FUNDING MEMO

Title: Dana Professional Development Awards

Funding Agency: Dana Foundation

External Deadline(s):

10/16/2023 08:59 PM PDT (Full Proposal)

Cognizant Office: Office of Foundation Relations

Description:

The Dana Foundation is currently accepting applications for Professional Development Awards for trainees interested in opportunities in neuroscience and society. The opportunity must be interdisciplinary in nature. That is, it must include the field of neuroscience and another field outside of the natural sciences or engineering.

Frequency: First-time opportunity

Total Award: $5,500

• Up to $5,000 in direct costs, plus 10% of the requested amount as indirect costs.
• The funds could be used to support the following (note that these are examples and not an exhaustive list):
  • Attending an interdisciplinary conference or workshop in neuroscience and society.
  • Neuroscience and society coursework.
  • Neuroscience and society research.
  • Other activities that further the goal and objectives of the Dana NextGen Program.

Indirect Costs: 10% of Direct Costs

• Caltech’s minimum overhead rate is based on the award’s annual gross funding. Please refer to the FY23 Annual Rate Memo for applicable minimum overhead requirements. Applicants must work within their division to account for the required overhead via an approved MORA form.

Duration: Varies

Discipline(s): Biology and Biological Engineering; Humanities and Social Sciences

Eligibility: Grad Student, Postdoc, Undergraduate

• Applicants should be affiliated with an academic or non-profit institution in the United States and enrolled or engaged in a training program (undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate, post-doctoral).
• Note: Professional development awards will be evaluated by Dana program staff to assess eligibility and alignment with the goal and objectives of the NextGen program and the Foundation’s values. Among all applications that are deemed to meet the above criteria, a lottery system will be used to randomly select awardees.

Research Areas of Interest:

• The opportunity must be interdisciplinary in nature. That is, it must include the field of neuroscience and another field outside of the natural sciences or engineering.
  • This can include, but is not limited to, ethics, law, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, social sciences, public health, arts, and the humanities.

Research Exclusions:

• The Foundation will not fund projects that focus on a purely neuroscience topic that may have potential impacts on society.
  • For instance, they will not fund neuroscience research that may lead to a new treatment for a brain-based condition that would then be beneficial to society. Nor will they fund a neuroscience course that is not interdisciplinary according to their definition above.

Post-Award Obligations:

TBD

Recent Caltech Recipients:

• None, New Opportunity

Guidelines & Other Information:

Guidelines and Application Portal: https://dana.givingdata.com/portal/campaign/PDAwards2023

Dana NextGen Program Information: https://dana.org/dana-nextgen/

Dana General Grant Guidelines: https://dana.org/dana-foundation-award-letters-terms-and-conditions/

Please notify the Foundation Relations team if you anticipate making a submission or if you have any questions regarding this opportunity. We are here to help ensure that Caltech’s proposals are competitive. We can assist with proposal development and advise you on the routing of your paperwork. Interested researchers should work with their division grant manager to prepare the budget, the MORA form, and the Division Approval Form (DAF). Submissions and awards for this grant program will be processed through the Office of Foundation Relations.

Opportunity ID: 1689