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Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust – Falk Catalyst Awards

Health Resources in Action

The Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust was created by Marian Falk in 1979 to support biomedical research. Mrs. Falk sought to fund “medical research to improve treatments of the past and eventually find cures for diseases for which no definite cure is known.” 

Bank of America, N.A., serves as Trustee for the Falk Medical Research Trust. Health Resources in Action is pleased to manage the grantmaking for both the Falk Catalyst and Transformational Programs on behalf of Bank of America.

Program Focus: The Catalyst Research Award Program provides up to $350,000 in seed funding over one to two years, to support high-risk, high-reward translational research that addresses critical scientific and therapeutic roadblocks and can be transferred to clinical practice in the near term. If successful, these projects will have high impact outcomes that open new avenues for treating, curing, and improving the lives of individuals suffering from disease.

Projects must be responsive to the following areas of research focus:

1. Identification of biological markers of disease activity and progression,
2. Identification of targets for therapeutic interventions, and
3. Development of therapeutic agents that will disrupt, arrest, or prevent the disease process.

The award supports planning and development of projects, teams, tools, techniques, and management necessary to lay the foundation and apply for a subsequent two to three year $1,000,000 Transformational Award.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong alignment with public-health or biomedical priorities

The most competitive applications directly address:

health equity,
community health improvement,
prevention,
translational biomedical research,
implementation science,
health disparities,
population health,
behavioral health,
healthcare access.

HRiA administers both biomedical and community-health funding programs with strong impact orientation.

2. Clear community or patient impact

One of the strongest predictors of success is:

measurable health improvement,
practical implementation potential,
reduction of disparities,
improved healthcare access,
actionable outcomes,
policy or systems-change relevance.

HRiA’s mission strongly centers on improving health outcomes and reducing inequities.

3. Strong health-equity focus

Competitive applications often include:

underserved populations,
racial/ethnic health disparities,
community-centered design,
equitable implementation strategies,
stakeholder engagement,
culturally responsive interventions.

Health equity is a recurring theme across HRiA-administered programs.

4. Strong implementation feasibility

Successful proposals usually demonstrate:

realistic timelines,
achievable milestones,
operational readiness,
community partnerships,
scalable interventions,
clear dissemination pathways.

Projects with strong real-world implementation plans tend to score highly.

5. Collaborative and multidisciplinary partnerships

High-scoring projects frequently involve:

academic researchers,
community organizations,
public-health agencies,
healthcare systems,
nonprofit partners,
patient/community stakeholders.

HRiA programs often prioritize collaborative health ecosystems and community engagement.

6. Strong methodological rigor

Competitive proposals generally demonstrate:

robust study design,
validated outcome measures,
realistic recruitment plans,
strong statistical analysis,
implementation-science methods,
reproducibility.

Weak methodology remains a major reviewer concern even in community-oriented programs.

7. Preliminary data or demonstrated community need

Applications with:

pilot studies,
local health data,
community assessments,
feasibility evidence,
prior implementation experience,
stakeholder input

typically receive stronger reviewer confidence.

8. Innovation balanced with practicality

Successful projects often combine:

innovative public-health approaches,
digital health tools,
policy interventions,
implementation science,
translational biomedical innovation

with realistic execution plans and sustainability.

9. Strong organizational or investigator capacity

Reviewers favor applicants with:

demonstrated project-management ability,
prior grant experience,
community trust,
institutional infrastructure,
experienced leadership teams.

Capacity to successfully execute projects is heavily weighted.

10. Potential for sustainable long-term impact

Competitive applications are often those likely to:

influence public-health practice,
generate scalable models,
attract larger federal/foundation funding,
improve systems of care,
create durable health improvements.

HRiA-managed programs frequently prioritize catalytic and sustainable impact.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Frequent reviewer concerns include:

weak community engagement,
insufficient feasibility,
unclear measurable outcomes,
limited health-equity relevance,
poor implementation planning,
weak partnerships,
unrealistic scope,
inadequate methodological detail.

Specialties

Public Health

Eligibility Requirements

Translational research projects must be nominated by invited Institutions (maximum 2 per institution) and conducted by an investigative team including an administrative lead based at the nominating institution.

• The administrative lead applicant (Principal Investigator) must hold a full-time faculty appointment at the nominating institution. The nominating institution must be where the lead applicant’s research will be conducted and must be the primary funding recipient if the application is awarded.

• PIs and multi-PIs must be independent investigator(s) with demonstrated institutional support and the specialized space and facilities needed to conduct the proposed research.

• Applicants and key personnel may not have funding support for a similar project.

• At the time of application, the lead applicant must not currently hold an award from the Catalyst or Transformational programs. Former awardees may apply, but only with a new project that is not related to their previous Falk Catalyst or Transformational award.

• United States citizenship is not required; visa documentation is not required.

• Each PI may only submit one application.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Health Resources in Action

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2 Boylston St, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02116

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