Research Funding Opportunities for 2026
Below are active U.S. research grant opportunities with upcoming deadlines. Each opportunity offers significant funding for basic or applied research across diverse fields, including accelerator science, criminal justice, mental health, fisheries, and biomedical research.
| # | Opportunity | Type | Region / Country | Amount | Deadline | Source |
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| 1 | FY2026 Research Opportunities in Accelerator Stewardship and Accelerator Development High award range and focus on accelerator science aligns with research funding interests. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Award range: $50,000 - $3,000,000 | Deadline Soon May 21, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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High award range and focus on accelerator science aligns with research funding interests. Fit notes
Suitable for researchers in physics, engineering, or related STEM fields. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-21 Source description
The DOE SC program in High Energy Physics (HEP) hereby announces its interest in applications to conduct cross-cutting use-inspired basic research and development (R&D) to advance accelerator science and technology (AS&T) and domestic supplier development that supports SC’s activities in physical sciences research and which is of broader benefit to other U.S. government agencies and industry. Please note that this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for cross-cutting R&D and domestic supplier development and that program-specific AS&T R&D is supported though NOFOs issued by each SC program. |
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| 2 | NIJ FY25 Graduate Research Fellowship Graduate fellowship supports doctoral research in crime prevention and public safety. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Award range: $0 - $180,000 | Deadline Soon May 19, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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Graduate fellowship supports doctoral research in crime prevention and public safety. Fit notes
Ideal for PhD students in criminology, public policy, or related disciplines. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-19 Source description
This NOFO seeks to support doctoral students whose dissertation research is relevant to preventing and controlling crime, protecting the border, enforcing the law, promoting public safety, or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal or juvenile justice in the United States. This furthers the DOJ mission by increasing the pool of researchers who are engaged in providing science-based solutions to problems relevant to criminal and juvenile justice policy and practice in the United States. |
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| 3 | NIJ FY25 Research on the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of Older Adults Funding for research on elder abuse and financial exploitation addresses a critical social issue. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Award range: $0 - $1,600,000 | Deadline Soon May 19, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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Funding for research on elder abuse and financial exploitation addresses a critical social issue. Fit notes
Fits researchers in social sciences, public health, or gerontology. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-19 Source description
This NOFO seeks to fund applications for rigorous research and evaluation projects in five topical areas: (1) evaluation of programs that seek to prevent, intervene in, or respond to the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older adults; (2) research on financial fraud against older adults, including knowledge building around scam prevention messaging; (3) research on formal and informal caregivers who abuse (either financially, physically, sexually, and/or emotionally) or neglect older adults, to inform intervention and prevention program development; (4) forensic research involving the development of radiographic evidence and bioinformatic approaches relevant to the physical abuse of older adults; and (5) research examining the role of emerging technologies in fraud and exploitation. |
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| 4 | Advanced Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth and Adults with Mental Illness (ALACRITY) Research Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) Large award ceiling for interdisciplinary mental health research centers. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Award ceiling: $1,500,000 | Deadline Soon May 18, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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Large award ceiling for interdisciplinary mental health research centers. Fit notes
Targeted at teams in clinical, behavioral, and health systems research. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-18 Source description
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for centers to support transdisciplinary teams of clinical and mental health services researchers, behavioral scientists, social scientists, health information and communications technologists, health systems engineers, decision scientists, and mental health stakeholders (e.g., service users, family members, clinicians, payers) to engage in high-impact studies that will significantly advance clinical practice and generate knowledge that will fuel transformation of mental health care in the United States. Advanced Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth and Adults with Mental Illness (ALACRITY) Research Centers will support the rapid development, testing, and refinement of novel and integrative approaches for (1) optimizing the effectiveness of therapeutic or preventive interventions for mental disorders within well-defined target populations; (2) organizing and delivering optimized mental health services within real world treatment settings; and (3) continuously improving the quality, impact, and durability of optimized interventions and service delivery within diverse care systems. The ALACRITY Centers program is intended to support research that maximizes synergies across various components of the mental health research ecosystem, including new discoveries in clinical research,... |
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| 5 | F26AS00041 Yukon River Salmon Research and Management (R&M) Assistance Supports fisheries research and management in the Yukon River region. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Award range: $0 - $100,000 | Deadline Soon May 18, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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Supports fisheries research and management in the Yukon River region. Fit notes
Relevant for marine biology, ecology, and resource management scholars. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-18 Source description
The Yukon River Salmon Research and Management Assistance (R&M Fund) is administered by the Fisheries Program of Region 7.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) receives funds for implementation of the Yukon River Salmon Agreement of 2000 (Agreement) with Canada. The Agreement authorizes funds for the implementation of the Agreement including funds for cooperative research and management projects on the Alaska Portion of the Yukon River. The Service administers these funds through financial assistance on a competitive basis for projects, studies, and events that advance the scientific and public community"s understanding of the biology and management of salmon, with focus on Yukon River Chinook and Chum salmon stocks in Alaska. The following is a request for Detailed Project Proposal of one year in length addressing the needs of the priority general Categories and Factors and specific near-term needs listed below.Funding will support work beginning in May 2026 with project activities completed in early 2028. Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop projects that incorporate local capacity with members of Yukon River communities in which they may be working. Coordinating projects with state and federal regulatory agencies is also recommended, but not mandatory. |
