The Breast Cancer Alliance (BCA) Exceptional Project Grant is a one-year, $100,000 award designed for breast cancer research projects that are unusually creative, paradigm-challenging, or innovative — regardless of the investigator’s career stage. Unlike the BCA’s Young Investigator Grant, which targets early-career researchers, the Exceptional Project Grant is explicitly open to investigators at any level of seniority. This makes it one of the few breast cancer funding mechanisms that does not impose career-stage restrictions, welcoming proposals from senior established investigators pursuing bold new directions just as readily as it does from mid-career researchers launching a high-risk project.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to investigators at any career stage (no training completion date restrictions)
- Must hold an independent research position at an academic or non-profit institution
- Research must focus on breast cancer (any subtype or research domain)
- Must not hold more than one active BCA award simultaneously; check current RFA for simultaneous application policy
- No citizenship or residency restrictions specified; confirm geographic eligibility in current RFA
Funding Details:
- Award amount: $100,000 for one year
- Funds support direct research costs including personnel, supplies, and related expenses
- Indirect costs policy: confirm with BCA at time of application
- Award start date: April 1, 2027
Deadline:
- Letter of Intent (LOI): March 31, 2026
- LOI notification (invitation to full proposal): approximately June 2026
- Full Proposal Deadline (invited only): ~July 30, 2026
- Award start: April 1, 2027
Contact / Further Information: