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AFTD Pilot Grants

Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration

AFTD Pilot Grants provide seed funding for novel research in the initial phase of research program development. Pilot Grants aid recipients in generating data that will be the basis for follow-on funding applications to government funders or other public or private agencies.

Well-Being in FTD Pilot Grants – These grants support research to improve the well-being of persons diagnosed, families, and caregivers and to improve access to high-quality diagnosis, care, support, and research participation options. This Pilot Grant category is open to early-career as well as more senior researchers, with preference for applicants that are either early-career and/or embarking on new career directions. You can view the current RFP by clicking the red text above.

Note: AFTD’s previous “Pathways for Hope” Pilot Grant program, funding basic research in FTD, is no longer being offered. AFTD is restructuring our pilot grant portfolio to have a more translational focus, and will alert the research community when a replacement funding opportunity is available.

Award Details

Funding period: 1 year
Amount of award (USD): $110,000
Application of funds: Up to $10,000 of the total award amount can be allocated to indirect costs

Timeline: 2027 Well-Being in FTD Pilot Grants

Applications open: ~August 2026
Application deadline: November 2026
Notification of awards: March 2027
Award start date: April 2027

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct relevance to FTD (highest predictor)

This is the strongest success predictor.

Competitive projects should directly address one or more FTD disorders, including:

Behavioral variant FTD
Primary progressive aphasia
Corticobasal syndrome
Progressive supranuclear palsy
FTD with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Genetic and sporadic forms of FTD

AFTD's research programs aim to improve understanding of FTD biology and disease mechanisms, identify new approaches to diagnosis and treatment, and develop technologies or interventions that support affected people in daily life.

2. Strong scientific significance and potential to advance the FTD field (very high predictor)

The strongest applications address a major unresolved problem in FTD.

Competitive proposals often aim to:

Clarify disease mechanisms
Improve diagnosis
Identify or validate biomarkers
Develop new treatments
Improve clinical-trial readiness
Address important gaps in patient or family well-being

Because FTD is a heterogeneous group of rare disorders, proposals that solve a clear field-wide bottleneck can be particularly compelling.

3. Innovation and ability to open a new research direction (very high predictor)

AFTD's funding portfolio is designed to accelerate progress where important gaps remain.

Strong proposals may involve:

Novel disease mechanisms
New therapeutic targets
Innovative biomarkers
Emerging imaging or digital technologies
Genetic and molecular approaches
New models of disease
Creative interventions for people living with FTD and their care partners

The strongest projects are not merely technically sophisticated; they explain how the work could change what researchers can understand, measure, or treat in FTD.

4. Strong mechanistic rationale (very high predictor for therapeutic programs)

For treatment-focused funding, AFTD places substantial emphasis on biological credibility.

The Treat FTD Fund specifically seeks clinical trials based on biological mechanisms with a sound scientific rationale for FTD. Competitive projects therefore demonstrate:

Strong target rationale
Relevance to FTD biology
Appropriate preclinical evidence
Clear therapeutic hypothesis
A convincing connection between intervention and disease mechanism

This is particularly important for experimental and repurposed therapeutics.

5. Biomarker strategy and measurable biological effects (very high predictor)

Biomarkers are a major current priority in the AFTD research ecosystem.

For clinical trials, the strongest proposals incorporate biomarkers capable of assessing:

Target engagement
Downstream pharmacological effects
Biological response
Disease progression

The separate FTD Diagnostic Biomarkers Initiative further demonstrates the strategic importance AFTD places on developing tools that can improve diagnosis and enable successful therapeutic trials.

6. Rigorous and feasible research design (very high predictor)

Competitive applications should combine ambition with realistic execution.

Strong proposals generally demonstrate:

Clear objectives or hypotheses
Appropriate methodology
Realistic sample size and recruitment
Suitable statistical analysis
Access to required participants, data, samples, or models
Achievable milestones
A credible timeline

Feasibility is especially important in FTD because rare-disease recruitment and disease heterogeneity can create substantial challenges.

