Slots: Universities/Institutions are limited to four applications per cycle.
One application per cycle per investigator.
Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Friday, May 19th, 2023, 5pm PT Closed.
LOI: July 28, 2023
External Deadline: September 29, 2023
Award Information
Award Type: Grant
Award Amount: When creating the LOI, the budget should be reasonable based on the aims of the project. When reviewing applications, we determine if the budget is reasonable based on multiple factors. This includes the number of researchers working on the grant (and their training), the type of model being used for experiments (mouse, drosophila, c. elegans, etc.), supplies required for experiments, genetic sequencing or other outsourced services, test setup development, etc. With the large variances in typical budgets between the different scientific disciplines, we do not provide a boundary condition. However, a detailed budget justification will be required and scrutinized during the proposal phase if the LOI is invited to proceed to step 2 of the application process.
Who May Serve as PI: Not specified on website.
Link to Award: http://www.mathersfoundation.org/
Process for Limited Submissions
PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here:
RII-Limited-Submission-Application-Template.
Materials to submit include:
- (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; font type: Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
- (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)
Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.
Purpose
The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation was organized as a Texas non-profit corporation and obtained a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service granting it tax-exempt status as a section 501(c)(3) organization. The Foundation commenced its grant-making activities in Fall, 1982. Since its inception, The Mathers Foundation has granted in excess of $350M.
For many years the Foundation has enjoyed special recognition in the research community in supporting “basic” scientific research, realizing that true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena. More recently, and with the advent of newer investigative methodologies, technology, and tools, the Foundation now embraces innovative translational research proposals.
- The Foundation primarily supports basic science, ideally with potential translational applications.
- Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support.
- Covid-19 related research projects (aims or sub-aims) will not be considered for support.
- Medical imaging technology related projects and/or electrical engineering technology development projects will not be considered for support.
- Plant Biology Research, Oceanography, Space Exploration. and Global Warming related research will not be considered for support.
- As technology continues to advance, it is apparent that investigations in the area of basic science and translational research may become more and more reliant on collaborative, interdisciplinary projects. It is important to note that any interdisciplinary project proposals may require additional information regarding collaborator(s)’ achievements and relevant expertise.
- Feedback for declined LOI Requests will not be provided; LOIs or Formal Proposals that have been declined should not be resubmitted at a later date for consideration.
- Renewal applications for the same or related research will not be accorded priority consideration. It is strongly advised that any re-application for grant renewal consider a new direction based on prior research or emphasize some new potential translational aspects and not merely an extension of previously funded research.
- Requests for funding previously federally supported research and/or applications pending federal approval will not be accorded priority consideration.
- Requests for support of clinical trials or drug discovery will not be approved. The Foundation will not support projects which we consider pre-clinical drug development.
- Grant Agreements must be signed by an authorized signatory for the University/Institution and countersigned by the Primary Investigator.
Budgetary Requirements
- The budget justification should provide detailed costs of investigators’ salaries, laboratory supplies, etc., and will be highly scrutinized.
- Grant duration must be three years.
- Our expectation is that an investigation will be completed within the requested duration of the grant (up to 3 years). A no-cost extension may be requested if the investigation has not been completed and there are still funds available. If at the end of the grant term, the aims of the project have not been met, an explanation should be provided to the Foundation. (The primary investigator is urged to consider a proposed modification of the project’s original aims to prevent such a situation from occurring.)
- Preliminary Budgets are required during the LOI phase. A detailed budget justification is not required until the proposal phase.
- The Foundation’s grant award is not intended to be utilized for purchasing capital equipment (“bricks-and-mortar”) for the lab and is intended only to support the actual investigation. The Foundation assumes and expects that capital equipment must be provided by the research institution or university.
- Indirect Costs for the proposed project cannot exceed 10%.
Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.