The Keith Michael Andrus Cardiac Research Award was made in honor of its namesake to remember Keith’s legacy and to help advance our understanding and treatment of cardiomyopathy associated with FA. Proposals for this award should focus on advancing understanding and/or treatment of the cardiac involvement in FA.

Maximum Budget (USD): $125,000 per year for 1 or 2 years

FARA accepts letters of intent for projects that fall within FARA’s research priorities as General Research Grants twice a year.  In addition to the General Research Grant, FARA funds grants either targeted to focused areas of research or aimed at nurturing young investigators.

Application

All applications must be submitted using FARA’s grant submission portal. This includes a lay summary of the project, budget and a timeline with detailed milestones. The project description, Data Management and Sharing Plan, curriculum vitae/biosketch of each of the key investigators, letters of support, and other relevant documents must be submitted as PDF files.

Click here for special application requirements for the Award for Innovative Mindset.

Project Description
The description of the project (excluding references to literature) should not exceed 10 pages, which includes the specific aims, background, preliminary data, and research plan, plus a brief statement on the suitability of the scientific environment and the availability of the necessary resources/equipment for the proposed research. This page limit excludes references and applies to grants less than $300,000. Larger grants do not have page number restrictions. All grant proposals must provide adequate detail for reviewer evaluation.

Data Management and Sharing Plan
FARA is committed to making the results and outputs of FARA-funded research available to researchers through effective and efficient data management and data sharing practices, and improving the reproducibility and reliability of research findings. Please read the FARA Notice for Data Management and Sharing. Under the DMS Notice, FARA requires researchers to prospectively plan for how scientific data will be preserved and shared through submission of a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan). The DMS Plan will be reviewed as part of the FARA grant review process and upon FARA approval, FARA expects researchers and institutions to implement data management and sharing practices as described. 

Budget
A detailed budget must be submitted with all proposals, including a justification of all requested expenses. Allowable expenses are: personnel costs/salary with fringe benefits, laboratory reagents and supplies, equipment, animal expenses, publication costs, investigator travel to meetings and conferences and to facilitate collaborations, patient expenses directly related to study and not reimbursable by third party insurers, and patient travel. Expenses that will not be awarded include: indirect costs/overhead, supplementing a postdoc fellowship/research award stipend with another FARA grant, memberships in scientific societies. Budget justification for investigator travel to meetings, conferences and to facilitate collaborations must include the destination, number of people traveling and dates or duration of stay for all anticipated travel, and clearly state how the travel is directly related to the proposed research. Budget limits for each grant type must be met. However, for General Research Grant applications, budgets exceeding 125,000/year will be considered if adequately justified, for example in the case of collaborations involving multiple PIs. The maximum direct salary that can be requested cannot exceed the NIH salary cap for 100% effort. The maximum allowable expense for travel cost is $3000/year. The max allowable expense for publication cost is $2000/year. The maximum allowable expense for data sharing and management cost is $3000/year.

For Postdoctoral Fellowships and Awards, the trainee is required to contribute at least 75% effort to the proposed work. The maximum direct salary that can be requested cannot exceed the NIH stipend level for 100% effort. If the trainee is contributing less than 100% effort then the stipend request must be reduced to correspond to this effort.  For example, if the trainee’s effort is 85%, then the stipend requested can be no more than 85% of the appropriate NIH stipend level.

For Clinician Scientist Development Awards, the PI is required to contribute at least 50% effort to the proposed work. 

For Graduate Research Fellowships, the only allowable budget items are the graduate student’s salary/stipend plus applicable fringe benefits (including health insurance) and tuition costs and fees that are not already covered by the institution.

If funded, the amount approved by FARA may be different from the requested budget. This change could be as a result of the LOI reviews and/or the full application reviews, or it may be a decision made by FARA when the award is approved. 

Milestones
All projects must have objective milestones that are clearly communicated. We appreciate that some projects, especially those that are more basic-science-oriented, might need to have milestone adjustments based on specific experimental outcomes. If the proposal is funded, FARA will utilize the proposed milestones for scheduling progress reports and monitoring the project.

Human Subjects
If human subjects are used in the proposed study, the study must be approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent. Full funding will not be provided until proof of IRB approval is demonstrated to FARA. Human subjects studied during research conducted under a FARA grant are under no circumstances a responsibility of FARA.

Animal Research
If animals are used, the proposed study must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), or equivalent, indicating that appropriate precautions have been taken to assure that proper treatment, care, and humane conditions are provided.

Other Documents
This can include all supporting materials such as appendices, institutional transmittal forms, letters of support, etc.

Review and Decision Process

All grant applications submitted to FARA undergo a rigorous and confidential review procedure that is overseen by the FARA Scientific Review Committee (SRC).

