This week’s OncoGrants selection has a distinctly pediatric focus, but the opportunities extend well beyond childhood cancer into lung, bladder, and broad investigator-initiated research across all cancer types.
Pediatric oncology anchors the list with four dedicated mechanisms: ALSF’s ‘A’ Award for early-career investigators building their first independent programs, the V Foundation’s three-track cycle reaching up to $1 million for researchers at NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, and two CCRF awards targeting the issues that follow children long after treatment ends, health disparities in access and outcomes, and the late effects that define survivorship. Together, they represent a meaningful cross-section of where the childhood cancer field is investing right now.
Career development is the other dominant thread this week. The LUNGevity Foundation CDA offers $300,000 over three years to junior faculty committed to lung cancer early detection and treatment, while the Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Award, now in its sixth cohort, trains physician-scientists to run community-oriented trials with underrepresented populations. Both reflect a growing recognition that retaining talented investigators in underfunded disease areas requires deliberate, structured support.
Rounding out the list are three American Cancer Society mechanisms open simultaneously, the Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Discovery Boost Grant, and the Research Scholar Grant, along with BCAN’s Research Innovation Award for bold bladder cancer science. Deadlines run from April 10 through June 1, 2026.
1. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) ‘A’ Award (Pediatric Cancer Research 2026)
The Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) ‘A’ Award supports early-career investigators who are launching careers in pediatric cancer research. This $100,000 two-year award is specifically aimed at clinicians and scientists within their first five years of independent research who wish to establish a focused pediatric oncology research program. ALSF is one of the leading funders of childhood cancer research in the United States and takes a deliberately high-risk, high-reward approach to grant selection. The ‘A’ Award is designed to generate the preliminary data that allows emerging pediatric cancer investigators to compete successfully for larger independent grants. Applications are submitted via ProposalCentral.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must hold an MD, PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree
- Must be within the first 5 years of their first independent faculty appointment (assistant professor or equivalent) at time of application
- Must be employed at a non-profit academic, medical, or research institution in the United States or Canada
- Proposed research must focus directly on childhood cancer (all pediatric oncology types eligible)
- Applicants may not simultaneously hold another ALSF ‘A’ Award
- Only one ‘A’ Award application per institution per review cycle is allowed in some tumor focus areas; check current RFA for institution limits
- Applications must be submitted through ProposalCentral
Funding Details:
- Up to $100,000/year for 2 years (up to $200,000 total)
- No indirect costs allowed; funds must support direct research costs
- Allowable costs: salaries, consumables, core facility fees, and research-related travel
- Award period: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028
Deadline:
- Full application deadline: April 2026 (check ProposalCentral for exact date; LOIs were due December 2025 for this cycle)
- Award decisions announced: June 26, 2026
- Apply via ProposalCentral: search “Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation”
Where to Go for Further Information:
2. ACS Postdoctoral Fellowship (June 2026 Cycle)
The American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship is one of the longest-running postdoctoral funding mechanisms in oncology, supporting early-career cancer scientists for more than 75 years. It provides up to three years of mentored research support across every area of the cancer continuum — from basic and translational science to behavioral research, epidemiology, health services, and health policy. Progressive stipends of $66,000 (Year 1), $68,000 (Year 2), and $70,000 (Year 3) make it one of the most financially competitive postdoctoral awards in the US. Applications for the June 2026 cycle became available on ProposalCentral in March 2026 and are now open. A December 1, 2026 cycle also exists for applicants who need more time.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must hold a terminal doctoral degree (PhD, MD, DVM, or equivalent); degree must be conferred before the grant activates
- Must be within 4 years of receiving their terminal doctoral degree as of the application deadline (0–3 years: eligible for 3-year fellowship; 3–4 years: eligible for 2-year fellowship)
- Time spent in clinical-only training does not count toward the 4-year limit
- Must hold a postdoctoral position at the time of award activation; faculty-level positions, staff scientist, or research scientist roles are not eligible
- Research must be cancer-focused and conducted at a US non-profit university, hospital, or research institution
- US citizenship or lawful immigration status required (non-US citizens must hold a valid visa permitting the research)
