Funder: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Due Dates: May 12, 2026 (Application) | December 8, 2026 (Fall 2026 application, 5 p.m. ET)
Funding Amounts: Up to $50,000 per year, plus 12% indirect costs, for up to two years
Summary: Supports new hypotheses, methods, and technologies that could restore CFTR function or repair or replace the defective CFTR gene.
Key Information: New basic-science pilot projects only; continued projects and extensions of previous work are not supported.
Description
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Path to a Cure (PTAC) Pilot and Feasibility Award supports development and testing of new hypotheses and methods that could contribute to a cure for cystic fibrosis. It also supports promising new investigators establishing themselves in CF research. High-risk, high-reward studies are encouraged, with the goal of generating enough data to compete for NIH or other agency funding. Preliminary data are not required.
The program emphasizes foundational concepts, tools, and technologies that could restore CFTR protein function or repair or replace the defective gene. It addresses unmet needs among people whose mutations do not respond to modulators, produce insufficient protein, or block protein synthesis, as well as those unable to tolerate or take approved modulators.
