Funder: McKnight Foundation
Due Dates: January 13, 2025 (Application) | April 2025 (Finalist Notification & Interviews) | June 2025 (Award Announcement)
Funding Amounts: $225,000 total over 3 years (typically $75,000/year)
Summary: Supports early-career independent investigators at US non-profits pursuing innovative neuroscience research, with a focus on community and mentorship.
Key Information: Applicants must be Assistant Professors (≤5 years in rank) at US not-for-profit institutions; next application cycle opens August 2025.
Description
The McKnight Scholar Awards are designed to support early-career faculty who are conducting innovative research in neuroscience at not-for-profit research institutions in the United States. The program aims to foster a vibrant neuroscience community and promote mentorship, with a strong emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The award is intended to help launch the careers of promising investigators tackling fundamental questions in neuroscience, whether basic or translational in nature.
Due Dates
- Application Deadline: January 13, 2025 (5 PM Central)
- Finalist Notification: Early April 2025
- Virtual Interviews: April–May 2025
- Award Announcement: Mid to late June 2025
- Next Application Cycle: Opens August 2025
Funding Amount
- Total Award: $225,000 over three years (typically $75,000/year)
- Number of Awards: Approximately 10 awarded annually
- Use of Funds: Supports research program costs; see guidelines for details
Eligibility
- Position: Must hold a faculty appointment as Assistant Professor at a US not-for-profit research institution.
- Time in Rank: Must have served as Assistant Professor for less than five years at the application deadline (exceptions only for parental leave).
- For the 2025 cycle, appointment as Assistant Professor must have started no earlier than January 2020.
- Other Titles: Individuals with titles such as Instructor, Research Assistant Professor, or Adjunct Assistant Professor are not eligible.
- If professorial titles are not used at your institution, a letter from a senior official must confirm independence and control of resources.
- Other Restrictions:
- May not have been granted tenure.
- May not hold another award from the McKnight Endowment Fund.
- May apply a maximum of two times.
- Cannot hold both a Scholar Award and a Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award simultaneously.
- Diversity: Women and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Citizenship: Open to US-based researchers; no citizenship requirement, but must be at a US institution.
Application Process
- Prepare Application Materials (available each August):
- Online face sheet
- NIH-format biographical sketch
- Research proposal (max 4 single-spaced pages, plus abstract)
- One-page narrative on fostering an inclusive lab and DEI efforts
- List of all research support (start-up and external)
- Statement from financial officer (1 page)
- Chairperson’s supporting statement (2 pages)
- Links to 5 recent publications (including preprints)
- Letters of Reference:
- Three confidential letters from individuals familiar with your work, sent separately.
- Letters from PhD/postdoc advisors or external experts are preferred.
- Submission:
- All documents (except reference letters) must be uploaded as a single PDF via the online portal.
- Retain your application login credentials for future use.
- Selection Process:
- Applications are reviewed by the McKnight Scholar Awards Review Committee.
- Selected finalists are invited for virtual interviews.
- Final decisions are made by the Board of Directors.
For detailed instructions, see the How to Apply page.
Additional Information
- Scope: The program welcomes proposals from all areas of neuroscience, including basic, clinical, and translational research. Interdisciplinary and high-risk projects are encouraged.
- Pilot Data: Not required, but applicants should demonstrate the plausibility and impact of their proposed research.
- Success Rate: Typically 50–150 applications per year; about 20 finalists interviewed; ~10 awards made annually.
- Reapplication: Applicants may apply up to two times within their eligibility window.
- Institutional Limits: No limit on the number of applicants per institution.
External Links
Contact Information