7. Trial design appropriate for a rare and heterogeneous disease (very high for clinical programs)

AFTD explicitly recognizes the constraints of conducting clinical research in a rare-disease population.

For the Treat FTD Fund, competitive trials should have designs aligned with those constraints and use outcome measures that deepen understanding of:

Drug mechanism
Disease progression
Treatment response

The strongest clinical applications demonstrate realistic recruitment, careful patient stratification, and efficient use of limited FTD populations.

8. Strong translational potential and pathway toward treatment (high predictor)

AFTD maintains a connected translational funding ecosystem spanning:

Biomarker development
Drug discovery
Preclinical research
Early-stage clinical trials

Its Accelerating Drug Discovery program supports innovative small molecules and biologics, including antibodies, oligonucleotides, peptides, and gene therapies, while the Treat FTD Fund advances promising interventions into early-stage trials.

The strongest translational proposal clearly explains the next development step and what evidence is needed to reach it.

9. Strong investigator potential and commitment to an FTD research career (very high for fellowships)

AFTD invests significantly in developing the next generation of FTD researchers.

Its Holloway Postdoctoral Fellowships are intended to support promising early-career scientists and clinicians capable of shaping the future of FTD research. The current program provides two years of support.

Competitive fellowship candidates typically demonstrate:

Strong scientific promise
Relevant research training
Commitment to FTD
A coherent career trajectory
Potential for future research independence

10. Strong mentorship and research environment (very high for early-career awards)

For postdoctoral and career-development funding, the applicant's environment is crucial.

Strong applications typically demonstrate:

An experienced mentor
Appropriate FTD expertise
Access to specialized methods and resources
A clear training plan
Opportunities to develop scientific independence
A strong collaborative environment

The best fellowship application shows how the award will transform the candidate's development, not merely fund a project.

11. Potential to improve well-being and daily life (high for care-focused pilot grants)

AFTD's portfolio extends beyond laboratory and therapeutic research.

Its Well-Being in FTD Pilot Grants support research relevant to the experiences and needs of people affected by FTD. This means that strong projects may address:

Quality of life
Caregiving
Behavioral symptoms
Communication
Daily functioning
Assistive technologies
Psychosocial support

For these programs, meaningful engagement with people living with FTD and care partners can be especially important.

12. Precise fit with the selected funding mechanism (high and actionable predictor)

AFTD's programs have very different goals:

Holloway Postdoctoral Fellowships: develop promising early-career FTD researchers
FTD Diagnostic Biomarkers Initiative: advance biomarkers that improve diagnosis and therapeutic development
Accelerating Drug Discovery for FTD: advance innovative small-molecule and biologic drug-discovery programs
Treat FTD Fund: support early-stage clinical trials
Well-Being in FTD Pilot Grants: improve understanding and support of the lived experience of FTD

A scientifically strong application can still be less competitive if it is submitted to the wrong mechanism. Precise alignment among the project's maturity, applicant career stage, scientific objective, and selected program is therefore critical.

Specialties

Neurosciences

Eligibility Requirements

All applicants:

Must have a faculty appointment or an equivalent position at a nonprofit/academic research institution.
U.S. and international researchers.
Postdoctoral fellows cannot be Pilot Grant PIs unless they can confirm a faculty appointment beginning by the start of the funding period in April 2027.
Fellows are encouraged to review AFTD’s Holloway Postdoctoral Fellowship or the Clinical Research Training Scholarship AFTD supports in partnership with the American Brain Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology.

Well-Being in FTD Pilot Grants:

Investigators at all career stages are eligible; however, early-career investigators are especially encouraged to apply. These grants are meant to support new ideas or programs – applicants with existing substantial funding in the area of proposed work will likely not be competitive.
Collaborations between senior and early-career investigators are also welcomed.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2700 Horizon Drive, Suite 120 King of Prussia, PA 19406

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