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WELCOME GRANTSEEKERS.

Welcome back to the The Funding Beat! This newsletter is your go-to source for the latest in health and science grant funding. Around here, we focus on clarity, strategy, and making sure you never have to stare down a 50 page RFP without a plan again.

In this issue, we are unpacking one of the most universal founder dilemmas: a new RFP drops, everyone panics, and suddenly your carefully planned quarter is hanging by a thread. I am sharing the simple, repeatable method I use with organizations to figure out which grants are actually worth pursuing and which ones deserve a polite “nope.”

But first coffee. And second…new RFPs! (hey practice what you learn in my article why don’t you??). Let’s get to it!

-Melanie

Table of Contents

New Funding Opportunities Just Dropped👇

YOUR MONTHLY GRANT ROUND-UP

    • Eligibility: U.S. nonprofit institutions; MD/PhD PIs

    • Deadline: January 19, 2026 (LOI)

    • What They’re Funding: Integrative cardiovascular–oncology data to identify CKM risk drivers; tools that inform clinical decisions.

    • Eligibility: Global (except mainland China); transdisciplinary teams with humanities/social science partners

    • Deadline: March 16, 2026

    • What They’re Funding: Agenda-setting genomics research integrated with ethics, social sciences, humanities, community knowledge, and AI in genomics.

    • Eligibility: U.S. nonprofit research institutions; MD/PhD-level PIs

    • Deadline: January 6, 2026 (Pre-proposal)

    • What They’re Funding: Sex-specific diagnostics and technologies for cardiovascular, autoimmune, neuroendocrine, and gynecologic health.

  • Parkinson’s UK: Project Grants

    • Eligibility: UK universities and NHS Trusts

    • Deadline: March 5, 2026

    • What They’re Funding: Parkinson’s disease mechanisms, drug discovery, and clinical research.

    • Eligibility: Global innovators able to engage with Singapore’s R&D ecosystem

    • Deadline: February 2026

    • What They’re Funding: AI/ML tools and data-science approaches accelerating drug discovery and biomedical R&D.

    • Eligibility: Organizations with cell therapy manufacturing, preservation, or distribution capabilities (academics, non-profits, for-profits)

    • Deadline: Febraury 19, 2026 (Solution Summary)

    • What They’re Funding: Technologies for stabilizing, preserving, transporting, and manufacturing live cell-based therapies.

  • National Psoriasis Foundation: Translational Research Grants

    • Eligibility: MD/PhD investigators worldwide; host institution must approve PI status

    • Deadline: January 30, 2026

    • What They’re Funding: Translational research accelerating new treatments for psoriatic disease.

    • Eligibility: U.S. health systems, FQHCs, academic medical centers, nonprofits

    • Deadline: February 6, 2026

    • What They’re Funding: Community-level health equity interventions improving access, quality, and outcomes in kidney care.

    • Eligibility: U.S. tax-exempt organizations; multi-site outpatient research teams

    • Deadline: February 3, 2026

    • What They’re Funding: A prospective non-inferiority cohort study comparing outcomes for medication abortion (70 vs. 71–97 days).

Feature Story

New grant…who dis?

A new 50 page RFP hits your inbox. The deadline is tight. Your team looks at you like you have the answers. And oof..suddenly the pressure kicks in.

Opportunities in 2025 feel fewer and more competitive, yet the solicitations somehow keep getting longer and more complicated! So how do you decide whether this brand new grant is actually worth your time before you derail your roadmap, your bandwidth, and your collaborator relationships?

This week on the blog I break down the exact step by step method I use with biotech and life science teams to quickly evaluate any new solicitation without the overwhelm. You will learn how to scan an FOA, judge fit, spot hidden requirements early, and avoid the trap of panic applying to grants that were never aligned in the first place.

If you have ever opened a new RFP and thought “Oh no… not again,” this one is going to save you hours of frustration.

Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next month with new funding insights!

Until next time,

Melanie

P.S. Have a quick grant question? Need help knowing where to look for your next grant? Reply directly to this email, I read every message!

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