American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (ACS IRG) Pilot Awards

The 2024 pilot awards cycle is now CLOSED.

See below for this year’s full RFA, application documents, and other details. The 2025 RFA will be released in summer 2025.

The Washington University ACS IRG will award pilot grants for up to four investigators (including the Cancer Research Diversity Pilot Award slot) up to a maximum of $40,000 for one year (non-renewable). These grants are designed to support the development of beginning investigators who have no national peer-reviewed research grant support. The program supports early-career faculty conducting cancer research pilot projects to obtain preliminary results that will enable them to compete successfully for national research grants.

Eligibility: At the time of award, applicants must be:

  • tenure track-bound or clinical track-bound Instructors at Washington University, OR
  • tenure track or clinical track Assistant Professors at Washington University, AND
  • within six (6) years of their first independent research or faculty appointment.
  • Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible to apply. Research track investigators are not eligible. Senior, tenured faculty members are not eligible.
  • Applicants must be SCC members or have applied for SCC membership at the time of grant submission.
  • Applicants are NOT required to be U.S. citizens, but any applicant who is not a U.S. citizen must hold a visa that will allow them to remain in the U.S. long enough to complete the IRG pilot project and provide SCC with the appropriate documentation at the time of submission.
  • Investigators already receiving support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)*, National Science Foundation (NSF), American Cancer Society (ACS) or other major organizations are not eligible.* As long as the applicant meets all other criteria, holders of personnel awards, such as the NIH K series (except K99/R00), are eligible to receive pilot project money from the IRG.

NEW: Cancer Research Diversity Pilot Award – The American Cancer Society is supporting ONE additional pilot award this cycle specifically targeted for eligible applicants who identify as racial or ethnic minorities underrepresented in medicine (URiM). Only applicants who identify as African American (or Black), American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic (or Latinx), Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander are eligible for this pilot grant slot (Source: NIH NOT-OD-20-031). All other eligibility guidelines apply. If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please indicate this on the cover sheet of your application.

2024 ACS IRG Timeline

July 10, 2024 – Call for proposals
August 19, 2024 (4PM CST) – Application Due
December 1, 2024 – Anticipated Award Decision Date
January 1, 2025 – Pilot Project Start Date

If you are interested in learning more about the application process, please reach out to Steve Baer at [email protected].

Application Documents

ACS IRG Request For Applications (RFA) (revised July 2024)
ACS IRG Cover Sheet (revised July 2024)
ACS IRG Application Forms (revised July 2024)
American Cancer Society Awardee Policies (revised January 2024)

Previous Awardees

Click for a list of previous ACS IRG Awardees (2015-2024).