The purpose of this funding mechanism is to aid investigators by supporting publication costs for CARRA related manuscripts that have been accepted for publication for CARRA-AF grants awarded prior to the 2025 grant year, CARRA and Committee or workgroup research. Up to six grants will be awarded. Awards can be up to $3,000 based on the justification provided. Applications not adhering to requirements will not be considered for funding. Indirect costs are not allowed. All manuscripts must be reviewed/approved by the CARRA Publications Committee.
Awardee Expectations/Reporting Requirements
• Awardees must sign and obtain an institutional signature and return the Award Acceptance Acknowledgement form to CARRA in order for project funds to be released.
• Awardees will need to provide their institution’s W-9 in order for funds to be released.
• All awardees of CARRA funding must abide by the procedures outlined in the CARRA Publications Policy when presenting/publishing findings from their projects, including acknowledgment of CARRA and the Arthritis Foundation. Refer to the current Publications Policy on the CARRA website for complete details.
• Awardees are expected to submit a PDF version of their final published manuscript to grants@carragroup.org
• Awardees must provide a photo for CARRA publication and communication purposes.
1. Strong Fit to Pediatric Rheumatology / Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases
Projects must clearly address a pediatric rheumatic disease (e.g., JIA, systemic lupus in children, juvenile dermatomyositis, uveitis associated with JIA).
Because CARRA is designed around children’s disease, proposals that are largely adult-disease focused or without pediatric relevance are at risk of being scored lower.
Predictor: Your application should explicitly specify a pediatric rheumatology disease or population, and show relevance to children/families.
2. Use or Leverage of CARRA Infrastructure or Collaborative Model
CARRA has a strong emphasis on multi-site, multi-investigator collaborative research and registry/biobank usage. For example: “Supports research that utilizes the CARRA Registry and/or biorepository …” in one of their grant types. rheumresearch.org+1
Using the registry allows for larger, more representative samples in pediatric rheumatology.
Predictor: Proposals that leverage the CARRA registry, network or multi-centre collaborations often do better (feasibility, scale, impact).
3. Appropriate Grant Mechanism for Your Career Stage & Project Scope
CARRA offers a variety of award types: small “Fellows” grants for trainees (~US $25,000 for 1 year) rheumresearch.org; “Small Grant” (~$50K/1 year) rheumresearch.org; “Pilot JIA Translational Research Grant” (~$175K/2 years) rheumresearch.org; “Mentored Career Development Award” (~$375K/3 years) for early investigators. rheumresearch.org
Matching your career level (fellow, early faculty, independent investigator) to the mechanism is critical.
Predictor: Choose the CARRA award that matches your current role, research maturity, and budget needs.
4. Feasibility with Milestones and Realistic Plan
Given the network and multi-site nature of CARRA’s work, reviewers will look for: clear aims, realistic timelines, mechanisms for recruitment/enrolment (especially using the registry), defined endpoints, risk mitigation.
For example, small grants were awarded for retrospective registry cohort studies (see 2019 Childhood Research Grants example). arthritis.org
Predictor: Applications that include a detailed, realistic plan with milestones and show that the project can be completed within the grant period score better.
5. Innovation & Translational Relevance
While feasibility is key, the strongest applications also propose something novel or impactful: e.g., a new biomarker in JIA, translational use of registry data to inform treatment decisions, a pilot multi-centre intervention.
For example, one funded project in 2019: using the CARRA registry to study “biologic discontinuation in systemic JIA and predictors of flare.” arthritis.org
Predictor: Proposals that address an important gap in pediatric rheumatology, promise to influence care, or use new methods are more competitive.
6. Demonstrated Commitment to Pediatric Rheumatology Research Career
Early investigators applying for career-development awards should demonstrate that they are committed to a research career in pediatric rheumatology, have relevant training, and have mentorship/institutional support.
Network models like CARRA emphasise building the pipeline of pediatric rheumatology investigators. The Rheumatologist
Predictor: Showing career trajectory, mentorship, and institutional backing improves success odds.
7. Strong Collaboration & Team Approach
Since CARRA functions via collaborative mechanisms, having co-investigators from different centres, multi-disciplinary teams (clinician, biostatistician, registry specialist) supports credibility.
Multi-site studies align well with their mission to generate generalizable pediatric rheumatology data.
Predictor: A multi‐centre, collaborative team increases competitiveness.
8. Clear Impact on Patients/Families & Child-Centered Outcomes
Because CARRA’s mission emphasises improving outcomes for children and families with rheumatic disease, proposals that articulate patient/family relevance, child‐friendly endpoints, or quality‐of‐life aspects add value.
The 2024 survey via CARRA’s JA INSIGHTS (pain burden in juvenile arthritis) is one example of child-centred research using CARRA infrastructure. BioMed Central
Predictor: Proposals that highlight child/family impact, patient-centred outcomes or real‐world relevance are stronger.
9. Budget and Grant Duration Appropriate for Scope
Respect the stated maximum award amounts and durations in each RFP (e.g., 1-year fellows grant, up to US $25K; small grant 1 year at US $50K; pilot research 2 years at US $175K). rheumresearch.org
Predictor: A budget that is aligned with the grant's allowed maximum, and avoids over‐scope, resonates better.
10. Clear Writing & Logical Structure
As with any competitive grant, clarity, good writing, clear hypotheses, well‐structured aims, and justification of methods matter enormously.
Predictor: Applications that are well‐written, clearly justified, readily understood by reviewers tend to succeed.
| Grant Type | Audience | Key Success Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Fellows Grant (~US $25K/1yr) | Trainees/fellows | Feasible pilot, mentorship emphasized |
| Small Grant (~US $50K/1yr) | Early‐stage investigator | Single centre or registry retrospective study |
| Pilot JIA Translational Research (~US $175K/2yrs) | Early investigators targeting JIA | Multi‐centre, translational, registry‐leveraged |
| Mentored Career Development (~US $375K/3yrs) | Early independent investigators | Career development plan + pediatric rheumatology focus |
Engage with the CARRA network early: attend meetings, collaborate with CARRA committees, understand the registry and its strengths.
Leverage the CARRA Registry or biorepository: if feasible, build your project around existing infrastructure.
Design a child‐fibred, pediatric rheumatology project: articulate why children matter and how your research improves pediatric care.
Assemble a strong mentorship and team environment: especially if you are early‐career.
Be realistic: match scope to grant size and duration.
Write clearly: define specific aims, milestones, endpoints; articulate innovation; show plan for next steps and future funding.
• The project PI must be a current CARRA member in good standing who is up-to-date on both membership dues and membership information (location, contact information, and membership status). CARRA Board of Directors and Executive Committee members are not eligible to apply.
• The investigator must have documentation of acceptance for publication by a reputable and indexed academic journal.
• The manuscript must be related to CARRA-AF grants awarded prior to 2025, or CARRA committee work
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: 1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036
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Dec 31, 2025
Dec 31, 2025
$3,000
3 awards available.
Affiliation: Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance
Address: 1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20036
Website URL: https://carragroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025-Publication-Support-Grant-RFA.pdf
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