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| 6 | NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) K99/R00 pathway award for early-stage postdoctoral researchers in NCI-supported fields. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Not provided on the source page. Please check the official source. | Deadline Soon May 24, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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K99/R00 pathway award for early-stage postdoctoral researchers in NCI-supported fields. Fit notes
Ideal for postdocs in cancer biology or related biomedical sciences. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-24 Source description
The purpose of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented, NCI-supported, independent investigators. This program is designed for postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require an extended period of mentored research training beyond their doctoral degrees. The objective of this award is to facilitate a timely transition of these fellows from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The program will provide independent NCI research support during this transition to help awardees to launch competitive, independent research careers. Researchers in the scientific areas of cancer control, cancer prevention and cancer data sciences are especially encouraged to work with their institutions to apply.This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants. These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should be submitted under this NOFO include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manip... |
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| 7 | NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Project Grant (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) R21 exploratory grant for high-risk, high-reward biomedical research. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Not provided on the source page. Please check the official source. | Deadline Soon May 24, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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R21 exploratory grant for high-risk, high-reward biomedical research. Fit notes
Suitable for investigators proposing novel methods or technologies. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-24 Source description
The NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant supports exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of these projects. These studies may involve considerable risk but may lead to a breakthrough in a particular area, or to the development of novel techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or applications that could have a major impact on a field of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.This Parent Notice of Funding Opportunity is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants. These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should submit under this FOA include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Studies conducted with specific applications toward processes or products in mind should submit under the appropriate Clinical Trials Required or Clinical Trial Optional FOA.The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of... |
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| 8 | NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) R01 grant for basic experimental studies involving humans. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Not provided on the source page. Please check the official source. | Deadline Soon May 24, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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R01 grant for basic experimental studies involving humans. Fit notes
Fits researchers conducting foundational human studies in biomedical sciences. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-24 Source description
The NIH Research Project Grant supports a discrete, specified, circumscribed project in areas representing the specific interests and competencies of the investigator(s).This Parent Notice of Funding Opportunity is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants. These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should submit under this NOFO include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Studies conducted with specific applications toward processes or products in mind should submit under the appropriate Clinical Trials Required or Clinical Trial Optional NOFO.The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions. |
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| 9 | Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Human Required) Early Stage Investigator R01 grant for innovative projects without preliminary data. | Grant Cash Grant | United States | Not provided on the source page. Please check the official source. | Deadline Soon May 24, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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Early Stage Investigator R01 grant for innovative projects without preliminary data. Fit notes
Targeted at early-career investigators in biomedical research. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-24 Source description
The Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant supports an innovative project that represents a change in research direction for an early stage investigator (ESI) and for which no preliminary data exist. Applications submitted to this Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) must not include preliminary data. Applications must include a separate attachment describing the change in research direction. The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions.This Funding Opportunity is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants. These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should submit under this NOFO include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Studies that are NOT conducted with specific applications toward processes or products in mind and which also do not mee... |
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| 10 | NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research: Chair's Grant (UG1-Clinical Trial Required) UG1 grant supports large-scale clinical trials in vision research. | Grant Mixed | United States | Not provided on the source page. Please check the official source. | Deadline Soon May 25, 2026 Open | Grants.gov |
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UG1 grant supports large-scale clinical trials in vision research. Fit notes
Ideal for investigators in ophthalmology, genetics, or stem cell therapy. Deadline note
Deadline: 2026-05-25 Source description
The NEI uses UG1 cooperative agreement awards to support investigator-initiated large-scale clinical trials, human gene-transfer, stem cell therapy trials, and other complex or high resource- or safety-risk clinical trials. These projects are multifaceted and of high public health significance requiring clear delineation of study organization including roles and responsibilities and require careful performance oversight and monitoring. For purposes of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the proposed study must be intended to evaluate interventions aimed at screening, diagnosing, preventing, or treating vision disorders, or to compare the effectiveness of two or more established interventions. The NEI UG1-supported studies are typically funded as a group of single-component companion grant awards including the Chairs Grant, the Coordinating Center, and Resource Centers, when appropriate. Specifically, this NOFO encourages applications for the Chair's grant, which includes the scientific rationale, study aims and significance of the research project. |
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