MCC Funding Opportunities
The goal of the Masonic Cancer Center Internal Grants Program is to foster the development of and provide support for novel research ideas that focus on a cancer research question. In turn, the cancer center expects that these internal awards will lead to nationally peer reviewed funding.
Funding Opportunities
American Cancer Society’s Institutional Research Grant
The purpose of the American Cancer Society’s Institutional Research Grant (ACS-IRG) is to support the initiation of promising new cancer-related research projects by junior faculty members (Assistant Professors or their equivalents), so they can obtain preliminary results that will enable them to compete successfully for national research grants. Up to four awards will be made annually. As part of the ACS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy, special consideration be given to underrepresented minority investigators. Applications are due April 15, 2024.
CRTI Translational Working Group Award
The objective of the Cancer Research Translational Initiative (CRTI) Translational Working Group (TWG) awards is to make an impact on the translational goals of the TWGs in research leading to novel approaches in cancer diagnosis, prevention, or treatment. Applications are due April 15, 2024.
Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Research Grant
These research grants support one of the three major goals of the foundation (research; patient and survivor support; and education) to continue Karen’s vision. Proposals must focus primarily on sarcoma (basic, translational and/or clinical research). Applications are due April 29, 2024.
Mezin-Koats Colon Cancer Research Award
The objective of the Mezin-Koats Colon Cancer Research Award is to support research in the biology, prevention, detection, diagnosis, and/or treatment of colon cancer. Applications are due April 15, 2024.
Women's Cancer Research Award
The objective of the Women’s Cancer Research Award is to support research projects focused on breast and gynecologic cancers, with an emphasis on translation and outcomes. Applications are due April 15, 2024.
Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria
- Applicants must be Masonic Cancer Center members with faculty appointments at the University of Minnesota.
- Applications must have a cancer or cancer-related theme.
- The primary criteria for funding will be innovation, the quality of the research approach, and the potential for future outside funding to sustain or further develop the research program. Proposed research must be hypothesis-driven and have the goal of using the award as a springboard to obtaining long-term support from federal/external sources.
- Each mechanism will weigh the funding criteria differently, please refer to the mechanism-specific RFA for guidance.
Past Funding Opportunities
American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
The purpose of the American Cancer Society’s Institutional Research Grant (ACS-IRG) is to support the initiation of promising new cancer-related research projects by junior faculty members (Assistant Professors or their equivalents), so they can obtain preliminary results that will enable them to compete successfully for national research grants. Up to four awards are made annually. As part of the ACS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy, special consideration is given to underrepresented minority investigators.
CRTI Exceptional Translational Research Award
The objective of MCC’s Cancer Research Translational Initiative (CRTI) Exceptional Translational Research Award is to identify and fund outstanding translational research projects that will lead to sustainable high impact external funding. Translation is in any area of cancer research that applies or accelerates discovery into testing in clinical or population settings.
CRTI Translational Research Grant
The objective of the CRTI Translational Research Grants is to partner Masonic Cancer Center basic/translational and clinical scientists to foster the development of novel experimental therapeutic agents and to facilitate their testing in institutional Phase I/II and IND clinical trials. These grants provide targeted investments to promising translational studies with the goal of opening clinical trials within 36 months.
CRTI Translational Working Group Award
The objective of the Cancer Research Translational Initiative (CRTI) Translational Working Group (TWG) awards is to make an impact on the translational goals of the TWGs in research leading to novel approaches in cancer diagnosis, prevention, or treatment.
Driven to Discover State Fair Grants
The Masonic Cancer Center Driven to Discover at the Minnesota State Fair Grants are designed to support new research ideas that aim to assess or improve cancer treatment and prevention by utilizing the population attending the Minnesota State Fair. Studies funded through this mechanism enroll and collect data from subjects at the Driven to Discover Research Facility at the Minnesota State Fair.
Hourglass Integrative Therapies Cancer Research Award
The objective of the Hourglass Integrative Therapies Cancer Research Awards is to support innovative and interdisciplinary clinical research that focuses on the use of integrative (complementary) therapies to improve symptom management or health outcomes of adults or children diagnosed with cancer.
Institute for Global Cancer Prevention Research (IGCPR) Seed Grants
The objective of the Institute for Global Cancer Prevention Research (IGCPR) Seed Grant is to foster the development of collaborative research partnerships with investigators in Low and Middle Income Countries (LIMIC) in the field of cancer prevention. This grant mechanism provides support for collaborative studies aimed at developing new, or expanding existing research partnerships to lay the groundwork for future grant applications to external funders (e.g., NIH).
Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Research Grant
The Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation was established by Karen Wyckoff shortly before her death from synovial sarcoma in August of 2001. These research grants support one of the three major goals of the foundation (research; patient and survivor support; and education) to continue Karen’s vision. Proposals must focus primarily on sarcoma (basic, translational and/or clinical research).
MCC Catchment Community Pilot Grants
The objective of the MCC’s Catchment Community Pilot grants is to provide pilot funding to support community-engaged research projects. Projects must be conducted within a partnership between community-based organizations and academic researchers working to address one of the Cancer Center’s catchment priorities.
Mezin-Koats Colon Cancer Research Award
The objective of the Mezin-Koats Colon Cancer Research Award is to support research in the biology, prevention, detection, diagnosis, and/or treatment of colon cancer.
Minnesota Cancer Centers Partnership Award
The objective of the Minnesota Cancer Centers Partnership Award is to enhance research and collaboration between the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic Cancer Center by leveraging our combined strengths to create synergy.
Minnesota Chemoprevention Consortium (MC2) Seed Grant
The objective of the Minnesota Chemoprevention Consortium (MC2) Seed Grant is to stimulate collaborative research on topics directly relevant to the effective development and delivery of cancer chemoprevention agents, either naturally occurring or synthetic. Proposals involve a regional collaboration between at least two University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center members, one located at The Hormel Institute in Austin and the other located at the Masonic Cancer Center Twin Cities campus.
Muggee Research Award for Pediatric Cancer
The Muggee Research Award in Pediatric Cancer was established to accelerate promising new, innovative, and impactful research at the University of Minnesota. The research grants support work that has direct relevance to pediatric cancer such as but not limited to etiology, therapy, and long-term effects.
Pre-R01 Brainstorm Awards
The objective of the Pre-R01 Brainstorm Awards is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations encompassing novel, hypothesis-driven studies of cancer or a cancer-related topic. Proposed projects must be joint, collaborative efforts by at least two Cancer Center members from different programs or different disciplines, and must represent a new collaborative proposal.
Pre-R01 Pilot Grants
Pre-R01 Pilot grants are intended to support new research ideas that address the MCC Scientific Priorities for Growth. Awardees are required to apply for federal funding (R01 or comparable) within one year of the award.
Randy Shaver Cancer Research & Community Fund
The mission of the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund is to assist and support the cancer community in Minnesota by funding research, prevention, treatment and other programs relating to the cancer community’s principal needs.
SPORE Program Project Planning Award (SP3)
The objective of the SP3 Award is to support a multi-disciplinary team of cancer investigators as they develop a research program that will result in the preparation of competitive multi-project research grant application to the NIH SPORE or Program Project grant (P01) mechanisms . Applications focused on basic and translational aspects of solid tumor oncology and include utilization of patient material are encouraged.
Translational Breast Cancer Research Award
The objective of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Award is to support research in the biology, prevention, detection, diagnosis, and/or treatment of breast cancer.
Women's Cancer Research Award
The objective of the Women’s Cancer Research Award is to support research projects focused on breast and gynecologic cancers, with an emphasis on translation and outcomes.