Pilot Funding Program

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

• Partner with at least one other institution participating in the NCI’s Persistent Poverty Initiative. These include:

  • Stanford University

  • University of California, San Francisco

  • University of California, Davis

  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham

  • University of Utah

  • Montana State University

• 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.

We welcome collaborative pilots that utilize a range of study designs including, but not limited to, health services research, translational science approaches, community-engaged research, implementation science, epidemiological, health and social policy, intervention development, and population health research.

Investigators are eligible if they meet the PI requirements defined by their specific PPI Center. SoCa’s eligibility requirements are:

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

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

3. 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.

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

Yes! SoCa allows pilot program awardees from Year 1, Year 2,  Year 3, or Year 4 to apply for funding again. To qualify for a second round of funding, awardees from Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4 must meet the following conditions along with all other eligibility criterion:

1. Your proposed pilot partners with at least one other institution participating in the NCI’s Persistent Poverty Initiative.

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

Per each collaboration, the individual centers will contribute up to $50,000. For example, a collaborative pilot from 2 centers may have a total budget of up to $100,000. Post-review budget discussions and potential adjustments may occur with PIs at PPI centers

Distribution of SoCa Pilot Funding Program awards is contingent upon the availability of funds from the National Cancer Institute.

The application timeline has been extended! The new deadlines are:

• Letters of Intent are due September 8th, 2026 by 11:59PM.

• Invitations to apply will be distributed by September 15th, 2026.

• Full applications are due October 16th, 2026 by 11:59PM.

• Awardees will be selected for funding by December 15th, 2026.

The award period will begin on May 1st, 2027 and end on April 30th, 2028.

All funds must be spent by April 30th, 2028. There will be no opportunity for carry-over.

To apply to this opportunity you must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Lily Neff at lneff@scgcorp.com. LOI’s are due September 8th, 2026 by 11:59PM.

The PPI committee will review all LOIs. Only a select few LOIs will be approved. If your LOI is approved then we will contact you with an invitation to submit a full application.

All pilot project proposals should align with current NIH policies and mission. For more information on the NIH’s current mission, please see here.

SoCa will use the following six criteria when evaluating each collaborative 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 PPI: Proposals will be judged on how well they synergize with the PPI ’s  overall mission, and responsiveness to PPI priorities (if any specified). 

   The Persistent Poverty Initiative Network aims to build research capacity to promote cancer prevention and control in areas of the US that experience persistent poverty, focusing on addressing structural and institutional factors that drive disparities in cancer outcomes for these areas. https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/hd/research-emphasis/poverty/centers-for-cancer-control-research-in-persistent-poverty-areas

3. Investigators: Reviewers will be asked to evaluate the qualifications of the PIs and key personnel and  the MPI plan that should specify clear role and responsibilities of all PIs.

4. Synergy among participating centers: Reviewers will be asked to evaluate whether the collaborative proposal enhances cross-network collaborations, the scientific quality, rigor, and generalizability of the project. Reviewers will evaluate if there is a clear delineation of research aims and coordination of activities across sites.

5. Capacity building: The proposed research should strengthen ability for multi-site research projects.

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