- No concurrent major postdoctoral fellowship award from a competing private source
Funding Details:
- Year 1: $66,000; Year 2: $68,000; Year 3: $70,000 (progressive stipend structure)
- $4,000/year fellowship allowance to offset health insurance, conference, and professional development costs
- $1,500 final-year travel allowance for the ACS Postdoctoral Fellows Symposium or a domestic scientific meeting
- Parental leave: 4–12 weeks paid leave per year with grant term extended accordingly
- Top-ranked fellowships may receive supplemental funding from ACS endowments
Deadline:
- June 1, 2026 (if deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the next business day applies)
- Submit via ProposalCentral; applications currently available
- December 1, 2026 cycle also exists
Where to Go for Further Information:
- Fellowship overview and eligibility
- Eligibility inquiries: grant.eligibility@cancer.org (at least 6 weeks before deadline)
- General grants: grants@cancer.org
3. LUNGevity Foundation Career Development Award 2026
The LUNGevity Foundation Career Development Award (CDA) is the flagship early-career funding program of the nation’s leading lung cancer nonprofit, providing $300,000 over three years to outstanding junior faculty committed to advancing lung cancer early detection and treatment. This is a mentored award, emphasizing rigorous science in targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or early detection, with the dual goal of supporting groundbreaking projects and retaining talented investigators in the lung cancer field. LOIs were due February 17, 2026 and invited applicants are now in the full application phase. Awardees also receive access to LUNGevity’s Fall Science Meeting — an exclusive, invitation-only annual event connecting them with field luminaries and fellow researchers. The award is open to US-based investigators only.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must hold a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, or equivalent)
- Must be within the first 5 years of their first faculty appointment at a US academic or research institution at the time of application
- Must have completed a postdoctoral training fellowship prior to the faculty appointment
- This is a mentored award; a formal mentoring plan is required
- Only one CDA per institution per cycle (check institutional eligibility before applying)
- LOI stage is closed (LOI deadline was February 17, 2026); only applicants invited following LOI review may submit full applications
- US-based institutions only; applicants need not be US citizens or permanent residents
Funding Details:
- Up to $300,000 total over 3 years ($100,000/year)
- Funds cover direct research costs: salaries, supplies, equipment, and relevant travel
- Annual milestones must be met for continued funding in Year 2 and Year 3
- No indirect costs
Deadline:
- Full application deadline: approximately April–May 2026 (exact date communicated to invited LOI applicants; award recipients expected to be announced by late summer 2026)
- Full application submitted via ProposalCentral
Where to Go for Further Information:
4. BCAN 2026 Bladder Cancer Research Innovation Award
The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) Research Innovation Award funds novel, high-risk, high-reward projects with genuine potential to produce major breakthroughs in the understanding of bladder cancer and upper tract urothelial carcinoma. This is one of BCAN’s flagship senior investigator mechanisms, providing up to $300,000 over two years to both established and mid-career researchers. The 2026 competition ran a January LOI stage, and shortlisted applicants have now been notified and are in the full-application phase, with final submissions due April 10, 2026. Research may be basic, translational, clinical, or epidemiological and must have direct relevance to bladder cancer. BCAN has awarded over $12 million in grants since 2005 and is particularly known for funding bold ideas that mainstream funders overlook.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must hold a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, or equivalent) at a full-time, independent investigator level at a non-profit academic, medical, or research institution in the United States or Canada
- Must not currently hold another active BCAN grant
- 2026 LOI stage is closed; only applicants who submitted an LOI by January 13, 2026 and received invitation letters by February 27, 2026 are eligible to submit full applications
- Researchers whose primary expertise is outside of bladder cancer are eligible if they include a Co-Primary Investigator with bladder cancer expertise
- Research must have direct applicability to bladder cancer and/or upper tract urothelial carcinoma
Funding Details:
- Up to $300,000 total over 2 years
- Year 1 cap: $200,000 (Year 2 contingent on satisfactory progress report)
- Up to 10% indirect costs on total direct costs
- Eligible costs: PI and staff salary/benefits (PI salary capped at 20% of budget), research supplies, equipment (no capital equipment >$2,000); travel to BCAN Think Tank meetings required and fundable
- Award period begins approximately September 2026; awardees expected to attend the 2026 BCAN Think Tank meeting in August
Deadline:
- Full application deadline: Friday, April 10, 2026 (invited applicants only)
- Award decisions announced: July 2026
- Application guidelines and full RFA
