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Top 10 Cancer Research Grants Open This Fall

Top 10 Cancer Research Grants Open This Fall

This edition of OncoGrants brings together 10 Major Cancer Research funding opportunities currently open to investigators across different career stages and research areas, with deadlines running from September 2026 through March 2027. The selection spans disease-specific research, early-career awards, postdoctoral fellowships, translational programs, large collaborative grants, and cancer prevention research.

Opportunities range from focused awards such as the MIB Agents OutSmarting Osteosarcoma grants and the AACR–QuadW Sarcoma Research Fellowship to major federally funded programs including the NCI Metastasis Research Network, Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network, and CDMRP early-career awards in kidney and ovarian cancer. Funding varies considerably, from $50,000–$60,000 fellowships to multimillion-dollar research programs supporting several years of work.

The list also includes career-building opportunities such as the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship and NCI Pathway to Independence Award, alongside broader research calls addressing metastatic disease and population-level approaches to reducing alcohol-related cancer risk. Several opportunities allow international applicants or institutions, while others have specific geographic or institutional requirements.

Whether you are an early-career investigator, postdoctoral researcher, clinician-scientist, or established research team, these opportunities provide different pathways to secure funding and advance cancer research.

1. The MIB Agents OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Research Grant Program 2027

Osteosarcoma Research Grant

The MIB Agents OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Research Grant Program 2027 supports research aimed at advancing new knowledge, treatments, and better outcomes for patients with osteosarcoma.

The 2027 program offers two one-year funding mechanisms: the OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Hero Award, providing $100,000, and the Young Investigator (YI) Hope Award, providing $50,000 for early-career investigators. Since launching in 2017, the program has awarded $2.9 million to 37 investigators working in osteosarcoma research.

Eligibility Criteria

  • The 2027 awards are open to investigators based in the United States and Canada.
  • The Hero Award is intended for investigators proposing a compelling research study capable of advancing outcomes for osteosarcoma patients.
  • The Young Investigator Hope Award is specifically designed to support early-career researchers.
  • Proposed work must have a clear and meaningful focus on osteosarcoma research.
  • Applicants should consult the 2027 Program Guidelines for the detailed PI rank, degree, institutional, and Young Investigator eligibility requirements before submission, as those details are not fully reproduced on the public program overview page.

Funding Details

  • OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Hero Award: $100,000.
  • Award duration: 1 year.
  • OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Young Investigator Hope Award: $50,000.
  • Award duration: 1 year.

Deadline

  • LOI submission opens: September 9, 2026.
  • LOI deadline: October 16, 2026.
  • Approved LOI applicants notified: Early December 2026.
  • Invited full application deadline: January 25, 2027.
  • Grant period: July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028.

Further Information

2. CDMRP Kidney Cancer Academy Early-Career Scholar Award 2026

Kidney Cancer

The FY26 Kidney Cancer Research Program Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators – Early-Career Scholar Award supports promising early-career scientists and physician-scientists working to establish independent careers in kidney cancer research.

Recipients join the interactive Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators (AKCI), combining a four-year research project with intensive mentorship, networking, scientific collaboration, leadership development, monthly virtual meetings, and in-person Academy workshops. Each award provides up to $1.2 million in total costs over four years, with approximately two awards expected.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must be less than 7 years from their last postdoctoral research position, clinical fellowship, or equivalent by the September 28, 2026 full application deadline.
  • Applicants may be either research scientists or physician-scientists.
  • The Early-Career Scholar must devote at least 25% effort to the award during the first two years.
  • Each investigator may be named PI on only one FY26 AKCI-ECSA application.
  • Applicants must identify a Designated Mentor who is an established, independent kidney cancer investigator with a strong record of publications and mentorship.
  • If the Designated Mentor is based at another institution, the applicant must also identify an Other Mentor at the Scholar’s institution.
  • Eligible applicant organizations include foreign and domestic, nonprofit and for-profit, public and private organizations.
  • There are no citizenship, nationality, or ethnicity restrictions for the PI.

Funding Details

  • Maximum award: $1.2 million in total costs.
  • Maximum duration: 4 years.
  • Total program funding: Approximately $2.4 million.
  • Expected awards: Approximately 2.

Deadline

  • Required Letter of Intent: September 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
  • Full application deadline: September 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.
  • Application verification period ends: October 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
  • Peer review: December 2026.
  • Programmatic review: March 2027.
  • Awards are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2027.

