The ACS Catalyst Award is a new grant mechanism from the American Cancer Society designed to “catalyze” the research of early-stage independent investigators. It provides a one-year infusion of funds to sustain promising cancer projects that scored highly but missed out on major funding (such as near-miss applications to ACS Research Scholar Grants or NIH R01s) By bridging this gap, the Catalyst Award enables researchers to continue critical experiments and gather data for resubmissions, accelerating progress on innovative cancer science
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to early-career independent investigators who meet ACS Research Scholar Grant (RSG) eligibility (typically within 10 years of their first faculty appointment).
- Applicants must have previously submitted either an ACS RSG or NCI R01 proposal in 2024–2025 that was scored.
- Outstanding/competitive but not funded (E.g. RSG applications given “contingent” status or NCI R01 applications in the top 15th percentile without funding).
- Must hold a doctoral degree and a full-time independent faculty position at a US academic institution (or equivalent non-profit) at the award start U.S. citizens or permanent residents are not required – international researchers at U.S. institutions are eligible.
- Cannot already be PI on more than one active R01 or large grant over $100K/year in direct costs Current or past Catalyst Award recipients are not eligible.
Funding Details:
- Award Amount: $150,000 (direct costs) for a 1-year project, with no indirect costs allowed This is a one-time, non-renewable grant.
- Supports personnel time (“protected time”) and research expenses to keep the project moving forward Funds must be used for the aims originally proposed in the unfunded application (within the scope of the initial project)
- Grant term expected to begin May 1, 2026, aligning with the ACS grant cycle Progress and financial reports will be required at the end of the award.
Deadline:
- January 5, 2026 – Full application due via ProposalCentral (No Letter of Intent stage; however, applicants should discuss their intent to apply with ACS program staff to obtain application access) Award notifications are expected by March 2026.
Where to go for further information: