Limited Submission Opportunities

Through its Higher Learning grantmaking area, Mellon makes grants that foster our understanding of American history and culture; develop the interpretive tools and methods scholars use to create meaning; support faculty and students whose work exemplifies a drive toward greater equity in their fields and institutions; and promote pathways for scholars and academic leaders.

Applications are invited for research and/or curricular projects focused on either of the following two areas: Unruly Intelligences and Normalization & Its Discontents.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting fundamental projects in two specific areas (1) medical research and (2) science and engineering, that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field.
Applicants should have unsuccessfully attempted to secure funding from conventional sources and be able to share formal or informal feedback indicating the project's breakthrough, high-risk nature.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The National Science Foundation has canceled the 2025 deadline for the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, with the next anticipated deadline expected in 2026.
Stanford’s internal NSF MRI limited submission competition and the applicant webinar have been canceled. A new internal competition will be announced as the next deadline approaches.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award supports independent young physician-scientists conducting disease-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. The goal is to support the best young physician-scientists doing work aimed at improving the practice of cancer medicine.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

The purpose of the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Faculty Scholar Program is to help prepare and support new investigators at the Assistant Professor level as they begin their careers. This early stage of career development is a critical period for a new researcher. During this period, new faculty require some form of support to develop preliminary data and build a research program to the point where they may then compete effectively for federal or other external funding.

Managing Unit: SoM

The FIPSE Special Projects Program provides grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), combinations of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies, as the Secretary deems necessary, to support innovative projects concerning one or more areas of national need identified by the Secretary. This competition focuses on supporting four areas of national need:
1) advancing the understanding of and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in postsecondary education,
2) promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses,
3) promoting accreditation reform, and
4) supporting capacity-building for highquality short-term programs.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Mary Kay Ash Foundation, a committed funding source for innovative cancer research, invites applications for translational research grants focused on cancers affecting women, including but not limited to breast, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, uterine, and other cancers that predominantly affect women. Grants will be awarded in the amount of $100,000 total over a two-year period to support projects with strong potential to advance the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancers affecting women.

Managing Unit: SCI (Stanford Cancer Institute)

This solicitation seeks proposals to establish a community-based organization that will be responsible for the foundational visioning, coordination, operations, and development activities in support of an integrated national infrastructure for AI research and education. The resulting award would advance the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) vision for a public-private partnership to accelerate AI innovation and national competitiveness. This NAIRR Operations Center (NAIRR-OC) will be responsible for the following overarching goals and responsibilities:

Organizational leadership: Establishing the operational framework, organizational management, and success metrics for the NAIRR and its successful operations according to the vision, goals, and requirements established by the NSF and other federal partners.
Building NAIRR capabilities and community: Undertaking specific development activities in support of NAIRR stakeholders, including interfacing with partner organizations and resources, deploying a unified web portal, integrating data-focused and other resources into the NAIRR, and conducting outreach and community building activities.
Interfacing with Pilot Operations: Coordinating with existing NAIRR Pilot contributing partners and interfacing with the independently supported teams conducting NAIRR Pilot operational functions, while developing tailored plans to execute such functions via the NAIRR-OC in the future.
NSF anticipates making a single award for this competition. NSF will provide oversight of award activities via the NAIRR Program Management Office (PMO) which may include representatives from partnering agencies. The awardee from this competition may be eligible for expansion of operational responsibilities and duties in a future phase, depending on NAIRR priorities, awardee performance and availability of funds.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Ono Initiative supports creative research conducted by emerging Chemical Biologists in search of new discoveries, solutions, and the development of high-impact science.
The goals of the Ono Initiative are to:
1. Identify and develop innovative research proposals and results that could lead to the development of breakthrough treatment solutions for patients.
2. Support academic research and the career development of promising young and established scientists.
3. Build strong relationships within the community in order to lead to transformative research aligned with Ono Initiative's interest.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

The Foundation primarily supports basic science research with translational potential that can lead to major advances in scientific understanding and human health. Examples of current research areas supported include immunology, microbiome, structural biology, cellular physiology, cancer biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology and infectious diseases, stem cell biology, and neuroscience. Research areas that will not be considered for support include Covid-19 , plant biology, oceanography, space exploration, global warming, agriculture and herbicide research, clinical trials or drug discovery*, vaccine development, ecology, and environment. *The foundation’s guidance on human subjects research suggests using the NIH human subject research decision-making tool to evaluate your project.

Managing Unit: SoM

The National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress (LC) to create a national digital resource of historically significant newspapers published between 1690 and 1963, from all the states and U.S. jurisdictions. This searchable database will be permanently maintained at LC and will be freely accessible online (see the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers website). The accompanying US Newspaper Directory of bibliographic and holdings information on the website directs users to newspaper titles available in all types of formats. During the course of its partnership with NEH, LC will also digitize and contribute to the NDNP database a significant number of newspaper pages drawn from its own collections.

Managing Unit: VPDoR

Creative Forces seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers, by increasing knowledge of and access to clinical creative arts therapies and community arts engagement. Since 2017, Creative Forces has invested in community arts engagement projects in order to advance understanding of the benefits and impacts for military-connected populations who have been exposed to trauma.

These Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants are intended to support non-clinical arts engagement programs taking place in healthcare, community, or virtual settings. Creative Forces-supported community programs have involved a range of arts activities, including visual, written, and performing arts offered through single events, drop-in programs, and ongoing engagement led by artists in residence, teaching artists, or creative arts therapists.

Managing Unit: VPDoR