James S. McDonnell Foundation

Collaborative Activity Awards

Important Note: Due to current and pending Collaborative Activities, JSMF will not be in a position to consider new letters of intent until further notice.

The Foundation offers Collaborative Activity Awards to initiate interdisciplinary discussions on problems or issues, to help launch interdisciplinary research networks, or to fund communities of researchers/practitioners dedicated to developing new methods, tools, and applications of basic research to applied problems. In each case the focus of the collaborative activity must meet the program guidelines for one of the following program areas:

With the Collaborative Activity Awards, JSMF continues and formalizes a funding mechanism the Foundation has used since 1987. Over the past decade or so, the Foundation has from time to time provided grants to support study panels and research networks. This has proven to be an effective way to encourage cross-disciplinary thinking and research on fundamental questions. Furthermore, these activities have contributed to the development of programs both at the Foundation and at other funding agencies. Collaborative Activity Awards developed from questions or topics discussed at JSMF-sponsored meetings may be initiated by JSMF Advisory Panel members, particularly when the outcome of collaborative discussions assists with Foundation program planning.

NOTE: Collaborative awards will not be awarded in support of large, program-project style research proposals. Applicants requesting funds to support innovative research projects involving several laboratories should consider submitting one or more applications to the 21st Century Research Awards.

Eligibility

The 21st Century Collaborative Activity Awards are awards for multidisciplinary and multi-participant projects that address questions and topics relevant to the Foundation's core and complementary program areas.

Strong preference will be given to applications involving multi-institutional collaboration.
There are no geographic restrictions on these awards and the Foundation encourages international applications.
The lead applicant must be sponsored by a non-profit institution as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Read More
The grantee institution must agree to administer the award and to waive all indirect and administrative costs.

Budget

Sample Budget: PDF | Excel.

The budgets for collaborative activities will vary greatly depending on the scope of the proposed problem or project and on the number of people involved. The Foundation recognizes that funding must be appropriate to an activity's specific scope and needs. It also recognizes that organizing and implementing such an activity can be exceedingly time consuming. Unlike Research Award budgets, Collaborative Awards may request administrative support to facilitate the collaborative aspects.

The Foundation considers allowable research expenses to include:

The cost of purchasing equipment and supplies required to do the proposed research
The cost of time on shared instruments such as MR spectrometers
Reimbursement for human subjects
Travel funds when travel is required to carry out the proposed research.
Salaries for technical support staff.
Research animal purchasing, housing, and food per diem costs.

Requests for the following items must be strongly justified:

Stipends or salaries for graduate student research assistants and postdoctoral trainees.
NOTE: The training record of principal investigators will be reviewed.
Salary for non-tenured faculty
Salary for faculty whose primary appointments are school of medicine departments
Salary for research staff/faculty with soft money positions
Requests for TBA technical and support staff

In any and all cases Faculty salary requests can not exceed 30% of the researcher's institutional base salary, commensurate with requested and available time and effort. A maximum institutional salary of $200,000 can be used for salary requests. For more information, view the allowable budget items table (PDF).

The following expenses should not be requested:

Indirect costs
Indirect costs listed as direct costs (telephone, photocopying, etc.)
Salary for tenured faculty (see exceptions above)
Summer salary for faculty
Tuition or 'continuing student' fees for graduate students
Travel costs for attendance at professional meetings and associated costs or annual membership fees for scientific associations or publication subscriptions
Miscellaneous costs 'padding' the budget
Salary for TBA postdoctoral fellows (if you are requesting funding for postdoctoral fellows, the individuals filling such positions must be identified at the time the proposal is submitted -- no money will be approved for open postdoctoral spots to be filled by as-yet-unnamed individuals.)

Application Process

Thus, rather than submit full proposals, applicants for Collaborative Activity Awards should submit a letter of inquiry. Letters of inquiry can be submitted at any time during the year, and must be submitted electronically to: collaborative@jsmf.org. There are no application deadlines for these grants. Applicants can expect an initial response to their letters within 2-3 weeks of receipt. The letter of inquiry must include:

A brief description of the proposed activity and an explanation of its scientific importance or practical significance (not to exceed 1000 words in length).
A listing of representative or possible participants.
An estimate of the proposed activity's duration and budget (sample budget: PDF | Excel). In any and all cases Faculty salary requests can not exceed 30% of the researcher's institutional base salary, commensurate with requested and available time and effort. A maximum institutional salary of $200,000 can be used for salary requests. For more information, view the allowable budget items table (PDF).
The lead applicant should also enclose a current short form curriculum vitae.

Collaborative Activity Award letters of inquiry are subject to the "Once-Every-Three-Years" Eligibility Policy.

Foundation staff, in consultation with its Advisory Panels, will review the letters of inquiry for their relevance to the Foundation's program interests, the significance and importance of the activity, and likelihood that the Foundation could provide the necessary funding for the proposed duration of the project.

Foundation staff will contact applicants whose initial inquiries receive favorable review to request additional information and to provide guidance on the preparation of a full proposal. Staff and Advisory Panels will also review the full proposals. Full proposals that receive a favorable review will be presented to the Foundation's board for consideration.

Funding Policies

Interested in applying for a JSMF grant? Review and understand these policies before applying for a grant.

End of Guidelines