May 16, 2025

Early Career Grant Funding Opportunities

May 2025–January 2026 Deadlines

1. NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)

Overview: The NSF CAREER award is the foundation’s most prestigious grant for early-career faculty, supporting those who demonstrate potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in their departments and fields. Activities should build a foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

• Funding Amount: Minimum $400,000 (BIO/ENG/OPP: $500,000+) over 5 years
• Deadline: July 23, 2025
• Eligibility Information: U.S. tenure-track (or equivalent) assistant professors at accredited institutions; must be untenured and have not received a CAREER previously.

2. Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS, NSF)

Overview: LEAPS-MPS supports pre-tenure faculty in the mathematical and physical sciences at institutions that do not traditionally receive significant NSF funding, enabling new PIs to initiate productive research and establish independent careers.

• Funding Amount: Up to $250,000
• Deadline: January 22, 2026
• Eligibility Information: Pre-tenure faculty at U.S. non-R1 institutions (Carnegie R2, MSIs, PUIs); proposals must be submitted by the institution.

3. NIAID New Innovators Awards (DP2 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Overview: This award supports exceptionally creative early-stage investigators proposing novel and impactful research in areas relevant to NIAID, providing substantial funding for innovative projects that challenge current paradigms or develop new methodologies in biomedical science (clinical trials not allowed).

• Funding Amount: Up to $300,000 per year (direct costs) for up to 5 years
• Deadline: October 10, 2025
• Eligibility Information: Early-stage investigators (ESIs) at U.S. institutions, including postdocs and those within their first year of an independent faculty position; applicants must commit at least 25% research effort and hold a research or clinical doctorate.

4. Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering

Overview: The Packard Fellowships provide $875,000 over five years to early-career faculty at invited U.S. institutions, supporting bold, innovative research in science and engineering and encouraging risk-taking and creative exploration in new frontiers.

• Funding Amount: $875,000 (5 years)
• Timeline: January 31, 2026: Request for Nomination packages sent to eligible universities
• Eligibility Information: Early-career faculty within first three years at one of 50 invited U.S. institutions; institutional nomination required.

5. Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program

Overview: This $75,000 award supports early-career faculty in the chemical sciences at primarily undergraduate institutions, recognizing accomplishment in both research and undergraduate teaching and fostering original research with undergraduates.

• Funding Amount: $75,000
• Deadline: August 7, 2025
• Eligibility Information: Early-career faculty in chemical sciences at non-doctoral institutions, in their 4th–12th year of independent academic career.

6. Cottrell Scholar Award (Research Corporation for Science Advancement)

Overview: This award provides $120,000 to early-career faculty in chemistry, physics, and astronomy at U.S. research universities, supporting innovative research and educational activities that integrate teaching and scholarship.

• Funding Amount: $120,000
• Deadline: July 1, 2025
• Eligibility Information: Tenure-track faculty in their 3rd year at U.S. or Canadian institutions.