Where to Go for Further Information:
- BCAN grants overview
- Full 2026 Innovation Award LOI/Application Guidelines
- Contact: research@bcan.org
5. Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Career Development Award (Cohort 6)
The Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Career Development Award (Winn CDA) is a two-year, $240,000 award program that trains early-career physician-investigators to design and conduct community-oriented clinical trials with a particular focus on enrolling underrepresented and hard-to-reach populations. Now in its sixth cohort, it is administered by VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Gilead Sciences, Amgen, and Genentech. The program includes an intensive in-person workshop co-presented with AACR, a two-year Community-Oriented Clinical Trialist curriculum, and a capstone independent research protocol. Cancer research is one of the three eligible therapeutic focus areas, alongside cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric disorders. Applications are fully open now through May 4, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a physician (MD, DO, MD/PhD, DO/PhD) who is a US citizen, US permanent resident, or DACA recipient
- Must qualify as an NIH Early Stage Investigator (ESI): terminal degree or end of clinical training completed within the past 10 years, and no prior successful NIH R01 or R01-equivalent award
- May be an advanced fellow (graduating year, with institutional commitment to junior faculty position) or early-career faculty
- Research project must be in cancer, cardiovascular, or neuropsychiatric disease and involve a defined clinical trial
- Must be able to protect at least 40% of full-time effort for Winn CDA activities
- Must have a designated primary mentor at the applicant’s institution who is an experienced clinical investigator active in clinical trials
- Must have institutional letter of support and grants office approval prior to submission
Funding Details:
- $240,000 total over 2 years ($120,000/year) — awarded to the institution, not the individual
- Funds protect approximately 40% of scholar’s time; flexible for salary support and research expenses
- Up to $10,000/year may be applied to institutional indirect costs
- Remainder is discretionary for essential personnel costs, community engagement activities, and research implementation
- Award does not fund the scholar’s clinical trial project directly; it supports career development and protected research time
Deadline:
- May 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
- Applications submittion
- Applicants must notify their institution’s grants office well in advance (recommended ≥6 weeks before deadline: by approximately March 23, 2026)
Where to Go for Further Information:
- Full program information
- Application portal
- Program contact: winncda@vcu.edu
6. V Foundation Pediatric Cancer Research Awards 2026 (V Scholar + Translational + All-Star)
The V Foundation for Cancer Research issues an annual Request for Applications specifically for pediatric cancer research, offering three funding mechanisms in one cycle: the V Scholar Grant (for early-career tenure-track faculty conducting basic or translational research), the Translational Grant (bench-to-bedside projects aimed toward a clinical trial endpoint), and the All-Star Grant (a re-investment award for prior V Foundation grantees). Research on any pediatric cancer type is eligible, including brain tumors, leukemias, sarcomas, and other childhood malignancies. The V Foundation funds exclusively through NCI-Designated Cancer Centers and a select group of invited US and Canadian research institutions, meaning researchers must access this opportunity through their Cancer Center Director’s office. Awards are funded at $800,000 over four years (V Scholar) or $800,000 over four years (Translational), with the All-Star reaching $1,000,000 over five years. The 2026 cycle is currently in the internal institution nomination phase and approaching the full application deadline.
Eligibility Criteria:
- V Scholar: Must hold a full-time tenure-track position (Assistant Professor or equivalent); must be within 5 years of first full-time Assistant Professor appointment by nomination deadline; must not have previously received an R01 or R01-equivalent; must not be a prior V Foundation V Scholar awardee
- Translational: Must hold a full-time faculty appointment at Assistant Professor level or above; prior V Foundation funding not required; proposal must have a clinical endpoint achievable within 3 years of the grant
- All-Star: Must have previously received a V Foundation V Scholar or Translational grant; nominated as an institution’s “best-of-the-best” for a re-investment award
- Research must focus on pediatric cancer; epidemiology, behavioral science, and health services research are outside scope
- Applicants must be at an NCI-Designated Cancer Center or other invited institution in the US or Canada; researchers must contact their Cancer Center Director’s office to be considered for nomination
Funding Details:
- V Scholar and Translational: $200,000/year for 4 years ($800,000 total); no indirect costs allowed
- All-Star: $200,000/year for 5 years ($1,000,000 total)
- Funds cover direct research costs; indirect costs are not supported by V Foundation grants
Deadline:
- Internal institution nomination deadline: March 2026 (exact date set by each Cancer Center’s internal competition — contact your Cancer Center Director’s office immediately)
