Funder: American Cancer Society
Due Dates: December 1, 2026 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $135,000 direct costs annually for up to 2 years, plus 10% indirect costs ($297,000 maximum total)
Summary: Supports high-risk, high-reward translational research to improve detection, prevention, or treatment of cancers in people with Fanconi anemia.
Key Information: Projects must directly address FA-associated cancers; applications outside the RFA’s scientific scope are withdrawn without review.
Description
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Fanconi Cancer Foundation jointly support bold translational cancer research addressing the unique challenges faced by people with Fanconi anemia (FA). This rare inherited disorder involves mutations in DNA repair genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2. The program seeks high-risk, high-reward ideas with transformative potential and a clear path toward clinical benefit, particularly for cancers influenced by defects in the FA/BRCA DNA repair pathway.
Discovery Boost Grants support exploratory work to develop methodologies, establish feasibility, or pilot innovative approaches. Projects must be highly innovative rather than continuations of current work. FA experts and researchers pivoting from related cancer biology fields may apply. Preference goes to proposals with a clear translational path, including collaborations with clinicians, diagnostic developers, or pharmaceutical partners. Findings are expected to open new areas of investigation and support subsequent funding.
