Funding Opportunities

UCSF Limited Submission Opportunities

(Applications through UCSF Limited Submission Program)

  • Internal Deadline: Nov 12, 2025
    V Foundation Translational Adult Cancer Research Grants

    This program funds adult cancer research in the preclinical or translational space, with a focus on bench-to-bedside strategies. Research on ANY adult cancer type is eligible.
  • Internal Deadline: Nov 17, 2025
    NSF Accelerating Research Translation (ART)

    This program aims to increase the scale and pace of advancing discoveries resulting from academic research into tangible solutions that benefit the public, and to advance US scientific and economic leadership by building capacity and increasing the number of robust translational research ecosystems in Institutions of Higher Education across the nation.

Intramural Funding Opportunities

For questions about intramural awards, please contact Meredith Donnelly.

  • Deadline: Nov 10, 2025
    Lopker Family Foundation RFA

    Thanks to a generous gift from the Lopker Family Foundation, the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is requesting applications for investigators with on-going translational research projects that could have immediate clinical impact. Projects that address reverse translation will also be responsive.
  • Deadline: Nov 14, 2025
    Upstream Research Center Pilot Grants

    The Upstream Research Center, co-led by Stanford, UC Davis, and UCSF, is awarding up to $75,000 each for three impact-focused research projects to reduce cancer inequities due to structural and social determinants, including, but not limited to, structural racism, poverty, income inequality, climate change, food insecurity, social isolation, and/or housing insecurity. Projects must focus on research relevant to exposures experienced in persistent poverty areas in Northern California.
  • Deadline: Nov 21, 2025
    Benioff Initiative for Prostate Cancer Research Awards

    Through a generous philanthropic gift, the Benioff Initiative for Prostate Cancer Research is requesting applications for funding to support research aimed at improving outcomes for aggressive prostate cancer including the development of new therapies. Applications are welcome for projects in basic laboratory, computational, or translational research directly related to prostate cancer. 
  • Deadline: Dec 1, 2025
    Computational Cancer Research RFA

    The Center for Cancer Data Science, a partnership between The Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, is requesting applications for projects in computational cancer research that harness data available in Information Commons/Cancer Commons.
  • Deadline: Dec 1, 2025
    UCPCC Early Detection Award

    The UC Pancreatic Cancer Consortium (UCPCC) proposes to fund a two-year pilot project in a novel area of early detection for pancreatic cancer. Preference will be given to collaborations across two or more UC cancer centers although single principal investigators may apply.

Foundations/Other Sources

  • Deadline: Nov 13, 2025
    Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funding Opportunities in Synthetic BIology and Spatial Omics

    Two funding mechanisms are currently available: (1) Advancing Technologies for Spatiotemporal Omics in Live Tissue and (2) Implementation of Synthetic Biology Principles in Immunology. UCSF applicants, please email [email protected] to announce your intention to apply.
  • Deadline: Nov 15, 2025
    Cancer Research Institute Technology Impact Award

    This award is designed to support early-stage, pre-development concepts that have not yet been built or tested, but that hold the potential to transform the landscape of cancer immunotherapy.
  • Deadline: Nov 25, 2025
    NCCN Decision Making, Quality of Life, and Outcome Improvement Initiatives in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

    This RFP invites investigators to develop and submit proposals for innovative decision making, quality of life (QOL), and outcome improvement projects to optimize the care of patients with CML.
  • Deadline: Dec 1, 2025
    Cancer Research Institute Clinical Innovator

    This program funds innovative phase I/II or phase II clinical studies with a strong emphasis on: (1) novel immunotherapy approaches; (2) mechanistic investigations into clinical response; (3) the discovery and/or validation of predictive biomarkers.
  • Deadline: Dec 2, 2025
    Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Program

    This program was established to recruit outstanding U.S. Specialty Board eligible physicians into cancer research careers by providing them with the opportunity for a protected research training experience under the mentorship of a highly qualified and gifted mentor after they have completed all of their clinical training.
  • Deadline: Dec 5, 2025
    AbbVie Independent Medical Education in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

    This program is seeking proposals that will review strategies for effective shared decision-making and highlight why shared decision-making is crucial in CLL treatment selection. UCSF applicants, please email [email protected] to announce your intention to apply.
  • Deadline: Dec 15, 2025
    The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation Supporting Innovative Cancer Research

    The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation has issued a request for applications for cancer research grants. Proposed projects may be relevant to any area of cancer detection, treatment, or cure. Funding is intended to allow the establishment of capabilities of new cancer researchers or new cancer approaches by established cancer researchers, and lead to subsequent and expanded support using government agency funding.
  • Deadline: Jan 9, 2026
    NCCN Lung Cancer Screening Quality Improvement Initiative

    National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation are offering a new funding opportunity in the area of lung cancer screening. Investigators are invited to develop and submit proposals outlining quality improvement and implementation science projects focused on improving the uptake of, and adherence to, lung cancer screening in people at high risk.

NIH Announcements

If you are a Cancer Center member who is interested in applying and receiving grant writing support, please contact Erin Bank.

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To view NCI funding opportunities, search here


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