The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer and donor powered charity committed to supporting the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives.
It started with a friendly dare: would you shave your head to raise money for kids’ cancer research? What happened next would change the world. This bold act of baldness has gained major momentum, since its start in 2000. Today, we have more than 1,000 head-shaving events taking place around the world at pubs, restaurants, schools, churches, parks, firehouses, military bases – you name it. It is our constituents’ way of changing the world, in a meaningful way. Volunteers also raise funds through athletic challenges, livestream fundraisers and many other activities.
Since the Foundation's first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick's has invested more than $368 million in childhood cancer research grants worldwide. It’s about collaboration. It’s about powerful ideas, big and small. It’s about never giving up until we have cures for all kids with cancers.
FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation works hard to be sure that every dollar makes the biggest impact possible in childhood cancer research. The Foundation is proud to have received the National Cancer Institute Peer Review Funder designation for selection of grants. The Foundation has held several Research Priorities Summits with many of the country’s leading pediatric oncology researchers participating to advise the staff and board of directors on funding priorities. The St. Baldrick’s team and scientific advisors meet regularly to be sure St. Baldrick’s funds make the greatest impact on pediatric cancer research.
Current funding priorities are divided into four categories:
• New discovery research
• Translational research and early phase clinical trials
• Phase III clinical trials & infrastructure support of participating institutions (primarily the fall grant cycle)
• Education of new pediatric oncology researchers
In addition to research to understand the biology of childhood cancers and discover leads to more effective treatments, topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Adolescents & young adults
• Survivorship, outcomes, and quality of life
• Supportive care
• Epidemiology and pediatric cancer predispositions
• Precision medicine
• Alternative & complementary therapies
The top predictor is that the project specifically benefits pediatric/AYA cancer patients, including:
Leukemias (ALL, AML)
Brain & CNS tumors (medulloblastoma, glioma, DIPG/DMG)
Neuroblastoma
Sarcomas (osteosarcoma, Ewing, RMS)
Lymphoma
Rare pediatric malignancies (histiocytic disorders, germ cell tumors)
High-priority themes:
Relapsed/refractory disease
Drug resistance mechanisms
Targeted and immunotherapies
Minimal residual disease detection
Novel biomarkers
Treatment toxicity reduction & survivorship
Neurocognitive, endocrine, psychosocial outcomes
❗ Adult oncology projects with children as a subpopulation do not score well.
Perfect match matters:
| Mechanism | Best For | Critical Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| St. Baldrick’s Fellows | Pediatric oncology trainees | Mentorship + training environment |
| Early Career / Scholar Awards | Junior faculty | Trajectory → independent funding |
| Translational/Consortium | Established investigators & multi-site teams | Patient access + clinical impact |
| Supportive Care Grants | Clinicians & outcomes researchers | QoL, toxicity mitigation, disparities |
Predictor: Fit PI career stage, project maturity, and patient access to the exact call.
Even pilot grants show:
Feasibility proven in models or early trials
Early biomarker signals
Evidence that required assays, recruitment, and collaborations are established
Target expression or mechanistic rationale validated in pediatric tumors
Predictor: Feasibility and strong rationale → major scoring factor.
Winning proposals leverage:
Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) from children
Pediatric tumor cell lines or organoids
Multi-omics data from pediatric tumors
Access to biobanks, Children’s Oncology Group (COG), pediatric trial groups
Defined cohort recruitment strategy for clinical studies
Predictor: Authentic pediatric relevance is essential.
St. Baldrick’s wants to change outcomes, not only understand disease.
Funded proposals show:
Clear route to trials within 3–5 years
IND-enabling milestones if drug-focused
Biomarker validation toward clinical utility
Defined endpoints to prove patient benefit
Predictor: Promising pathway to clinical impact increases enthusiasm.
Reviewers reward:
Publications in pediatric oncology
Prior success in grant delivery
Unique expertise aligned to the project
Clear development into a leader in childhood cancer research
Predictor: PI quality is heavily weighted, especially for Scholar/Faculty awards.
Critical criteria:
Well-funded primary mentor with pediatric oncology leadership
Protected time for research
Robust institutional infrastructure (cores, patients, imaging, GMP if needed)
Co-mentors for complementary skillsets
Predictor: Mentor strength influences reviewer confidence.
Best proposals include:
2–3 hypothesis-driven aims
Rapid, measurable milestones
Clear go/no-go decisions
Realistic for 1–3 year timelines
Plan for future funding (NIH/DOD/COG)
Predictor: Feasibility & clarity are top scoring criteria.
St. Baldrick’s seeks transformative solutions:
First-in-field mechanistic insights
Novel cell/gene therapies
Combination regimens addressing resistance
Real-world solutions to survivorship harms
Cross-disciplinary technologies
Predictor: Innovation + urgent clinical need = reviewer enthusiasm.
Winning proposals are:
Logically structured
Supported by visual preliminary data
Strong in rigor & methodology
Accessible to both clinicians and laboratory reviewers
Compliant with guidelines & page limits
Predictor: Clean writing often separates top-tier applications.
| Predictor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Pediatric cancer focus | Core mission |
| Mechanism alignment | Correct evaluation |
| Preliminary data | Feasibility validation |
| Pediatric models | Clinical relevance |
| Translational path | Near-term patient benefit |
| PI trajectory | Investment return |
| Mentorship & environment | Execution & independence |
| Feasible aims | Deliverable results |
| Innovation | Big impact potential |
| Strong writing | Higher reviewer scoring |
This three (3) year award, with an option for two (2) additional years based on progress, is to train researchers from low- and middle- income countries (as classified by the World Bank) to prepare them to fill specific stated needs in an area of childhood cancer research upon returning to their country of origin. Proposals should detail a realistic impact of the award on pediatric cancer research in their country of origin. Recipients are called St. Baldrick’s International Scholars. Grants will be up to $110,000/year, for three years.
• The research proposal must include 2–3 years of training at the sponsoring institution, as well as the implementation of a carefully constructed research project at the institution of origin (see below).
• Selection criteria will include the scientific merit of the research proposal, scientific quality and impact of proposed training, the potential for the Scholar to continue training other investigators in their country of origin, and the commitment of the scholar’s institution of origin to develop and continue the research program in order to increase the chances of long-term success. See below for full review criteria.
• International Scholar are one of many funding categories offered by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation; it is possible for a program/institution to receive funding in more than one category. With the exception noted immediately below, each program/institution may submit one (1) LOI/application in all open St. Baldrick’s funding categories
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: St. Baldrick's Foundation
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: 1333 South Mayflower Avenue, Suite 400 Monrovia, CA 91016 USA (888) 899‑2253 · sbinfo@stbaldricks.org
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.
Feb 27, 2026
Feb 27, 2026
$110,000
Affiliation: St. Baldrick's Foundation
Address: 1333 South Mayflower Avenue, Suite 400 Monrovia, CA 91016 USA (888) 899‑2253 · sbinfo@stbaldricks.org
Website URL: https://r1038-1.cdn.stbaldricks.org/file/sbf-international-scholar-guidelines.pdf
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.