[American Cancer Society](https://www.cancer.org)

June 2026 | December 2026

Up to $135,000/year in direct costs plus 8% indirect costs; project term 3–5 years.

Supports full-time clinician faculty in the transition to independent cancer research careers, enabling continued clinical practice alongside research.

This is a forecasted opportunity; all dates are projected and subject to change.

--- ## Description The Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG) from the American Cancer Society supports early-career, full-time faculty who are primarily trained as clinicians and seek to establish themselves as independent investigators in cancer research. The program is designed to help clinician scientists balance patient care with research, fostering a new generation of leaders who can bridge clinical practice and scientific discovery. During the award, recipients are expected to remain active in clinical practice while developing the research skills and experience necessary for an independent research career, with structured mentoring and a tailored training plan. --- ## Due Dates - June 2026 (anticipated/projected) - December 2026 (anticipated/projected) *All dates are projected based on the annual cycle; check the program page for updates.* --- ## Funding Amount - Up to $135,000 per year in direct costs - Plus 8% allowable indirect costs - Project term: 3 to 5 years, based on prior research training - Salary and benefits for the mentor(s) may be included (up to $10,000/year, regardless of number of mentors) - Maximum salary for applicant and mentor(s) follows the NIH cap --- ## Eligibility - Applicants must be full-time faculty at a US academic institution or eligible non-profit. - Must hold a clinical doctoral degree (e.g., MD, DO, DDS, DNP, DSW, PharmD, PsyD, DVM) and an active clinical license. - Must be within the first six years of their initial full-time faculty appointment at the time of application. - Must be active in clinical care during the award period. - Must not have been PI of an individual mentored training grant (e.g., NIH K07, K08, K23) or an independent extramural research grant (e.g., R01 or equivalent) exceeding 1 year and $100,000 direct costs. - US citizenship or permanent residency is required. - The applicant's institution must commit at least 50% of their time to research and career development under this award. - Doctoral-level non-clinicians and clinicians no longer involved in patient care are not eligible (should consider Research Scholar Grant or Postdoctoral Fellowship instead). - Exceptions to eligibility (e.g., extenuating circumstances, career interruptions) may be considered with prior approval; requests must be submitted at least 6 weeks before the application deadline. --- ## Application Process - Applications must be submitted electronically via [ProposalCentral](https://proposalcentral.com/). - Required components include: - NIH-style biosketch - Detailed research plan (with specific aims, background, innovation, preliminary studies, research design, environment) - Comprehensive training and mentoring plan - Budget and justification - Institutional support letter - Compliance documentation (IRB/IACUC, if applicable) - Letters of support from mentors and collaborators - Applicants should start a new application for each cycle; do not reuse prior applications. - Resubmissions are allowed (up to two times), with a response to prior critiques. - For extenuating eligibility situations, submit a request to [grant.eligibility@cancer.org](mailto:grant.eligibility@cancer.org) with rationale and CV. --- ## Additional Information - The grant is not renewable, but a no-cost extension (up to 1 year) may be requested. - Indirect costs are limited to 8% of direct costs. - The applicant and mentor(s) salary may not exceed the current NIH salary cap. - Tuition is an allowable expense for the applicant if relevant to the training plan. - The ACS does not fund projects with overlap with other active awards. - Recipients must submit annual and final progress reports. - All publications and presentations resulting from the grant must acknowledge ACS support. - Tobacco industry funding is strictly prohibited for applicants and mentors. --- ## External Links - [Program Overview & Application Instructions](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/grant-types/clinician-scientist-development-grant.html) - [ACS All Grant Policies (PDF)](https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/extramural-grants-documents/all-grant-policies.pdf) - [ACS All Grant Instructions (PDF)](https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/extramural-grants-documents/all-grant-instructions.pdf) - [ProposalCentral Application Portal](https://proposalcentral.com/) - [Extramural Grants Department Staff Contacts](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/extramural-grants-staff-contacts.html) - [FAQs: ACS Grant Application Submissions](https://www.cancer.org/research/we-fund-cancer-research/apply-research-grant/faqs-program-changes-and-application-submission.html) --- ## Contact Information | Contact Type | Name/Email | |-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------| | General Grants Inquiries | [grants@cancer.org](mailto:grants@cancer.org) | | ProposalCentral Support | pcsupport@altum.com / 1-800-875-2562 | | Eligibility Questions | [grant.eligibility@cancer.org](mailto:grant.eligibility@cancer.org) | | Program Office (Career Growth and Research Excellence) | [Nicole Lopanik, PhD](mailto:nicole.lopanik@cancer.org) | | ACS Main Phone | +1 800-227-2345 |

Clinician Scientist Development Grant (CSDG)

Sign in to see full grant listing