approved to submit on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions regarding limited submissions, please contact the ORD office: (919) 962-9333 or email ord@unc.edu.

If you are interested in applying to foundation or industry opportunities, please reach out to the UNC Office of Foundation Relations and Industry Engagement: frie@unc.edu

Broad Biomedical & Translational Science Funders

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) – Supports basic biomedical research and investigators.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation – Funds science and healthcare innovation, including patient outcomes research.
• Wellcome Trust – Major global funder of biomedical research, particularly in health and life sciences.
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) – Funds research in biomedical imaging, neurodegeneration, infectious diseases, and AI-driven science.
• Burroughs Wellcome Fund – Funds early-career investigators in biomedical sciences.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation – Supports translational biomedical research and clinician-scientists.
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Supports global health, infectious disease research, and biomedical innovation.
• Klingenstein Philanthropies – Funds neuroscience and early-career biomedical research.
• North Carolina Biotechnology Center – NCBiotech grants fill funding gaps along the innovation continuum – from building university infrastructure to supporting early-stage development of university inventions to help move technology toward commercialization.

Cancer & Chronic Disease Foundations

• V Foundation for Cancer Research – fund game-changing research and all-star scientists to accelerate victory over cancer and save lives.
• American Cancer Society (ACS) – Supports cancer research, prevention, and treatment.
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation – Funds basic and translational cancer research.
• The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research – Funds cutting-edge cancer research.
• Cancer Research Institute (CRI) – Supports immunotherapy and fundamental cancer biology.
• Lung Cancer Research Foundation – Supports lung cancer research and treatment advancements.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) – Funds cancer research across all areas, including basic, translational, and clinical studies.
• Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) – Funds research focused on childhood cancer treatments and cures.
• St. Baldrick’s Foundation – Funds childhood cancer research.
• Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) – Funds research to finding safer, more effective therapies for kids battling cancer.
• Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) – Supports cancer immunotherapy research fellowships.
• American Heart Association (AHA) – Funds cardiovascular and stroke research.
• Breakthrough T1D – Supports Type 1 diabetes research.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Funds CF drug development and clinical research.
• National Psoriasis Foundation – Funds research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
• Kenneth Rainin Foundation – Funds early support for innovative ideas can lead to improvements in preventing, predicting, diagnosing and treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Neuroscience, Mental Health & Regenerative Medicine

• Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research – Focuses on Parkinson’s disease research.
• Alzheimer’s Association – Supports Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research.
• Dana Foundation – Funds neuroscience research that benefits society.
• The Kavli Foundation – Funds neuroscience and nanoscience research.
• McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience – Supports fundamental brain research.
• International OCD Foundation – Supports research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions.
• Hearing Health Foundation – Funds research on hearing loss, tinnitus, and auditory disorders.
• New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) – Focuses on regenerative medicine and stem cell research.
• The Peanut Institute – Supports research on nutrition, particularly related to peanuts’ impact on health, potentially linking to pediatric and metabolic health.

Genetics, Orthopaedics & Pediatric Research

• Simons Foundation – Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) – Funds genetics research related to autism spectrum disorders.
• The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation – Funds basic science research, including genetics and molecular biology.
• The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research – Focuses on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of aging and longevity.
• Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) – Funds musculoskeletal research.
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) – Supports sports medicine-related studies.
• Thrasher Research Fund – Supports pediatric medical research, including childhood diseases and early-life health.
• Scoliosis Research Society – Supports research and education related to spinal deformities and scoliosis treatment.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has external resources for postdoc funding opportunities and fellowships.