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Grants Program

The Cure Starts Now

The Cure Starts Now has funded basic, translational and clinical trials that further efforts in a homerun cure strategy for all cancers, starting with pediatric brain cancer. Our core initiatives focus on diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), diffuse midline glioma (DMG) and Medulloblastoma – though we have a history of funding other pediatric brain tumor research that contributes to our mission. Our research is international and impactful, covering 129 institutions in 29 countries worldwide. While the majority of our research focuses on $100,000 USD and $200,000 USD initiatives, we have funded projects as large as under $5 million USD (with special approval). We have also funded projects both with institutions and industry, provided that they meet grant requirements.

In an effort to balance innovation with transparency, we utilize the SnapGrant research application platform. SnapGrant currently offers free unlimited postings for The Cure Starts Now Foundation's affiliated grant applications. These applications will be proprietary to The Cure Starts Now affiliated funders. If The Cure Starts Now Foundation declines funding your affiliated grant, it will be automatically released to public (non-affiliated) users of SnapGrant in a limited-view format with permission-based access that you approve on a case-by-case basis for potential funding (unless you elect to opt out during the application process).

Homerun Grant

This one of The Cure Starts Now’s (TCSN) classic grants that funds translational, clinical, basic, and delivery research projects through either TCSN or the DIPG/DMG Collaborative, depending on funding availability and grant concentration. Awards are limited to $100,000 USD, with increased allowances of up to $200,000 USD available to researchers from hospitals actively contributing to the International DIPG/DMG Registry (IDIPGR) or the SIOPe DIPG/DMG Registry. Designed as a broad, universal funding opportunity, the Homerun Grant is open to industry partners and international applicants. The annual submission deadline is June 1, with initial notifications of award decisions or requests for additional information issued no later than October 15.

Open for Submissions Until June 1, 2026

BFG Project

The BFG (Big Fat Grant) offered by The Cure Starts Now (TCSN) and select partners and is designed to support large-scale projects with multi-year goals and a “think big” philosophy. This grant is intended for more involved initiatives and may provide up to $1,000,000 USD, distributed in incremental annual payments over a four-year period based on the funding request outlined in the grant application and recommendations from the Medical Advisory Council (MAC) Chairperson. BFG awards are expected to be collaborative in nature and will typically involve multiple institutions. Proposed projects should be be translational or clinical studies that demonstrate a high degree of innovation and the potential for significant impact on disease outcomes. BFG applications will only be considered from institutions and hospitals that are current contributing members of the International DIPG/DMG Registry (IDIPGR) or the SIOPe DIPG/DMG Registry, unless a pre-approved waiver has been granted by the CEO of TCSN. International applicants are eligible to apply. Applicants must agree to the Intellectual Property Policy.

Open for Submissions Until June 01, 2026

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted by the principal investigator (PI) or lead researcher requesting funding. While administrative or institutional support may assist with preparation, the applicant of record must be the PI
Applications must be submitted as a researcher account within the snapgrant.com system
All applications must be assigned the "The Cure Starts Now" affiliation prior to submission in SnapGrant
Applications must be submitted by the deadline specified for each individual grant opportunity. Some grants may accept submissions year-round and be awarded off-cycle as budget allows; however, formal review may be limited to applications received by the published deadline.

REQUIREMENTS

Single spaced
In English

Additional grant-specific requirements may apply; applicants should refer to the individual grant description for full details.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🧠 1. Strong Focus on Pediatric Brain Tumors/DIPG (Non-Negotiable)

Projects must directly address:
- DIPG/DMG (Diffuse Midline Glioma) or pediatric brain tumors

Common areas:

DIPG biology
Pediatric glioma therapeutics
Tumor microenvironment
Pediatric neuro-oncology

👉 General oncology projects without pediatric brain tumor relevance → low success probability

🎯 2. Clear Translational & Therapeutic Potential (Top Predictor)

The Cure Starts Now strongly prioritizes:
- Research leading toward:
  - New therapies
  - Clinical trials
  - Survival improvement
  - Faster translation to patients

👉 Key question:
“Will this accelerate effective treatment for children with DIPG/pediatric brain tumors?”

