The ASH Scholar Award is one of the longest-running early-career funding programmes in hematology, supporting investigators since 1985 as they transition from mentored training into independent research careers. In 2025–2026, ASH significantly expanded the programme by committing an additional $9 million in response to federal funding cuts, bringing total investment to over $20 million and funding a record 53+ awardees. The programme operates across three career-stage tiers — Fellow, Fellow-to-Faculty, and Junior Faculty — each with distinct funding levels and eligibility windows. Research proposals are accepted across basic, translational, patient-oriented clinical, and outcomes-based hematology research, with a strong emphasis on blood cancers including acute myeloid leukemia, lymphoma, and related hematologic malignancies.
Eligibility Criteria:
Applicants must:
- Be conducting research in hematology (blood cancers and blood disorders)
- Meet one of three career-stage criteria:
- Fellow Scholar Award: ≤5 years post-terminal degree, in a mentored postdoctoral training position
- Fellow-to-Faculty Scholar Award: 5–8 years post-terminal degree, in mentored training, with ≤$150,000 annual research funding
- Junior Faculty Scholar Award: 8–13 years post-terminal degree; must hold an independent faculty position
- Be based at an institution in the United States or Canada
Funding Details:
- Fellow Scholar Award: Up to $100,000 over 2–3 years
- Fellow-to-Faculty Scholar Award: Up to $125,000 over 2–3 years
- Junior Faculty Scholar Award: Up to $150,000 over 2–3 years
- Paid in equal quarterly installments
Deadline:
- Letter of Intent / Application form available: 1 March 2026
- Letter of Intent deadline: 1 May 2026
- Eligibility notification: 1 June 2026
- Full application deadline (invited): 3 August 2026, 11:59 PM ET
- Award notification: January 2027
Where to go for further information:
- Programme page
- Contact: awards@hematology.org