W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program

W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program is sponsored by W.M. Keck Foundation. Provides high-risk/high-impact funding for innovative research, such as structural biomimicry design at the intersection of biology and engineering. This program should be reviewed carefully against your organization's mission, staffing capacity, timeline, and compliance readiness before you commit resources to a full application. Strong submissions usually translate sponsor priorities into concrete objectives, clear implementation milestones, and measurable public benefit.

For planning purposes, treat April 30, 2026 as your working submission target unless the sponsor publishes an updated notice. A competitive project plan should include a documented need statement, implementation approach, evaluation framework, risk controls, and a realistic budget narrative. Even when a grant allows broad program design, reviewers still expect credible evidence that the proposed work can be executed within the grant period and with appropriate accountability.

Current published award information indicates $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 Organizations should verify the final funding range, matching requirements, and allowability rules directly in the official opportunity materials before preparing a budget. Finance and program teams should align early so direct costs, indirect costs, staffing assumptions, procurement timelines, and reporting obligations all remain consistent throughout drafting and post-award administration.

Eligibility guidance for this opportunity is: U.S. universities (public/private) If your organization has partnerships, subrecipients, or collaborators, define responsibilities and compliance ownership before submission. Reviewers often look for implementation credibility, so letters of commitment, prior performance evidence, and a clear governance model can materially strengthen the application narrative and reduce concerns about delivery risk.

A practical approach is to begin with a focused readiness review, then build a workback schedule from the sponsor deadline. Confirm required attachments, registration dependencies, and internal approval checkpoints early. This reduces last-minute issues and improves submission quality. For the most accurate requirements, always rely on the official notice and primary source links associated with W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program.

Research: Application Process - W. M. Keck Foundation The W.

M. Keck Foundation Southern California Awards Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions The Foundation’s optional pre-application concept counseling period provides the opportunity for eligible institutions to receive feedback from Foundation staff on up to eight concepts. While participation in concept counseling is not required to apply for a Research Grant, we strongly encourage it.

In addition to the institutional liaison , we strongly recommend the participation of administrators who are familiar with the projects and are involved in the limited selection process. Please be aware that principal investigators may not join the call. We are looking for projects that aim to deliver pioneering and fundamental scientific discoveries in important and emerging areas of research.

We fund high-impact research in basic physical, life, and biomedical sciences, including instrumentation development and engineering approaches in service of answering basic scientific questions. June 15 deadline to be scheduled July 1 through August 15 December 15 deadline to be scheduled January 1 through February 15 We allow one submission per organization per cycle.

We schedule calls on a first come, first served basis and slots fill up quickly so we recommend early submission. We allow one submission per organization per cycle. The Foundation begins accepting counseling requests up to two weeks before the start of a counseling period.

We schedule calls on a first come, first served basis and slots fill up quickly so we recommend early submission. To request a concept counseling call, the designated liaison may submit the items below through the Keck portal. Detailed instructions are available to download here .

Cover Letter: internal selection committee members, description of internal selection process, list of nominated concept titles and PIs Brief bios for all call participants: at minimum a full name and title, no CVs Consolidated PDF of concept papers meeting the requirements below Consolidated PDF of all other concepts your internal selection committe declined to submit A Concept Paper template is available here .

Concept papers must be no more than one page in 12 point font with 1 inch margins and include: Full name of Principal Investigator An overview of the proposed project emphasizing any unique aspects and pilot studies Knowledge Gap: what is the basic scientific question to be answered? Impact: if successful, what will be enabled and who will benefit?

Innovation: how is the proposed work distintive, innovative, field-expanding, or paradigm shifting? Fit: Please see our funding guidelines for details on what we do and do not fund. Budget: broken down, if possible, by major areas, e.

g. personnel, equipment, consumable supplies, etc. If a reference is necessary, use a footnote and abbreviate it as (Author, Science, 323, 45, ‘11).

DO NOT USE (Jones et al. , 2011). Please avoid any illustrations.

All documentation is due at request submission. Submitted concept papers must be final; The Foundation does not accept updates to these papers after submission. In selecting concepts to discuss, we encourage potential applicants to visit our grant abstracts to review the types of research projects and award amounts the Foundation has funded.

Concepts may only be submitted by the designated liaison Access forms in progress or submitted requests Any eligible institutions may submit one Phase I application per grant cycle to each of the applicable grant areas: Medical Research, and Science & Engineering Research.

May 1, at 4:30pm (PT) for consideration at the December board meeting November 1, 4:30pm (PT) for consideration at the June board meeting If a deadline falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline is 4:30pm (PT) on the following Monday. Early submissions are appreciated. At any phase of the application process, an institution may withdraw an application without prejudice to future requests.

Applications must be submitted by the institution’s designated liaison. See Liaison Guidelines for more information on this role. Items needed for a Phase 1 application.

Updated application instructions will be available by early March. Project Summary – Includes project abstract, impact, key personnel, budget, and justification for W. M.

Keck Foundation support. One page maximum. Project Description – Includes context, novelty, peer groups, goals & methodology, and other funding.

Two pages maximum. References – List of five knowledgeable experts in the field who can review and provide opinions on the project’s value and the ability of the applicant to complete it.

State of California Determination Letter* Governing Board - Concise list of members of the institution's governing board *All tax exempt documentation and audited financial statements must be in the same, current and full name of the payee organization. Please see the Eligibility page for more information. The Foundation will notify applicants whether they are invited to Phase II.

Please do not contact the Foundation to check on the status of an application.

The Foundation does not allow the following charges in the project budget: Indirect Costs/Overhead - We recommend including this in the Other Sources portion of the budget Support for tenured and tenure track faculty exceeding 10% of their academic year salary Renovation in excess of 10% of the WMKF request Grant funds spent outside the US in excess of 10% of the WMKF request Applications may only be submitted by the designated liaison Access applications in progress or submitted requests Phase II is by invitation only.

The W. M. Keck Foundation sends invitations to submit a Phase II proposal in January and July.

Unsolicited Phase II proposals are not accepted. Proposals received after the deadline are not considered. The deadlines for invited proposals are: February 15, at 4:30pm(PT) for consideration at our June board meeting August 15, at 4:30pm(PT) for consideration at our December board meeting If either date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline is 4:30pm (PT) on the following Monday.

The Foundation encourages early submissions. The Foundation will acknowledge receipt of proposals within four weeks of submission. After our Board of Directors has made its final grant decisions, the Foundation will notify applicants in writing.

Inquiries regarding the Board’s decision are not welcome. Once a proposal has been received, the Keck Foundation will contact the institutional liaison to schedule a site visit. If invited, liaisons can access proposals in progress Contact research@wmkeck.

org with any questions Southern California Program