Funder: Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Due Dates: January 22, 2026 | April 23, 2026 | July 23, 2026
Funding Amounts: $2,500–$50,000 per project; 1-year duration; total program budget $1M through July 2026.
Summary: Supports early-stage, cross-disciplinary projects addressing climate change impacts on human health and fostering innovative collaborations.
Key Information: Program ends with July 2026 deadline; no indirect costs allowed; proposals must be submitted via ProposalCentral.
Description
This program provides seed grants to catalyze new collaborations across disciplines to address the effects of climate change on human health. Supported projects may bridge biomedical and population health sciences with environmental, ecological, geological, urban planning, public health, demography, economics, or related fields. The funder encourages innovative approaches to reducing the impact of health-centered activities, developing sustainable health systems, preparing for extreme weather and crises, and advancing public outreach, communication, or education at the intersection of climate and health. Both academic and non-academic organizations are eligible, and the program is especially interested in projects that build new partnerships and cross-disciplinary teams.
Due Dates
- January 22, 2026: Full application submission deadline (quarterly cycle)
- April 23, 2026: Full application submission deadline (quarterly cycle)
- July 23, 2026: Final/full application submission deadline (quarterly cycle; program ends with the July 2026 deadline)
Funding Amount
- Individual awards range from $2,500 to $50,000 for a one-year project period.
- Total program budget is $1 million over three years (Fall 2023–July 2026).
- No indirect costs or overhead are allowed.
- One no-cost extension may be requested.
Eligibility
- Applications must be submitted by non-profit organizations or degree-granting institutions in the United States or Canada.
- Only non-profit institutions may receive funds, but for-profit partners may participate.
- Individual investigators are not eligible; only collaborative teams.
- Proposals from single institutions must demonstrate partnerships that do not already exist naturally.
- An individual may only serve as principal investigator/project director on one application per review period and no more than twice across the program’s lifetime.
- Current and past awardees from other Burroughs Wellcome Fund programs are eligible.
- Nonprofits must have a U.S. IRS determination letter; fiscal agents are not allowed.
Application Process
- Applications must be submitted electronically via ProposalCentral.
- Registration on ProposalCentral is required; use your institutional email.
- The application includes:
- Applicant and institution information (including proof of nonprofit status)
- List of partnering organizations/institutions
- Signing official information
- Cover sheet (template provided)
- Narrative proposal (up to 5 pages, plus references)
- Project budget and justification
- CVs or biosketches for key personnel
- The institutional signing official must approve and sign the application before submission.
- All materials must be uploaded as PDFs.
- Applications are due by 3:00 pm Eastern Time on the deadline date.
- No late submissions or exceptions for missing documents/signatures.
Additional Information
- The program will end after the July 2026 deadline; no further applications will be accepted.
- Indirect costs/overhead are not permitted.
- Progress and financial reports are required.
- Projects should be completed within one year; a single no-cost extension may be requested.
- Publications and presentations resulting from the award must acknowledge Burroughs Wellcome Fund support.
- No rights to intellectual property are retained by the funder.
External Links
Contact Information