RFA: American Cancer Society - Flatiron Real-World Data Impact Award
Purpose
The Real-World Data Impact Award (RWIA) supports the American Cancer Society’s and Flatiron’s goals of accelerating cancer research that informs public health, public policy, and ultimately improves clinical practice.
Scientific Scope
This RFA is a call for investigators to propose cancer research questions which utilize Flatiron’s electronic health record (EHR)-derived database from 1000+ unique sites of care. Flatiron extracts and processes both structure and unstructured data from millions of patients’ electronic health records to develop disease-specific longitudinal datasets. This award seeks to advance the use of real-world evidence (RWE) to address clinically relevant questions that are difficult or infeasible to answer through traditional clinical trials alone. Interest applicants are encouraged to review published research that utilized Flatiron data. Examples of possible research areas for this funding mechanism are listed below.
- Characterizing healthcare disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes.
- Evaluating the impact of policies on cancer care, treatment, and outcomes.
- Comparing the effectiveness of treatments unlikely to be addressed within cancer clinical trials.
- Developing or validating models to predict the risk of outcomes among patients with cancer.
See these press releases about projects previously funded under this RFA
Eligibility
Applicants must be independent researchers at eligible US academic institutions or non-profits. Applicants must have the necessary training and expertise to conduct research projects using de-identified real-world data. All applicants shall be subject to the terms and conditions of a separate confidentiality agreement between Flatiron and the applicant.
Grant Term and Budget: $100,000 direct costs for a 1-year award period plus 10% indirect costs.
Informational Resources for Applicants
Interested applicants can hear an overview of this funding opportunity and Flatiron's datasets. There will be ample time to ask questions.
The webinar will be recorded and shared.
- Informational Webinar will be held on March 16, 2026, 1 - 2 PM EST.
- Register for the webinar here
Office Hours with Flatiron: Interested applicants may meet with Flatiron to discuss their research project.
Application Process
Step 1: Flatiron Nondisclosure Confidentiality Agreement (Denoted "Pre-LOI")
- Due: April 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
- Download the Flatiron confidentiality agreement, sign it, and upload it in ProposalCentral.
- Once the NDA is executed, Flatiron will give applicants access to general information about available Flatiron data sets, data elements, and the data dictionary.
Step 2: Letter of Intent (LOI)
- Due: April 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
LOI Review Process: LOIs will be reviewed for feasibility and fit with the scientific scope of the RFA. Flatiron will provide applicants with a feasibility assessment of their proposed project. Invitation-to-apply decisions will be communicated to applicants via ProposalCentral by May 2026.
Step 3: Full Applications
- Due: July 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
- If the LOI is approved, all required materials and application instructions will be available in ProposalCentral.
Funds Available for Awards: Funds will support up to 2 Real-World Data Impact awards. Awarded institutions will contract with ACS using their individual Terms and Conditions. All awardees will be required to comply with the terms and conditions in the Flatiron nondisclosure confidentiality agreement and the Flatiron data use agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions required for the Grantee's use, receipt and storage of Flatiron licensed data.
Key Dates
Application Deadline: July 1, 2026
Application Peer Review: September 2026
Award Notification: October 2026
Anticipated Grant Start Date: January 1, 2027
If the grant application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, applications will be accepted the following business day.
Program Contact: Joanne Elena, PhD, MPH at joanne.elena@cancer.org