Further Information

3. AACR–QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship 2027

AACR–QuadW

The AACR–QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship in Memory of Willie Tichenor supports postdoctoral and clinical research fellows conducting translational or clinical research in sarcoma and developing a long-term career in the field.

The fellowship provides $60,000 for one year to support a mentored research project focused on clinically relevant advances for sarcoma patients. Priority is given to projects developing personalized therapeutic approaches, identifying new therapeutic targets, understanding mechanisms of existing treatments, and conducting predictive biomarker research with potential for near-term clinical application. (AACR)

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must hold a PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field.
  • Up to 12 months of extension to the five-year eligibility window may be considered for parental or justified personal/family leave.
  • Research must be conducted under a mentor at an academic, medical, or research institution anywhere in the world.
  • There are no citizenship or geographic restrictions.
  • Applicants cannot concurrently hold another AACR grant during the fellowship term.
  • Applicants must be AACR members in good standing by the LOI deadline.
  • Only one LOI per applicant may be submitted for this fellowship.

Funding Details

  • Award amount: $60,000 USD.
  • Duration: 1 year.
  • Grant start: July 1, 2027.

Deadline

  • Competitive LOI deadline: November 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET.
  • LOI decision: February 2027.
  • Invited full application deadline: March 15, 2027 at 1:00 PM ET.
  • Award decision: June 2027.
  • Grant start date: July 1, 2027.

Further Information

4. CDMRP Ovarian Cancer Academy Early-Career Investigator Award 2026

Early-Career Investigator Award

The FY26 Ovarian Cancer Academy – Early-Career Investigator Award (OCA-ECI), offered through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs’ Ovarian Cancer Research Program, supports junior investigators pursuing independent careers in ovarian cancer research.

The award combines a four-year research project with intensive mentorship, networking, professional development, monthly Academy activities, and collaboration with other ovarian cancer researchers. Approximately $4.5 million is expected to support four awards, with each application eligible for up to $1.125 million in total costs over four years.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must be within 5 years of their last postdoctoral research position, clinical fellowship, or equivalent as of October 1, 2026.
  • Individuals who are still in a postdoctoral position or clinical fellowship at the full application deadline are not eligible.
  • Applicants may be either research scientists or physician-scientists.
  • The institution must provide approximately 50% protected time for ovarian cancer research and Ovarian Cancer Academy activities.
  • If the Designated Mentor is at another institution, an additional Other Mentor at the applicant’s institution must be included.
  • Foreign and U.S. organizations, including nonprofit, for-profit, public, and private organizations, are eligible.
  • There are no nationality or citizenship restrictions for the PI.

Funding Details

  • Maximum award: $1.125 million in total costs.
  • Maximum duration: 4 years.
  • Total anticipated program funding: Approximately $4.5 million.

Deadline

  • Pre-Application / Letter of Intent: September 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
  • Full application: October 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.
  • Application verification ends: October 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
  • Peer review: November 2026.
  • Programmatic review: January 2027.
  • Awards are expected to be made no later than September 30, 2027.

Further Information

  • Research may involve basic, translational, and/or clinical research in ovarian cancer.
  • Pre-applications are submitted through eBRAP; extramural organizations submit full applications through Grants.gov.
  • Official program page: View on Simpler.Grants.gov
  • Official FY26 Program Announcement: View the full guidelines

5. Osteosarcoma Institute Research Grants 2026–2027

Osteosarcoma

The Osteosarcoma Institute (OSI) 2026–2027 Grant Cycle supports clinical and laboratory research aimed at improving treatment options and survival for patients with osteosarcoma. Funding is available through four programs: Clinical Trials, Correlative Science, Preclinical/Translational Research, and High-Risk/High-Impact Research.

Awards range from $25,000 to $800,000, depending on the program, and applications are open to eligible investigators and nonprofit institutions worldwide. The 2026 scientific priorities include minimal residual disease and metastatic progression, DNA damage response, and multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The Letter of Intent deadline is September 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must hold an MD, PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent degree.
  • Applicants must hold a faculty or equivalent appointment at an academic institution.
  • Applicants do not need to be U.S. citizens.
  • Research institutions do not need to be located in the United States.
  • Each applicant may submit only one Letter of Intent during the grant cycle.
  • Institutions may submit multiple LOIs, although OSI states that it is unlikely to fund more than one grant per institution in a single cycle.
  • Only one resubmission of a previously reviewed application is permitted.

Funding Details

  • Clinical Trials Grant: Up to $800,000 total over 2–3 years.
  • Correlative Science Grant: $200,000–$500,000 total over 2 years.
  • Preclinical/Translational Grant: Up to $500,000 total over 2 years.
  • High-Risk/High-Impact Grant: $25,000–$125,000 total over 1 year.