🔄 3. Precision Medicine & Molecular Oncology Relevance (Critical)

One of the strongest recurring themes:

H3K27M biology
Molecular profiling
Epigenetics
Precision oncology
Targeted therapeutics

👉 Mechanistically strong precision medicine approaches are highly favored.

💊 4. Therapeutic Development & Drug Discovery (Major Differentiator)

High-success projects often involve:

Novel therapeutics
Drug repurposing
Combination therapy
Immunotherapy
Delivery systems crossing the blood-brain barrier

👉 Therapy-oriented translational proposals score especially highly.

🧪 5. Feasible Translational Study Design

Competitive projects demonstrate:
- Realistic milestones
- Preclinical-to-clinical pathway
- Achievable timelines
- Strong experimental systems

👉 Feasibility is critical because of the urgency of DIPG research.

👩‍🔬 6. Strong Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Expertise

Successful investigators usually have:

Expertise in:
- Pediatric neuro-oncology
- Brain tumor biology
- Neuroscience
- Translational oncology

👉 Specialized pediatric CNS tumor expertise is a major advantage.

🤝 7. Collaborative & Consortium-Based Research

The pediatric brain tumor field is highly collaborative:

Strong proposals often involve:
- Multi-institutional collaboration
- Tumor consortia
- Shared biospecimen networks

👉 Collaboration significantly improves competitiveness.

🚀 8. Innovation in Brain Tumor Therapeutics

High-priority innovation areas include:

CAR-T and immunotherapy
Epigenetic therapies
AI-driven drug discovery
Nanoparticle delivery
Focused ultrasound/drug delivery

👉 Innovation must still show realistic translational pathways.

📊 9. Biomarker & Disease Monitoring Development

Increasingly competitive areas include:

Imaging biomarkers
Liquid biopsy/ctDNA
Response prediction
Tumor evolution monitoring

👉 Clinical trial–enabling biomarker research is highly valued.

🌍 10. Patient-Centered & Survival-Focused Outcomes

Strong emphasis on:
- Survival extension
- Neurologic function
- Quality of life
- Reduced treatment toxicity

👉 Patient-centered pediatric outcomes improve competitiveness.

👶 11. Pediatric-Specific Therapeutic Considerations

Competitive studies often address:

Developmental neurotoxicity
Pediatric dosing
CNS penetration
Long-term survivorship issues

👉 Pediatric specificity matters greatly.

📈 12. Potential for Clinical Trial Advancement & Future Funding

Funding often serves as:
- Seed support for:
  - NIH grants
  - multicenter trials
  - pharmaceutical partnerships

👉 Clear clinical trial trajectory strengthens proposals.

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

🔥 Highest impact factors:

DIPG/pediatric brain tumor focus
Translational therapeutic relevance
Precision medicine/molecular oncology integration

⚖️ Major differentiators:

Therapeutic development potential
Pediatric neuro-oncology expertise
Collaborative research infrastructure

📌 Supporting factors:

Feasible translational pathway
Biomarker development
Innovation in CNS therapeutics
Clinical trial scalability

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to NIH or general cancer funders:

The Cure Starts Now is:
👉 intensely focused on:
- rapid translational progress
- pediatric brain tumor therapeutics
- collaborative precision oncology
- clinically actionable research

👉 Winning formula:
Pediatric brain tumor translational project + strong molecular rationale + therapeutic development pathway + realistic clinical impact

✔️ What wins:

DIPG/DMG targeted therapy research
Epigenetic and molecular oncology studies
Immunotherapy and drug delivery innovation
Biomarker and clinical trial–enabling research
Collaborative pediatric neuro-oncology projects

❌ What struggles:

Non-pediatric oncology research
Pure descriptive/basic science
Weak translational relevance
Unrealistic preclinical-to-clinical timelines

Specialties

Cancer

Oncology

Neurosciences

Pediatrics

Eligibility Requirements

Must hold an MD, DO, PhD, DrPH. or equivalent degree
Must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or a recognized medical or scientific organization
Must be in good standing with TCSN, including being up to date on all required progress report submissions for any prior TCSN funding

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: The Cure Starts Now

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 10280 Chester Road, Cincinnati, OH 45215

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