- Full application to V Foundation: April 2026
- Award notification: July 2026
Where to Go for Further Information:
- V Foundation grant cycle calendar and FAQs
- Grant types overview
- All RFA details distributed via Cancer Center Directors; contact your Cancer Center Director’s office or Grants@v.org
7. American Cancer Society Discovery Boost Grant (DBG)
The ACS Discovery Boost Grant is a relatively newer funding mechanism designed to fill a critical gap in the cancer research funding landscape: supporting exploratory, high-risk, and potentially high-reward research that may not yet have sufficient preliminary data to compete for traditional investigator-initiated grants. It is open to researchers at any career stage and across all areas of cancer research. The DBG is intended to help investigators generate the pilot data, test feasibility, or validate methodologies needed to pursue larger and longer-term funding. It complements rather than duplicates the ACS Research Scholar Grant, which requires a more developed body of preliminary work. ACS also releases special RFAs in specific disease or topic areas alongside the standard DBG call.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Open to independent investigators at any career stage who hold a faculty appointment (or equivalent independent position) at a US non-profit academic institution, hospital, or research center
- US citizen or non-citizen with appropriate visa/immigration status at time of application
- Research must be cancer-focused across any area of the cancer research continuum
- Postdoctoral researchers and those without an independent position are not eligible
- Applicants may concurrently hold other ACS grants provided there is no scientific or budgetary overlap
Funding Details:
- Up to $135,000 in direct costs per year for up to 2 years ($270,000 total direct costs maximum)
- Up to 10% allowable indirect costs
- Covers personnel, supplies, small equipment, travel, and other allowable research expenses
Deadline:
- June 1, 2026 (applications now available on ProposalCentral)
- December 1, 2026 cycle also exists
Where to Go for Further Information:
- Grant overview
- Contact: grants@cancer.org
- Eligibility questions: grant.eligibility@cancer.org
8. American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (RSG)
The American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (RSG) is one of the most established and competitive funding mechanisms for independent cancer researchers in the United States. It is designed to support early-career faculty who are establishing their first independent cancer research programs, providing sustained funding to build a research team and develop a body of work that can support subsequent larger grants (such as NCI R01 applications). RSGs are available across the full cancer research continuum — from basic and preclinical science through clinical, behavioral, psychosocial, epidemiological, and health policy research. Applications become available on ProposalCentral approximately three months before the deadline, meaning the June 2026 cycle is now open for preparation and submission. ACS regularly releases special Requests for Applications (RFAs) alongside the standard RSG call.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be an independent investigator (faculty appointment; postdoctoral researchers and research scientists are not eligible)
- Must hold an appointment at a US non-profit academic institution, hospital, or research center
- US citizen or non-citizen with an appropriate visa or lawful immigration status at the time of application
- Applicants should be at an early career stage — typically within the first several years of independent faculty status — and not yet leading an extensively funded lab
- Must not have been a prior RSG recipient unless a substantial change in direction is justified
Funding Details:
- Up to $135,000 in direct costs per year for a 2-year project period
- Up to 10% in allowable indirect costs (total award therefore up to ~$297,000 over 2 years)
- Eligible costs: personnel, supplies, equipment, travel, patient costs, and publication fees
- No indirect costs for Principal Investigator salary
Deadline:
- June 1, 2026 (applications now available on ProposalCentral)
- A December 1, 2026 cycle also exists
Where to Go for Further Information:
- Grant overview and eligibility
- Eligibility questions: grant.eligibility@cancer.org
- General grants: grants@cancer.org
9. CCRF 2026 Eliminating Disparities in Childhood Cancers Award
The CCRF Eliminating Disparities Award funds research that reduces health disparities and inequities in childhood cancer across the full continuum — incidence, diagnosis, access to care, therapy outcomes, adverse event rates, and survivorship. The fund defines health disparities as systemic, plausibly avoidable differences adversely affecting socially disadvantaged groups, with eligible axes including race/ethnicity, sex or gender, socioeconomic status, language, geography, and other social determinants of health. Proposals that identify modifiable risk factors, elaborate mechanisms of disparities, or propose concrete interventions to reduce them are prioritized over purely descriptive studies. Like all CCRF mechanisms, this award uses a two-stage LOI and full application model with peer review by independent scientific experts.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be eligible to serve as a PI at a US-based non-profit academic, medical, or research institution; citizenship not required