Deadline

  • Letter of Intent deadline: September 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET.
  • LOI decisions: December 2026.
  • Full proposal deadline: March 5, 2027 at 12:00 PM ET — invitation only.
  • Funding decisions: June 2027.

Further Information

6. NCI Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network U19 Grant 2026

 

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network (GTN) U19 Grant supports multi-institutional teams developing novel therapeutic agents for adult glioblastoma (GBM), with particular emphasis on therapies capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and advancing rapidly into early clinical testing.

Each GTN team is expected to move promising agents from late preclinical development through IND-enabling studies and into pilot or Phase 0/1 clinical studies. NCI plans to commit approximately $4.4 million in FY 2027 to support 3–4 awards, with individual applications allowed to request up to $700,000 in direct costs per year for up to five years.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Eligible applicants include U.S. public and private institutions of higher education.
  • Eligible nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including small businesses, may apply.
  • Foreign organizations are not eligible to apply.
  • Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components are not allowed.
  • Each application must propose a multi-institutional team involving at least two institutions.
  • Each lead institution may submit only one GTN U19 application.
  • Applications may be either New or Renewal.

Funding Details

  • Funding mechanism: U19 Research Program Cooperative Agreement.
  • Maximum budget: $700,000 in direct costs per year.
  • Maximum project duration: 5 years.
  • Total planned FY 2027 funding: Approximately $4.4 million in total costs.
  • Expected number of awards: 3–4.

Deadline

  • Posted: August 31, 2026.
  • Open date: September 1, 2026.
  • Application deadline: October 1, 2026.
  • Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
  • Earliest project start: July 2027.
  • NOFO expiration: October 2, 2026.

Further Information

  • Clinical activities should be integrated into the U19 with the goal of advancing candidate agents from preclinical development into pilot or Phase 0/1 clinical trials during the award period.
  • Official program announcement: View RFA-CA-27-005
  • Simpler.Grants.gov: View the funding opportunity
  • Grants.gov: View on Grants.gov

7. CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Cancer Research Fellowship 2027

CRI

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program supports outstanding early-career researchers conducting innovative research in immunology and cancer immunology at nonprofit institutions worldwide.

The fellowship provides $243,000 over three years, combining progressive annual stipends with a $5,000 annual institutional allowance. Applications are now open for the next cycle, with a deadline of March 1, 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. (Cancer Research Institute)

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree by the date of award activation.
  • Applicants with 5 or more years of mentored postdoctoral research experience at award activation are generally not eligible.
  • For MD applicants, residency years are excluded when calculating the postdoctoral research period.
  • The fellowship must be conducted at a nonprofit research institution.
  • Research may be performed in the United States or internationally.
  • There are no citizenship restrictions.

Funding Details

  • Total fellowship support: $243,000 over 3 years.
  • Year 1 stipend: $74,000.
  • Year 2 stipend: $76,000.
  • Year 3 stipend: $78,000.
  • Institutional allowance: $5,000 per year.

Deadline

  • Next application deadline: March 1, 2027.
  • Time: 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
  • CRI normally accepts applications annually on March 1 and September 1.

Further Information

8. NCI Pathway to Independence Award 2026

Independence K99/R00 Award

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pathway to Independence K99/R00 Award supports postdoctoral researchers as they transition from mentored training to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions in cancer research.

This PAR-25-135 mechanism is specifically for candidates whose proposed research does not involve leading an independent clinical trial. The award provides up to five years of combined support, including a mentored K99 phase of up to two years followed by an independent R00 phase of up to three years. The next application deadline is October 14, 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must hold a clinical or research doctoral degree, such as PhD, MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DVM, ScD, PharmD, or equivalent.
  • Applicants may have no more than 6 years of postdoctoral research experience by the relevant application deadline.
  • Candidates must require at least 12 months of additional mentored research and career development before transitioning to independence.
  • Candidates must devote at least 75% of full-time professional effort, equivalent to 9 person-months, to research and career development.
  • There is no U.S. citizenship requirement; eligible non-U.S. citizens may apply.
  • Applicants with temporary U.S. visas must have visa status allowing them to complete both the K99 and R00 phases at eligible U.S. institutions.
  • Applicants must identify an appropriate primary mentor with relevant research expertise and resources.

