Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program

Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program is sponsored by Rita Allen Foundation. Supports early-career scientists in cancer, immunology, and neuroscience with innovative research funding.

Rita Allen Scholars - Rita Allen Foundation Since 1976, the Rita Allen Foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants to early-career biomedical scholars. These grants allow them to establish labs and pursue research directions with above-average risk and promise.

Rita Allen Foundation Scholars have gone on to make transformative contributions to their fields of study, and have won recognition including the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Medicine, and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Today, Rita Allen Foundation Scholars receive up to $110,000 per year for a maximum of five years.

The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program funds basic biomedical research in the fields of cancer, immunology, and neuroscience, as well as pain through the Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain . Rita Allen Foundation Scholars are distinguished by their bold approaches to basic scientific questions that address problems of global concern, as well as their potential for learning, leadership and collaboration.

For application information, see our FAQs . Announcing The 2026 Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Seven pioneering scientists selected for major biomedical research grants.

The Rita Allen Foundation has named its 2026 class of … Rebecca Seal: Uncovering How Pain Signals Travel Through the Nervous System Rebecca Seal was majoring in chemistry and psychology at the University of Oregon and planning to go to medical school… Sreekanth Chalasani: Novel Breakthroughs for the Complex Brain 2012 Rita Allen Scholar Sreekanth Chalasani first became interested in science as a child growing up… See More Rita Allen Scholars Stories What is the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program?

What are its funding priorities? The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program funds basic biomedical research in the fields of cancer, immunology, and neuroscience, as well as pain, through the Rita Allen Foundation Award in Pain . The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program has supported more than 200 scientists since 1976.

The program embraces innovative research with above-average risk and groundbreaking possibilities. Scholars have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Medicine and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. What size of grants are available to Rita Allen Foundation Scholars?

Scholars can receive up to $110,000 per year for a maximum of five years. Recipients of the Award in Pain can be granted $50,000 per year for up to three years. What can the grant funds be used for?

Rita Allen Foundation Scholar grant funds may only be used for direct project expenses, including up to 50 percent of the Scholar’s compensation. Who is eligible to apply for the Scholars program? For information on the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain application process, please visit https://www.

usasp. org/rita-allen-award . Apart from the Scholars Award in Pain, specified eligible institutions are invited to submit a nomination for consideration for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program.

The Rita Allen Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee reviews and recommends eligible institutions. One nominated candidate per eligible institution is accepted per year. The Scientific Advisory Committee reviews and selects finalists from the eligible institutions, interviews them in person, and selects the recipients.

If an institution is not on the eligible list, how can it be considered for inclusion? Institutions not currently eligible but interested in being considered for inclusion in the list of invited institutions should send a letter of inquiry to ritaallenscholars@ritaallen. org by January 31 of each year.

The letter should be addressed to Elizabeth Good Christopherson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rita Allen Foundation, and may come from the institution President, or head of the institution’s Foundation, Development/Advancement Office or Office of Research/Sponsored Programs.

It should include a brief overview of the institution’s credentials and key biomedical programs; additional materials for consideration are welcome, especially if there is a particular program or department the institution wishes to highlight. The Foundation typically reviews letters of inquiry each year and in the summer will notify institutions deemed eligible to nominate. Who is eligible to become a Rita Allen Foundation Scholar?

To be eligible for a Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award, candidates must either apply through the Scholars Award in Pain or be nominated by an eligible institution and have completed their training and provided persuasive evidence of distinguished achievement or extraordinary promise in research in one of the relevant fields (cancer, immunology, neuroscience. or pain).

United States citizenship is not a requirement; however, awardees must be legally employed at the time of application at a U.S. degree-granting or research institution that is an invited participant in the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program. Awards are made to the 501(c)(3) organization; awards are not made to an individual.

Scholars must perform research at a non-profit institution in the U.S. during the entire period of Rita Allen Foundation support. Who should be nominated for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program? Institutions should consider the following when considering whom to nominate for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program: Candidates should be independent investigators in the early stages of their careers and research.

The caliber of early-stage investigators suggests nominees would be appointed to tenure-track positions at their respective institutions. It is preferable that candidates be in the first three years of their tenure track. (This is taken into consideration in the rating of applications by the Scientific Advisory Committee.)

A senior postdoc should not be a candidate; wait until s/he is in a tenure-track position, as described. Associate professors should not be candidates. Candidates must have received committed startup funds from their respective institutions.

Candidates must have lab space from their institutions. Rita Allen Foundation Scholars may not accept an award from the Beckman Young Investigator Program, Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences, Searle Scholars Program, or Vallee Scholars Program that would take effect beginning in year one of the RAF award.

Rita Allen Scholars may apply for awards from these organizations that would take effect beginning in year two of the RAF award. Other sources of funding also may influence selection. Nominating institutions should consider the highly competitive nature of the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program and submit their strongest nominee for consideration.

The Rita Allen Foundation requests that eligible institutions share with us a description of the process they follow to nominate candidates. Further questions regarding the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program should be directed to those responsible for the internal nominating process within a given eligible institution. What are the key dates and deadlines for the 2026 program?

July 10 – October 15, 2025 Letter of Inquiry (LOI) deadline (11:59 p. m. ET) Application deadline (11:59 p.

m. ET) November 2025 – March 2026 Finalist interviews – Virtual September 2026 – August 2031 August 31, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030 For dates for the Scholars Award in Pain program, please visit https://www. usasp.

org/rita-allen-award . What is the nomination and application process? The nomination must be completed by a senior official at the nominating institution and must be completed online through Fluxx, a Web-based grant application system.

Nominations should include the following required support materials: Identification of the candidate and an official letter of nomination; An assessment of the candidate; and A description of the procedure used by the institution to identify the nominee. Institutions are limited to submitting one nomination per review cycle.

Once the nomination is complete and has been approved by the Foundation, candidates are required to complete the grant application in Fluxx and provide application support materials. For the application process for the Scholars Award in Pain program, please visit https://www. usasp.

org/rita-allen-award . What reports are required of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars? Successful grant recipients are required to provide complete annual narrative and financial reports detailing their expenditure of the grant funds and progress made toward the goal(s) of the grants.

Grant reports also must be submitted online through Fluxx.