- Any career stage eligible; minimum 10% research effort commitment required annually
- Only one CCRF LOI per PI per calendar year (across all mechanisms); may hold only one active CCRF grant at a time
- Co-investigators and collaborators permitted; single institution acts as grant administrator
- New applications, pilot study follow-ons, and previously reviewed unfunded NIH R03/R21 applications (scored 20th percentile or better) accepted
- Members of the CCRF Research Advisory Committee are ineligible; CCRF does not fund research using human embryonic stem cells or fetal tissue
Funding Details:
- Up to $125,000 per year (including 10% indirect costs) for a maximum of 24 months ($250,000 total)
- Allowable costs: salaries (NIH salary cap applies), fringe, supplies, sub-contracts, publication costs, equipment, and project-related travel (up to $2,000/year conference travel)
- Up to 25% carryover permitted between years; one no-cost extension up to 12 months available
- Progress reports due at 12, 18, and 24 months
Deadline:
- LOI deadline: April 24, 2026 by 8:00 PM Eastern (submit via Proposal Central)
- Invitation to submit full proposal: July 1, 2026
- Full proposal deadline: August 10, 2026 by 8:00 PM Eastern
- Award notification: January 2027; project start no later than June 30, 2027
Where to Go for Further Information:
- Apply via Proposal Central
- Programmatic and eligibility questions: grants@childrenscancer.org
- Technical support (Proposal Central): pcsupport@altum.com
10. CCRF 2026 Healthy After Cancer: Childhood Cancer Survivorship Research Award
The Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) Survivorship Award supports research aimed at improving the quality and length of life for childhood, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, with a specific focus on preventing, minimizing, and addressing the late effects of cancer therapies. Proposals may target drug or modality development to mitigate late effects, as well as translational projects converting basic findings into survivorship interventions — whether during active therapy or after. Observational studies are accepted but are lower priority unless they specifically describe late effects among children receiving novel agents. The award follows a two-step LOI and full application process, with peer review by scientific experts and the CCRF Research Advisory Committee.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants must be eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator at their sponsoring institution (any career stage)
- Institution must be a US-based non-profit academic, medical, or research institution; applicants need not be US citizens
- Awarded PIs must commit at least 10% of research effort annually to the funded project
- Only one LOI per PI per calendar year accepted across all CCRF mechanisms
- A PI may hold only one active CCRF grant at a time
- Co-investigators and collaborators permitted; award administered by a single institution
- New applications, pilot study follow-ons, and previously reviewed-but-unfunded NIH R03/R21 applications (scored 20th percentile or better) are eligible; CCRF does not fund research using human embryonic stem cells or fetal tissue
- Members of the CCRF Research Advisory Committee are not eligible to apply
Funding Details:
- Up to $125,000 per year (including up to 10% indirect costs of direct costs) for a maximum of 24 months ($250,000 total)
- Allowable costs: salaries (subject to NIH salary cap), fringe, supplies, sub-contracts, publication costs, equipment, and travel (up to $2,000/year for conference travel)
- Up to 25% budget carryover permitted between years; one no-cost extension (max 12 months) possible with approval
- Progress reports due at 12, 18, and 24 months post-award
Deadline:
- LOI deadline: April 24, 2026 by 8:00 PM Eastern (submit via Proposal Central)
- Invitation to submit full proposal: July 1, 2026
- Full proposal deadline: August 10, 2026 by 8:00 PM Eastern
- Award notification: January 2027; project start no later than June 30, 2027
Where to Go for Further Information:
- Apply via Proposal Central
- Programmatic and eligibility questions: grants@childrenscancer.org
- Technical support (Proposal Central): pcsupport@altum.com
Few weeks on the grants calendar reflect this kind of range, from $50,000 exploratory pilots to seven-figure multi-year investments, and from highly focused disease-area awards to mechanisms deliberately designed to fund what other funders won’t. What ties this week’s list together is an emphasis on building: building careers, building equity into the research pipeline, and building the evidence base that connects laboratory discoveries to the children and patients who need them most.
With the BCAN Innovation Award closing April 10 and both CCRF mechanisms due April 24, the near-term deadlines deserve immediate attention. For those earlier in the process, the ACS trio and the LUNGevity CDA offer more runway, but preparation time for any of these should start now. Check back at OncoDaily’s OncoGrants section each week for the latest verified funding opportunities across the full cancer research spectrum.
We’ll continue tracking high-value global oncology funding opportunities each week in OncoDaily’s OncoGrants.