Trialect

+ More Filters

Reset Filters

Title

Funding Organization

Funding Type

Eligible Country

Deadline

Other (Select all that apply)

Show Expired Programs

Show Verified Programs

Not Verified

Damon Runyon Fellowship Award

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

The Foundation encourages all theoretical and experimental research relevant to the study of cancer and the search for cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies and prevention including molecular approaches to cancer prevention for inherited cancers.

Candidates must apply for the fellowship under the guidance of a Sponsor—a scientist (tenured, tenure-track or equivalent position) capable of providing mentorship to the Fellow. In addition to aiding in the planning, execution and supervision of the proposed research, the Sponsor’s role is to foster the development of the Fellow’s overall knowledge, technical and analytical skills, and capacity for scientific inquiry. The Sponsor is also expected to assist the Fellow in attaining their career goals.

Awards are made to institutions for the support of the Fellow under direct supervision of the Sponsor. Candidates who have already accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship award are not eligible. (Candidates may hold a T32 at the time of application, but not concurrently with the Damon Runyon Fellowship Award.)

Selection and Review

The Fellowship Award Committee will review applications and select awardees for approval by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The primary criteria used to evaluate applicants are:

the quality of the research proposal (importance of the problem, originality of approach, appropriateness of techniques and clarity of presentation)
the qualifications, experience and productivity of both the candidate and the Sponsor
the quality of the research training environment in which the proposed research is to be conducted and its potential for broadening and strengthening the candidate's ability to independently conduct innovative and substantive research. The proposed research and training environment should represent a new opportunity for the candidate to expand their scientific skill set. Direct extensions of the candidate's graduate work (in approach, technique or exact area of study) will not be funded.

At the beginning of each review session, the following statement is read aloud:

As an organization, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has an uncompromising commitment to excellence and values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its Award Programs. The Foundation seeks to promote gender equality and increase diversity, in all of its forms, throughout our programs. Studies have demonstrated that often subtle and unconscious biases can dramatically affect outcomes in review processes and that by simply acknowledging that unconscious biases exist, we can combat their potential negative impact. To that end, please be aware of your potential unconscious biases when reviewing, scoring and discussing candidates and applications throughout the review process.

Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are granted for a four-year term with second-, third- and fourth- year funding contingent upon satisfactory progress reports. Fellows in their first and third years of funding will attend Damon Runyon Fellows' Retreats designed to foster collaboration and interaction between scientists working in different fields relevant to cancer.

Please note that it is the policy of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation not to share reviewers' written comments.

Application

To apply, please log into Altum | Proposal Central and search for Damon Runyon Fellowship Award. Applications are due by 4:00 pm Eastern Time on August 15, 2025. Application instructions are located on the Damon Runyon Applications Guidelines webpage and all application forms are located within Proposal Central.

Funding

No part of this grant can be used for indirect costs or institutional overhead.

Award Stipends

Year of Award	Stipend	Expenses
Year 1	$70,000	$2,000
Year 2	$72,000	$2,000
Year 3	$74,000	$2,000
Year 4	$76,000	$2,000

Expense Allowance

The $2,000 expense allowance is awarded to the laboratory in which the Fellow is working and can be used by the Fellow for their educational and scientific expenses. With written request to the Foundation from the Fellow, the expense allowance may be used to defray the cost of health benefits. The Fellow determines how they would like to spend the money with approval from their sponsor. It is not an allowance for institutional overhead, postdoctoral scholar registration fees or postdoctoral fellowship taxes. Institutions may not automatically deduct any fees from this allowance without the Fellow’s approval. Pre-award and/or pre-fellowship award year spending is not allowed. If you have any questions on how the money may be spent, please contact the Foundation (awards@damonrunyon.org).

Debt Repayment Program

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation will retire up to $100,000 of any qualifying medical school debt still owed by the awardee. Payment will be made annually over the course of the award.
Note: Qualified candidates must first apply to the NIH Loan Repayment Program in order to be eligible for loan repayment from Damon Runyon (see Terms of the Award below).

Dependent Child Allowance

The Foundation also provides a Dependent Child Allowance of $1,000 per child per year. (There is no allowance for a spouse.) Eligible Fellows must submit a dependent child allowance form and a copy of the birth or adoption certificate for each child.

Specialties

Cancer

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must have completed one or more of the following degrees or its equivalent: MD, PhD, MD/PhD, DDS, DVM, DO. The applicant must include a copy of their diploma to confirm date of conferral. (If an applicant has not yet received their PhD diploma but has successfully completed all PhD requirements, including PhD defense, they may submit a letter from the graduate school explicitly stating such, with the date of the successful PhD defense and date of degree conferral.)

Level 1: Basic and physician-scientists must have received their degrees no more than 18 months prior to the application deadline date. Applicants must not have been in their Sponsors' labs for more than one year prior to the application deadline date and are expected to devote 100% of their time to Damon Runyon-supported research activities.

Level 2: Physician-scientist applicants (MD, MD/PhD, DDS, DVM, DO or the equivalent) must have completed their residencies and clinical training, must be board eligible in the United States at the start date of the Damon Runyon Fellowship, and be able to devote at least 80% of their time to Damon Runyon-supported research activities. Applicants may apply at any time prior to their initial assistant professorship appointment (or equivalent); postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows and clinical instructors are eligible to apply. Candidates holding or awarded NIH K awards at the time of application are not eligible to apply. Candidates holding institutional K12 awards may apply, but must turn-back K12 funding if they are awarded a Damon Runyon Fellowship.

All applicants must include a copy of their diploma to confirm date of conferral. (See Deadlines chart.)

The proposed research must be conducted at a university, hospital or research institution.

Candidates working in a structured postdoctoral research program at a for-profit institution may apply. If awarded, the for-profit institution will pay the Fellow's salary directly. (If the institutional salary is less than that received by Damon Runyon Fellows, Damon Runyon will supplement that amount to equal the stipend of other Damon Runyon Fellows.) Awardees will have all the privileges and responsibilities extended to other Damon Runyon Fellows, and are required to adhere to the guidelines and policies of the Fellowship Award.

No more than two Damon Runyon Fellows will be funded to work with the same Sponsor at any given time (including Co-Sponsors).

Only one fellowship application will be accepted from a Sponsor or Fellow per review session (including Co-Sponsors); there is no limit, however, to the number of applications from an institution.

Postdoctoral training in the same institution in which the applicant received their degree is discouraged, particularly if it is in the same department. (If either situation applies, the applicant must address the reason(s) in their application.) Proposals to continue training in the laboratory where the applicant received their PhD will not be considered. Proposals that are direct extensions of graduate work will not be funded.

Candidates who have already accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship award are not eligible. (Candidates may hold a T32 at the time of application, but not concurrently with the Damon Runyon Fellowship Award.)

Candidates who are pursuing a degree are not eligible.

Candidates applying to work in foreign-based or United States government laboratories may be awarded a fellowship if the program represents an unusual opportunity for postdoctoral training.

Foreign candidates may apply to do their research only in the United States.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: One Exchange Plaza 55 Broadway, Suite 302 New York, NY 10006

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity