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HCN Grants Est. 2026
No. PAR-25-122 · National Institutes of Health
Open

Pilot Projects Investigating Understudied Proteins Associated with Rare Diseases (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Dealbreakers No cost share required Audit: not stated
Not reimbursement-only
“Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.” — From the announcement

At a glance

This program funds small one-year pilot or feasibility projects that generate preliminary data and tools to study understudied proteins linked to rare diseases. It is open to a wide range of U.S. and foreign-eligible organizations, including nonprofits, universities, governments, small businesses, and tribal organizations, but foreign organizations and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. Awards are limited to $100,000 in direct costs for one year, and the number of awards depends on NIH appropriations and the number of meritorious applications. No cost sharing is required. Applications must focus on one or more of the listed eligible proteins and a rare disease, and clinical trials, clinical drug development studies, and applications not focused on rare diseases will not be reviewed.

AI-generated summary — verify against the announcement

What it funds

  • Health
  • Research & Discovery
  • Other / needs-review
  • Biomedical & Disease Research
Official description from grants.gov

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for pilot projects to elucidate a role for understudied proteins in rare disease. Awards will support generation of preliminary data and/or tools around eligible understudied protein(s). A list of eligible proteins is provided and are members of druggable protein families that have a known association with a rare disease. This NOFO is intended to jumpstart research on understudied proteins that are associated with rare diseases and provide applicants with sufficient funding to perform basic biochemical and/or biological work to further the characterization of understudied proteins within the context of rare disease.

Who can apply

  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
  • Others
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
  • Small businesses
  • Special district governments
  • State governments
Geographic restriction None found in the announcement — likely nationwide