Pilot Funding Program

Our goal is to cultivate new pilot research projects that are responsive to the health and social needs of communities living within persistent poverty areas across New York City and beyond. Proposed pilots should:

• Incorporate the same overarching conceptual framework that ties SoCa’s centers together into their own study designs. See the following study for more information on this framework: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40746119/

• Respond to the health and social needs and assets of the target population or communities, and should focus on structural and institutional factors, and move beyond individual level factors

• Focus on an area that aligns with the goal of the SoCa center– this includes focusing on health services research, translational science approaches, community-engaged research, implementation science, epidemiological, health and social policy, and population health research

The following eligibility requirements must be met to be considered for funding:

1. Junior investigators (e.g., postdoctoral fellow, associate research scientist, etc.) and early career faculty (e.g., instructor, assistant professor, etc.) from SoCa participating institutions (WCM, CUIMC, and SUNY Downstate). Faculty with Early Stage Investigator (ESI) status from SoCa participating institutions are also eligible.  

2. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in basic biomedical, behavioral, social, and/or clinical sciences (MD, PhD, MD/PhD, ScD, DrPH or equivalent).

3. Current R01 recipients are not eligible, but K awardees are eligible.

4. Proposed research projects must either include, or have applicability to, rural communities in persistent poverty areas anywhere in the United States.

5. As per NIH guidelines, only U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence are eligible to apply. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible to apply unless they have begun the process for becoming a permanent resident and expect to be admitted as a permanent resident by the start of the program. Please visit the NIH’s website for more information.

6. Applications from scholars who are new to the field of cancer health research are eligible and encouraged to apply.

7. Projects must meet at least one of the following conditions to be considered for funding:

• Your proposed pilot is thematically related to cancer prevention education and the CARES4You research project led by Dr. Phillips; or

•  Your proposed pilot is thematically related to smoking cessation and the Bridge2Quit research project led by Dr. Matthews; or

• Your proposed pilot only utilizes secondary data analyses (must include structural level data); or

• Your proposed pilot utilizes primary data collection (must include structural level data) and already has IRB approval or is under IRB review; or

• You are/were a participant in the SoCa Early Scholars Program; or

• You are/were a pilot funding program PI in Year 1, Year 2, or Year 3

Yes! This year SoCa is allowing pilot program awardees from Year 1, Year 2, and/or Year 3 to apply for funding again. To qualify for a second round of funding, awardees from Year 1, Year 2, or Year 3 must meet the following three conditions:

1. Your proposed pilot this year adds new aims or activities to your previously funded work, and thereby significantly adds to the work;

2. Your application includes a Research Project Progress Report detailing the progress made on your previously funded work; and

3. Your application includes a Justification for Additional Funding section explaining why SoCa should award additional funding for your new aims or activities.

SoCa will award funds ranging from $50,000 - $75,000. The award period is May 1st, 2026 to April 30th, 2027. Distribution of SoCa Pilot Funding Program awards is contingent upon the availability of funds from the National Cancer Institute.

Please note that pilot budgets must reflect total costs. This means that pilot budgets must include both direct costs and indirect costs.

Applications are due December 8th, 2025 at 12:00PM EST.

SoCa will notify awardees selected for funding by March 2026

The award period will begin on May 1st, 2026 and end on April 30th, 2027.

Use the application template included in the Call for Applications document to apply. All applications must be submitted as a single PDF via the application portal by 12:00pm on December 8th, 2025.

Applications must include the following components:

1. Cover Page

2. Lay Abstract

3. Research Proposal (featuring Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation and Approach sections)

4. References

5. Policy or Structural Change Community Impact Statement

6. Inclusion of and/or Relevance to Rural Persistent Poverty Areas

7. Future Plans for Obtaining Extramural Funding

8. Budget use PHS 398 (Rev. 03/2020), OMB No. 0925-0001, Form Page 4

9. Budget Justification

10. NIH-formatted biosketches for key personnel (preferred) or CVs

11. Protection of Human Subjects documents (if applicable)

12. Research Project Progress Report (for YEAR 1, YEAR 2, AND YEAR 3 AWARDEES ONLY) 

13. Justification for Additional Funding (for YEAR 1, YEAR 2, AND YEAR 3 AWARDEES ONLY) 

 For more information on each section please refer to the Call for Applications document.

SoCa uses the following six criteria when evaluating each pilot application:

1. Quality: The proposed project must advance research at the intersection of persistent poverty and cancer control and meet high standards for scientific rigor and innovation.

2. Relevance to the mission of the Center: Proposals will be judged on how well they synergize with the Center’s research projects and the overall mission described here.

3. Focus on Solution-Oriented Approaches: Pilot grants will support research that can lead to solution-based interventions, actions, and policy recommendations that actively address cancer rates and poor health outcomes in our communities of interest. 

4. Community Engagement: The proposal should encourage active engagement of community partners in all stages of research, from developing ideas to publication and dissemination. Letters of support that specify the partners involvement and role are encouraged.

5. Scope: The proposed research must be completed within the project period and within the budget limit.

6. Applicability to Rural Communities: SoCa is interested in supporting studies that can benefit and/or actively engage with rural populations in addition to urban populations.