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Medical Research

The Trust awards grants for basic medical research primarily related to heart disease, cancer, and AIDS. Funding is limited to nonprofit institutions such as universities, hospitals, and research centers located in the five-county Greater Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) or the City of Camden, NJ. Scientists and research faculty with appointments at the aforementioned institutions are encouraged to apply through their associated institution. The Trust identifies and funds research projects that are unique and meritorious. We invest in promising researchers having the potential to attract larger-scale awards (e.g., NIH, NSF, AHA) subsequent to Trust support. Research proposals are peer reviewed by a medical advisory committee comprised of prominent scientists at institutions located outside our geographic funding area. These reviews help guide Trust funding towards projects capable of having a direct influence upon the fight against heart disease, cancer, and AIDS.

 
APPLICATION DEADLINE
July 15 by 11:59 p.m. EST

 
DECISION & NOTIFICATION
Fall Trustee Meeting (October / November). Application status notifications are typically communicated by December 1st.

  • 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organizations are eligible to apply.
  • Applications must be for the work of individual investigators and not for the general work of research centers.
  • The organization must be located in the five-county Greater Philadelphia region(Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) or the City of Camden, NJ.
  • Each organization may submit no more than one (1) grant application for each discipline – Heart Disease, Cancer, AIDS. It is up to each organization to conduct an internal selection process to determine the one (1) principal investigator / research project to represent the institution for each discipline.
  • A maximum of one (1) proposal per parent organization may be submitted in each granting category (i.e. Heart Disease, Cancer, or AIDS) regardless of the number of EINs available under the organization.
  • Copies of all published material relevant to a proposed research project must be made available to the Trust both before and after a grant is made.
  • Funds must be used for basic medical research in the areas of Heart Disease, Cancer, or AIDS.
  • Applications must be for the work of individual investigators and not for the general work of research centers.
  • Grants are awarded for a one (1) year term.
  • Awards typically range from $100,000 – $125,000 (including 10% indirect costs). For example, a $125,000 grant would consist of $113,636 direct costs and $11,364 indirect costs.
  • Direct costs may include salaries, travel, equipment, and supplies directly benefiting the grant-supported project.
  • Limit budget to costs that can be directly assigned to the research project relatively easily and with a high degree of accuracy.
  • Note: No funds will be awarded solely for equipment.
  • Applications must be submitted online through the Trust’s portal. Note: The Trust no longer accepts hard copy or emailed applications.

Click here to download a PDF preview of the Medical Research application, including guidelines, eligibility criteria, and allowable uses of grant funds.

  • Applications must be submitted through the Trust’s online application portal. The Trust no longer accepts hard copy or emailed applications.
  • Click Apply to access our online portal.
  • If you are a new applicant organization, you can register for an account.
  • If you are a recent applicant or grantee, you can login your existing account to begin a new application.
  • If you think that you or someone else in your organization may have previusly applied to W. W. Smith, please do not create a new account. Instead, email us at info@wwsmithcharitabletrust.org, and we will verify your organization’s application history with the Trust and ensure that you have updated login credentials.

medical research Grantee Spotlights

Saint Joseph’s University

Cancer Research: Dr. Bela Peethambaran, PhD

The Wistar Institute

AIDS Research: Ian Tietjen, PhD

Temple University

Heart Disease Research: Jillian N. Simon, PhD

Fox Chase Cancer Center

Cancer Research: Amy Whitaker, PhD