Funding Details

  • Total project period: Up to 5 years.
  • K99 mentored phase: Up to 2 years.
  • R00 independent phase: Up to 3 years.
  • K99 salary support: Up to $100,000 per year, plus applicable fringe benefits.
  • K99 research development support: Up to $30,000 per year.
  • R00 funding: Up to $249,000 in total costs per year.

Deadline

  • Next application deadline: October 14, 2026.
  • Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
  • Scientific merit review: March 2027.
  • Advisory Council review: May 2027.
  • Earliest start date: July 2027.

Further Information

  • The R00 institution must provide sufficient protected research time, space, resources, salary support, and start-up support comparable to that provided to other newly hired independent investigators.
  • Candidates must continue to devote at least 75% effort to research during the R00 phase.
  • Official NIH program page: View PAR-25-135
  • Simpler.Grants.gov: View the funding opportunity

9. NCI Metastasis Research Network U54 Grant 2026

Metastasis Research Network

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Metastasis Research Network (MetNet) U54 Grant supports multidisciplinary Specialized Research Centers working to build a more comprehensive, systems-level understanding of cancer metastasis.

Each MetNet Center must develop an overarching scientific theme integrating 2–3 interconnected research projects addressing multiple components of metastatic progression, such as early dissemination, tumor–microenvironment interactions, metastatic dormancy, and treatment response or resistance. NCI plans to provide $6.8 million in FY 2027 to support approximately four awards, with each center able to request up to $1.3 million in direct costs per year for up to five years.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education.
  • Nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including small businesses, may apply.
  • Foreign/non-U.S. organizations are eligible to apply.
  • Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations and eligible foreign components are permitted.
  • Any investigator with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources may serve as PD/PI.
  • Multiple PDs/PIs are permitted, and all PDs/PIs must have an eRA Commons account and ORCID linked to their profile.
  • Only new applications are accepted under this NOFO.

Funding Details

  • Maximum budget: $1.3 million in direct costs per year.
  • Maximum project duration: 5 years.
  • Total NCI funding planned: Approximately $6.8 million in FY 2027.
  • Expected number of awards: Approximately 4.
  • Each Center must reserve at least $50,000 in direct costs annually during Years 2–5 for post-award pilot projects.

Deadline

  • Applications opened: August 25, 2026.
  • Application deadline: September 25, 2026.
  • Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
  • Earliest project start: July 2027.
  • NOFO expiration: September 26, 2026.

Further Information

10. NCI–NIAAA Alcohol-Related Cancer Risk R01 Grant 2026

Alcohol-Related Cancer Risk

The NCI–NIAAA Population Approaches to Reducing Alcohol-Related Cancer Risk R01 Grant supports interdisciplinary research aimed at reducing cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption through population-level and policy-based approaches.

Projects may investigate cancer-risk communication, social norms surrounding alcohol, alcohol-related policies, health disparities, and multilevel interventions designed to reduce alcohol consumption from a cancer prevention and control perspective. Budgets are not formally capped, projects may run for up to five years, and the next new-application deadline is October 5, 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education.
  • Nonprofit organizations, with or without 501(c)(3) status, may apply.
  • Foreign/non-U.S. organizations are eligible.
  • Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations and eligible foreign components are permitted.
  • Any investigator with the appropriate skills, knowledge, and resources may serve as PD/PI.
  • Cost sharing is not required.
  • Clinical trials are optional under this funding opportunity.

Funding Details

  • Grant mechanism: NIH R01 Research Project Grant.
  • Budget: No fixed maximum; budgets must reflect the actual needs of the project.
  • Maximum project duration: 5 years.

Deadline

  • Next new-application deadline: October 5, 2026.
  • Renewal/resubmission/revision deadline: November 5, 2026.
  • Applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization.
  • Earliest project start: July 2027.
  • NOFO expiration: January 8, 2027.

Further Information

  • Projects may address alcohol consumption ranging from light or moderate use to heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder.
  • Studies consisting solely of individual-level behavioral interventions are not responsive to the NOFO.
  • Cancer incidence or mortality does not need to be the primary endpoint, but projects must demonstrate strong relevance to cancer prevention and control.
  • Official program page: View the NIH NOFO
  • Simpler.Grants.gov: View the grant opportunity

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AACR cancer immunology Cancer Prevention Cancer research cancer research funding Cancer Research Grants CDMRP clinical research CRI Early-career researchers glioblastoma kidney cancer metastasis research NCI NIH OncoGrants oncology grants oncology research osteosarcoma Ovarian Cancer Postdoctoral Fellowship research funding sarcoma translational research Young Investigator Award