RFA: Cancer Health Research Centers
Accepted Applications
Summer Cycles: New, renewal, and resubmitted applications will be accepted
Winter Cycles: Only resubmissions of previously reviewed applications, including renewals, will be accepted; no new applications accepted.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Summer Cycle
LOIs Materials Available: December
LOIs Due: February 9
Application Materials Available: March
Applications Due: June 1
Peer Review: September
Anticipated Start: April 1
Winter Cycle
LOI Materials Available: Not applicable
LOIs Due: Not applicable
Application Materials Available: September
Applications Due: December 1
Peer Review: March
Anticipated Start: October 1
Informational Webinar to Learn More:
Interested investigators may attend an informational webinar to learn more about this funding opportunity and the application process. There will be ample time to ask questions.
When: January 14, 2026, 1 - 2 PM ET
Purpose
As part of the American Cancer Society (ACS) mission to promote fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer, we have created the Cancer Health Research Center (CHERC) program. CHERCs are designed to address cancer health disparities that affect local or regional communities. Priority will be given to Centers that focus on actionable, solution-based research designed to improve the health of the community and advance our goals for achieving health equity and reducing cancer mortality.
Background
Societal conditions where people are born, grow up, live, work, worship, and age, have a profound effect on their health, access to cancer care, and ability to carry out care recommendations. Health outcomes are impacted by intersecting factors of wealth, education, employment, geography, language, neighborhood, health systems, insurance coverage, and access to care. There remains a critical need for research that seeks to better understand the context surrounding these health disparities, values community input, and proposes and tests viable solutions.
Scientific Scope
Successful applications will propose well-designed research projects poised to make an impact on their local community within the framework of a coordinated center approach that's focused on demonstrated health inequities.
Projects may span the cancer continuum and include health promotion, cancer prevention, screening, treatment, access to care, care delivery, and/or survivorship. Community engagement is vital for successful implementation and should be central to the development of the CHERC.
The description of the CHERC should clearly present the center's overall scientific agenda, magnitude of the health inequity(ies) being addressed, thematic connection to the presented research, and how the CHERC achieves more as a unit, rather than conducted independently.
There are many examples of health disparities affecting the population in the United States. ACS has identified the following priority areas (additional topics may be considered with appropriate justification by the applicant):
- Rural Communities/Access to Health
- Early Onset Cancers
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities - Asian, Hispanic, Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
- Immigrant Populations
- Sexual/Gender Minorities
- Age-specific Needs (pediatrics, adolescent/young adults, older adults)
- Environmental Justice (radon, climate change)
- Physical and Mental Disabilities
This RFA is a call for solution-based research addressing cancer health disparities that will enable fair and just opportunities to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer for everyone. Applicants should clearly demonstrate their ability to reach populations of interest and describe how the proposed methodologies will produce meaningful results.
In support of its overall mission, the CHERC should include a Supportive Core that is managed and coordinated by the Principal Investigator (PI). The Supportive Core should include operational and scientific activities designed to develop, promote, and enhance the scientific agenda of the CHERC, creating an optimal environment to address health equity research. Acceptable activities may include developing commonly used methods and tools, sharing resources, collaborations, facilitating relevant mentoring and training, pilot projects, community engagement, and disseminating research findings. Proposed evaluation metrics to monitor the progress and successes of the Core should be included in the application.
Eligibility
All applicants must be independent researchers at eligible US academic institutions or non-profits. Applicants from underrepresented groups and from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are encouraged to apply. Previous CHERC awardees may submit applications for competitive renewals of the CHERC Supportive Core only. The Center's PI must have a strong track record of addressing cancer health disparities as evidenced by extramural cancer research funding, mentoring junior investigators, publications in peer-reviewed journals, and administrative/leadership experience.
Project Budget and Subaward Mechanism(s)
New awards support a total budget of $1.65 M ($1.5 M direct costs plus 10% indirect costs) for a 4-year project period to include one research subaward and CHERC Supportive Core activities. There is no designated budget cap for the CHERC Supportive Core, but all activities must be fully described in the budget justification.
Research subawards include the following ACS research grant mechanisms:
Clinician Scientist Development Grants (CSDGs) provide support for protected time to allow faculty who are involved with patient care to be mentored and participate in research training to aid their development as independent clinician scientists. Faculty already serving as PI of an independent research program may not apply for a CSDG. Applicants serving as the PI (current or former) of independent extramural research grants that are more than 1 year duration AND more than $100k total direct costs, including multi-PI awards, are not eligible to apply. CSDG applicants can propose 3-, 4-, or 5-year projects, at $135,000 direct costs per year and 8% indirect costs.
Research Scholar Grants (RSGs) provide support to independent, self-directed researchers for 4 years at $215,000 per year direct costs and 10% indirect costs. To be eligible, RSG subaward PIs must have a full-time faculty position and a doctoral degree. For this RFA, faculty may have any rank.
Note: As of 2025, individual postdoctoral fellowships are no longer included as part of this award, but postdocs are encouraged to apply through our standard PF mechanism.
Postdoctoral fellows may be included in the Center or the subaward budgets as personnel.
The structure and funding of the CHERC program have changed.
- ACS will commit $1.65 M over a 4-year award period for new CHERC awards, which includes the budget for the CHERC Supportive Core.
- Related subawards with direct alignment to the stated goals of the active CHERC grants may be submitted independently in subsequent submission cycles. These subawards will be reviewed as individual applications in the CHERC peer review committee.
- ACS will commit up to $500k total direct costs for the initial renewal for the CHERC Supportive Core. Subsequent renewals are limited to $250k total direct costs over a 4-year term. Applicants are encouraged to consider sustainability at the inception of the CHERC and should aim to be self-sustaining after the first renewal.
Letter-of-Intent Process
Summer application cycle: A letter-of-intent (LOI) process is required for selecting investigators to submit a full application. LOIs are only required for new submissions. See the LOI Instructions for required information.
Applicants and the research team are strongly encouraged to discuss their application with the program office prior to submitting an LOI.
Winter application cycle: Only resubmitted CHERC applications will be accepted. Therefore, the LOI process is not applicable.
Expectations for Full Applications
Summer application cycle: If the LOI is approved, the CHERC PI will be given access to the application materials for the Center application. The program office will give the subaward PI of an approved CHERC LOI access to the application materials in ProposalCentral.
Winter application cycle: The Program Office will give all PIs (Center and subaward applications) access to the application materials in ProposalCentral.
Required application components for the CHERC and the subawards can be found in the CHERC Instructions document. Updates to the CHERC policies and application instructions are currently in progress and the documents will be available approximately 3 months before the next application deadline.
Application Review
An independent and competitive peer review of all grant applications will be conducted. Reviewers will evaluate proposals based on the relevance to cancer health equity, scientific rigor, investigator team and environment, innovation, and the potential impact on the local community.
Summer application deadline: June 1
Winter application deadline: December 1
If the grant application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, applications will be accepted the following business day.
Program Contact:
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Joanne Elena at joanne.elena@cancer.org or Dr. Allana Roach at allana.roach@cancer.org.
