+ More Filters

Reset Filters

Title

Funding Organization

Funding Type

Eligible Country

Deadline

Other (Select all that apply)

Show Expired Programs

Show Verified Programs

Not Verified

HDF Transformative Research Award

Huntington's Disease Foundation

The HDF Transformative Research Award program developed by the Huntington’s Disease Foundation will make funds available to advance transformational collaborative projects that will provide new insights into disease mechanisms or create or implement tools and technologies not previously applied to Huntington’s disease (HD) research for the advancement of therapeutics.

Description of this Request for Proposals

The program seeks to fund collaborative research teams to create innovative ways to study new pathogenic disease mechanisms and treatment modalities in Huntington’s disease. Funded projects will “significantly move the needle” and provide transformational new insights to the HD field. General areas include but are not limited to: whether modulation of somatic repeat instability is disease modifying, whether and how cellular, biochemical or molecular insights in HD systems are predictive of disease, or how to apply unexplored therapeutics for clinical application (inclusive of biomarkers). Projects that discover disease modifying targets and incorporate novel tools or technologies are encouraged. Projects must justify how results could ultimately connect to therapies.

Objectives: Stimulating Revolutionary Advances

The HDF Transformative Research Award program is intended to stimulate revolutionary advances in discovering fundamental new disease mechanisms or conceptually novel therapeutic approaches. Exceptional novelty with a credible research path toward the envisioned outcome that will impact HD research or HD therapies will be the most important factor in funding decisions. Incremental advances on research already described in the literature are excluded. This funding opportunity is exclusively to develop and test new ideas.

Proposers are expected to establish their own metrics and milestones to measure success and to provide justification for their choice of metrics. Progress metrics must be delineated.

Funding Level: $300,000-500,000

Annual funding can range from $300,000-500,000 per award per year with appropriate justification for up to a two-year period. Funding can be used for principal investigator, co-investigator, staff scientists, postdoctoral researchers and, where applicable, graduate students’ salaries. The HDF follows NIH guidelines for salary and allowable costs. Also allowed are costs for relevant laboratory supplies, open access publication fees, small laboratory equipment, and vivarium expenses. Institutional indirect support will be capped at 15% of direct costs.

Development of collaborative teams from the same or multiple institutions is encouraged as it is anticipated that responsive applications will require integration of expertise from diverse disciplines. Funding will be contracted, managed, and reviewed as a team; nonetheless, teams with PIs from multiple institutions should select one individual to serve as lead PI.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Clear, Direct Relevance to Huntington’s Disease

The strongest predictor across all HD funders is explicit disease focus, including:

Mutant HTT mechanisms

CAG repeat instability

Gene silencing, RNA-targeting, antisense therapies

Biomarkers (fluid/tissue/imaging)

Circuit dysfunction & neurophysiology

Immunomodulation and neuroinflammation

Prodromal/early disease mechanisms

Clinical progression, digital biomarkers

Caregiver burden, quality of life, psychiatric symptoms (for community awards)

❗ Generic neuroscience/degeneration proposals do not score well.

2. Fit to the Correct Grant Mechanism

Most HD foundations have clearly defined funding tracks:

HDSA – Human Biology Project Grants

Human-based HD research only (e.g., patient samples, fibroblasts, iPSCs, clinical datasets).

Strong translational relevance required.

HDSA – Berman–Topper Career Development Fellowship

Highly competitive, early-career faculty award.

Requires outstanding mentorship and a strong career plan.

Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) Grants

Mechanistic biology focused on HTT, pathways, and target discovery.

High innovation, strong fundamental science.

HDYO / HD community grants

Patient- and youth-centered, family impact oriented.

Predictor: Align your project’s scope and career stage with the specific award type.

3. Strong Preliminary Data

Successful HD research proposals typically show:

Pilot data supporting the core hypothesis

Evidence that models or assays already work (iPSC lines, CRISPR, imaging, datasets)

Early results validating biomarkers or mechanistic pathways

Feasibility for human-based work (when applying to HDSA Human Biology Awards)

Predictor: Feasibility is critical, especially for HDSA/HDF.

4. Innovation + Feasible, Near-Term Impact

HD foundations value innovative but realistic impact:

New target identification

New therapeutic modalities

Translational readiness (toward IND/clinical trials)

Novel biomarkers for early detection or stratification

First-in-field mechanistic insights into HTT function or toxicity

Predictor: Innovation that clearly moves toward treating, preventing, or measuring HD.

5. Strong Mentorship & Training Environment (Early-Career Awards)

For HDSA Berman–Topper and similar awards:

Primary mentor must be well-established in HD or neurodegeneration

Regular meetings and defined training schedule

Co-mentors for statistics, molecular biology, or clinical HD expertise

Access to HD patient samples, cohorts, or imaging datasets

Demonstrated departmental commitment (protected time)

Predictor: The strength of mentorship is often a top scoring category.

6. Use of Human-Relevant HD Models or Data

HD foundations strongly favor research that uses:

HD patient samples (blood, CSF, fibroblasts, iPSCs)

Postmortem striatal/cortical tissue

HD cohort data (patients, pre-manifest, at-risk individuals)

Digital biomarker datasets (wearables, cognitive testing, natural history studies)

Humanized HD mouse models (for mechanistic work)

Predictor: Human relevance increases both translational impact and producibility.

7. Clear, Focused Specific Aims & Realistic Timeline

Most HD awards last 1–2 years. Successful applications have:

2–3 tightly defined aims

Realistic scope (not a multi-lab, multi-year R01-scale plan)

Clear milestones and go/no-go points

Risk mitigation strategies (backup models/assays)

Predictor: Clarity + feasibility = competitive score.

8. Collaboration & Data Sharing

HD research is highly collaborative. Strong proposals often include:

Multi-PI or multi-institution teams

Integration with Enroll-HD / HDClarity / imaging networks

Shared protocols, open data, or resource exchange

Alignment with global HD consortia

Predictor: Demonstrated collaboration boosts credibility and impact.

9. High-Quality Writing & Clear Rationale

Top-scoring HD proposals are:

Very clearly written

Strong in rationale linking preliminary data → aims → impact

Free from jargon

Compelling from both mechanistic and translational angles

Predictor: Reviewer-friendly writing matters significantly in these highly competitive programs.

10. Patient & Family Relevance (Community & QoL Grants)

For HD community-oriented grants:

Improving caregiving, mental health, access to resources

Reducing burden on families (financial, psychological, neurological symptoms)

Youth education and empowerment (HDYO-aligned)

Predictor: Demonstrate real, measurable impact for people living with HD.

🏆 Summary Table

Predictor	Why It Matters
HD-specific biology or clinical relevance	Core eligibility for HD foundations
Correct mechanism alignment	Essential for scoring & feasibility
Preliminary data	Primary feasibility indicator
Innovation + translational value	Central review criteria
Strong mentorship	Critical for early-career awards
Human-relevant models	Boosts scientific impact
Collaboration & data-sharing	Highly valued in HD research
Clear, feasible aims	Important for 1–2 year grants
Strong writing	Improves reviewer enthusiasm
Patient-centered relevance	Key for QoL and community awards

Specialties

Clinical Trials

Public Health

Mental Health

Eligibility Requirements

Investigators from academic institutions, companies, national laboratories, nonprofit institutes, and multi-institutional teams are welcome to apply. Partnerships between academia and industry and those bringing scientific expertise from outside the HD field are strongly encouraged.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Huntington's Disease Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 601 West 168th Street, Suite 54 New York, NY 10032 T 212 928 2121 F 212 928 2172 cures@hdfoundation.org

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity