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Our Grant Process

Our research goal is simple — find answers that help save lives. Our strategy for funding research is just as straightforward — fund the best science. Each grant application goes through an extensive scientific peer-review process. This strategy and process has helped support numerous important discoveries and some of the brightest researchers, including 50 Nobel Prize winners to date. 
 

Apply for a Grant
proposal CENTRAL
Research Grants Staff

DECIDING TO APPLY
Get answers to questions you have about grants from the American Cancer Society (ACS)

Step-by-Step: American Cancer Society Research Funding 
This infographic shows the path of a grant application--from  arrival, through peer review, funding recommendations, council funding decisions, and pay-ifs.

Frequently Asked Questions About ACS Grants
Get answers: How has the ACS Extramural Grant program changed? What peer review committee should I select? What if I select the wrong one? 

The Kind of Grants We Fund
Learn about our American Cancer Society's extramural research programs and their directors

Definition of Research Areas
Our research and training programs defined using the common language developed with our partner the International Cancer Research Partnership (ICRP)

GRANT MECHANISMS
ACS offers a variety of research grants to fund science across the cancer continuum 

RESEARCH GRANTS FOR
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATORS

MENTORED RESEARCH GRANTS

REQUESTS FOR APPLICATIONS

PROFESSOR GRANTS
PREPARING AN APPLICATION
All applications are created in proposalCentral

Getting Questions Answered
See Instructions and Policies at the bottom of every grant description.
Email grants@cancer.org or call 404-329-7558
Contact the Scientific Director associated with your research or training area. 

Deadlines
Applications for most grant types are accepted 2 times a year – April 1 and October 15. If the grant application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, applications will be accepted the following business day. 
See the individual grant types for more deadline information.
HOW APPLICATIONS ARE REVIEWED 
The Scientific Directors distribute applications to the most appropriate peer review committee and then assign each application to at least 2 committee members for independent and confidential review.
Peer Review Committees 
Each has 12 to 25 members who are leaders in their areas of expertise, plus up to 3 other stakeholders.

Committees discuss and vote to prioritize the most competitive applications and give their recommendations, along with critiques of the applications and fundable scores, to the Council for Extramural Research.

Council for Extramural Research
The Council determines which grants will be funded during each cycle.		  Notifications
  • Applicants will receive an email about 1 month after submitting an application with an application number and names of their Scientific Director and Peer Review Committee. 
  • After review (about 2 months after submitting), applicants will receive preliminary emails about their project's status
  • Final funding decisions are made in March and September
RESUBMISSION PROCESS 
Applications that are not funded may be revised and resubmitted
2 times. Exception: Postdoctoral fellowships may only be resubmitted once.		 See the Instructions and Policies document for your grant type for information on how to re submit applications. 

Contact the associated program director for support and tips.
GRANT REPORTING OR CHANGES

Grantees use Altum proposalCentral to upload:

  • All requests for grant changes, with the required, related documents
  • Required reports (deliverables)

This site houses all reports, requests, and correspondence pertaining to a grant and is accessible to both ACS program staff and grantees.