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Independent Research Awards

Children's Heart Foundation

The Children's Heart Foundation's Independent Research Awards will fund up to $150,000 per year for two (2) years.

2026 Process and Schedule

Researchers seeking funding for any RFA must submit an initial Letter of Intent (LOI). The Children’s Heart Foundation made this change to reduce the initial time and effort required by applicants, their collaborators, and administrative research staff to apply for funding. The deadline to submit LOIs is May 20, 2026. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application no later than June 12, 2026.

Timeline:

April 10, 2026 – Call for Research Proposals opens
May 20, 2026 – Letter of Intent due by 5:00 pm CDT
June 12, 2026 – Applicants notified as to whether or not they may submit a full application
September 9, 2026 – Full Application (invite only) due by 5:00 pm CDT
December 14, 2026 – Applicants notified as to a decision regarding funding
January 2027 – Funds released for awardees

Funding Limitations

No single project may receive more than $150,000 in funds during any calendar year for CHF’s Independent Research Award. Current award recipients must wait one year (12 calendar months) before submitting a new proposal.

The recipient of any grant from The Children’s Heart Foundation must use the funds awarded for the specific purpose as originally intended and outlined in their application. The Children’s Heart Foundation requires that a detailed accounting of all funds—along with a follow-up progress report—be submitted no more than one year from the date of the award (see below). Any funds not used in the manner specified must be returned to The Children’s Heart Foundation. If funding for the same project is secured through another agency, funds must be returned to The Children’s Heart Foundation upon receipt of funds from the other agency. Requests for The Children’s Heart Foundation funding should be submitted prior to securing commercial investment or support.

General Details:

The Children’s Heart Foundation issues one call for proposals per year
Applications are accepted from beyond the United States.
English is the only language to be used.
Only complete documents will be reviewed.
Incomplete documents will not be considered.
Once the application is complete, please submit using The Children’s Heart Foundation online portal: https://proposalcentral.com/GrantOpportunities.asp?GMID=273
Do not attach an appendix to the application. Appendices will not be considered.

Application Instructions

Applications should include all items listed under “Specific Instructions.”

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🔑 1. Direct Focus on Congenital Heart Disease (Non-Negotiable)

CHF funds research specifically on:
- Congenital heart defects (CHD) and related conditions
Includes:
- Structural defects
- Pediatric cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, transplant

👉 Non-CHD or acquired heart disease proposals are typically not considered

🎯 2. Clear Patient Impact (Most Decisive Predictor)

The foundation explicitly prioritizes research that:
- Directly improves patient outcomes across the lifespan
- Advances diagnosis, treatment, or prevention

👉 Key evaluation question:
“Will this meaningfully improve outcomes for CHD patients?”

🔄 3. Clinical & Translational Focus (Critical)

Highest success rates for:
- Clinical cardiology studies
- Surgical/interventional innovations
- Translational research

👉 Basic science alone is less competitive unless tied to application

🧪 4. Strong Relevance to Clinical Cardiology Practice

Funded research often includes:

Surgical techniques
Catheter-based interventions
Devices and procedural innovations

👉 Practical applicability in real care settings is highly valued

🌍 5. Broad or Transformational Impact

CHF prefers projects that:
- Impact large CHD populations
- OR provide transformational breakthroughs

👉 Even small-population projects can succeed if impact is high

🧬 6. Priority Research Domains

Higher success rates in areas such as:

Genetics & developmental biology
Fetal diagnosis/intervention
Neurodevelopmental outcomes
Lifelong CHD care
Medical devices and technology

👉 Alignment with these domains improves competitiveness

🤝 7. Collaboration & Multidisciplinary Teams

Encouraged involvement of:
- Cardiologists
- Surgeons
- Geneticists
- Data scientists

👉 Team science increases feasibility and impact

🧠 8. Inclusion of Health Disparities & Real-World Issues

CHF explicitly welcomes:
- Research on health disparities
- Quality improvement and access to care

👉 Equity-focused research is increasingly important

⚖️ 9. Feasible, Well-Structured Study Design

Clear:
- Aims
- Methods
- Timeline
Typical grant:
- ~$300K over ~2 years

👉 Overly ambitious proposals are often rejected

👩‍🔬 10. Investigator Capability & Independence

PI must demonstrate:
- Ability to execute clinical/translational research
Open to:
- Multidisciplinary applicants (not just cardiologists)

👉 Execution capacity is a key reviewer concern

📊 What Actually Wins (Practical Ranking)

🔥 Decisive factors:

CHD-specific focus
Patient-centered impact
Clinical/translational relevance

⚖️ Major differentiators:

Alignment with priority domains
Broad or transformative impact
Collaboration

📌 Supporting factors:

Feasibility
Investigator strength
Health equity relevance

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to other cardiovascular funders:

Children's Heart Foundation is:
👉 highly disease-specific (CHD only)
👉 clinically driven + impact-focused

👉 Winning formula:
Clinical relevance + clear patient benefit + feasible translational plan

Specialties

Cardiovascular Diseases

Pediatrics

Eligibility Requirements

The Children’s Heart Foundation issues one call for proposals per year
Applications are accepted from beyond the United States.
English is the only language to be used.
Only complete documents will be reviewed.
Incomplete documents will not be considered.
Once the application is complete, please submit using The Children’s Heart Foundation online portal: https://proposalcentral.com/GrantOpportunities.asp?GMID=273
Do not attach an appendix to the application. Appendices will not be considered.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Children's Heart Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 5 Revere Drive One Northbrook Place Suite 200 Northbrook, IL 60062-1500 Phone 847-634-6474 info@childrensheartfoundation.org

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