Funder: McKnight Foundation
Due Dates: October 10, 2026 (Application review request) | November 3, 2026, 5:00 PM Central (Application) | November 24, 2026 (Reference letters)
Funding Amounts: Research expenses supported; indirect costs excluded
Summary: Supports early-career independent neuroscience investigators pursuing innovative, potentially transformative research that advances understanding of the brain.
Key Information: Applicants must be untenured independent investigators at U.S. nonprofit research institutions, within the Assistant Professor eligibility window.
Description
The McKnight Scholar Awards, administered by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, support early-career investigators embarking on independent neuroscience research careers. Proposed work should represent one of a laboratory’s most innovative and impactful directions, but need not be a completely new line of investigation. The program prioritizes transformative potential over completing an entire scientific vision within the award’s time or resources.
Strong proposals articulate clear hypotheses, consider alternative outcomes, and balance ambition with prior work or preliminary data. The program also seeks greater geographic, gender, and racial diversity in neuroscience. It encourages applications from women, members of communities of color, and faculty at institutions that have never received a McKnight award, while valuing equitable laboratories, mentorship, and outreach beyond the laboratory.