1. The SRC makes a preliminary review and if the application is considered acceptable, it undergoes external peer-review by established researchers with the appropriate expertise. The reviewers are assigned by the SRC, often based on suggestions provided by the applicant. All reviewers confirm that they do not have a conflict of interest before reviewing a grant application. Click here to read FARA’s guidelines on assessing conflict of interest.
2. Each reviewer provides a score for the “Overall Impact” of the proposal, as well as scores for 5 specific criteria (significance, investigator, innovation, approach/methods, and environment/resources), and comments that justify the scores given for these criteria.
3. Sometimes reviewers raise questions to the applicants, questions that are critical to determine whether a proposal should be recommended for funding:
   a) When these questions can be addressed quickly, the applicant is asked to provide a response to the reviewer comments, usually within a month. If the SRC finds the applicant’s response to the reviewer comments satisfactory, the application will be moved forward.
   b) If a more detailed response is required, the applicant will be asked to submit a response to the reviewer comments and a revised application by the next grant cycle deadline. This rebuttal will be sent back to the original reviewers or to additional reviewers for their comments. These revised applications will compete for funding with all applications received in the following grant cycle.
4. Following this thorough discussion of the reviews, as well as the significance and relevance of the proposed research to FARA’s mission and strategic research priorities, the SRC submits those applications for which funding is recommended to the FARA Board of Directors (Executive Committee).
5. In making a final funding decision, the FARA Executive Committee considers the reviewer comments, the SRC comments and recommendation, the importance and priority level of the proposed research to FARA’s goals, and the availability of funds in the FARA treasury (including an assessment of future commitments and requirements).
6. Only applications that are recommended for funding by the SRC will be considered for funding by the FARA Executive Committee. The funding decision made by the FARA Executive Committee is final.

Reporting Requirements

All FARA grantees must submit annual scientific and financial reports using FARA’s grant submission portal. For Graduate Research Fellowships, a yearly statement of continuing support by the mentor is also required. The required frequency of reports will be stated in the formal funding agreement with FARA. Each report must be submitted to the portal as a PDF file.

Continuation funding will not be provided until all required progress reports are received and reviewed by the FARA SRC, and approved for funding by the FARA Executive Committee.

Any rebudgeting of funds requires prior FARA approval. Please submit rebudgeting requests by email at grants@curefa.org indicating the amount to be rebudgeted, spending categories involved and an explanation of why the rebudgeting is needed.

FARA also encourages investigators to present their FARA-funded research at least once during the course of their grant at the FARA Forum, on a mutually agreed upon date. The Forum is a monthly webinar open to FARA grant awardees and the FARA Scientific Advisory Board and it is held on the second Tuesday of every month.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

While FARA does not publish a scoring rubric, successful projects share several strong, consistent traits:

✅ 1. Alignment With FARA Research Priorities

Applications must clearly map to at least one of the priority areas above. Reviewers look for explicit justification of how the project addresses FA disease mechanisms or therapeutic pathways. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Success tip: In your narrative, tie your aims directly to FARA-listed priorities and explain why they are critical gaps in FA research.

✅ 2. Clear, Testable Hypothesis and Scientific Rationale

Grants should articulate a strong scientific question with a hypothesis grounded in existing literature and preliminary evidence. Even when preliminary data are limited (especially for AIM awards), the rationale must be compelling.

Success tip: Present a coherent mechanistic story with well-justified hypotheses that reviewers can easily evaluate.

✅ 3. Feasibility and Realistic Experimental Plan

FARA awards are modest in duration and budget relative to large NIH grants. Reviewers prioritize projects with clearly defined milestones, achievable aims, and feasible timelines within the funding period. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Success tip: Include contingency plans and measurable endpoints tied to specific timelines.

✅ 4. Innovation With Therapeutic Impact Potential

Especially for mechanisms like the Award for Innovative Mindset (AIM), FARA prioritizes high-risk, high-reward approaches that deviate from incremental advances. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Success tip: Explain how the work could create new research directions, tools, or drug targets for FA.

✅ 5. Relevance to Disease and Potential Translation

Projects that bridge discovery biology to translational endpoints — such as biomarker development, clinical measures, or preclinical efficacy — are viewed as more impactful. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Success tip: In clinical or translational proposals, emphasize how outcomes inform therapeutic development or clinical trial design.

✅ 6. Investigator Experience and Environment

For career and fellowships (e.g., Postdoctoral, Clinician Scientist, Graduate Research Fellowship), reviewers consider:

Investigator’s track record and productivity

How mentorship and environment support success

Clear professional development plan tied to FA research goals Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Success tip: Include mentor letters that describe training and career milestone support.

✅ 7. Clear Budget Justification

FARA expects budgets that are strongly tied to project activities with no unrelated costs. Crafting a budget narrative that matches each aim increases confidence in feasibility. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

✅ 8. Engagement With FARA Community

FARA encourages collaboration, participation in forums, and engagement with the FA research community. Although not a formal requirement, active engagement signals commitment and networking that can strengthen applications. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

📌 Practical Application Tips

Before submission:

Read the latest FARA Grant Priorities page and match your aims directly to them. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Contact FARA staff (e.g., grants@curefa.org) with questions about fit or clarifications. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Select the grant type that matches the scale and scope of your research (e.g., AIM for innovative ideas vs. General Research for standard studies). Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Proposal drafting:

Start with a concise summary that expresses significance and translational relevance.

Define specific aims with measurable endpoints and tie them to FA pathophysiology or therapy development.

Use figures, timelines, and tables to clarify experimental design and deliverables.

Review readiness:

Ask for internal feedback from colleagues familiar with rare disease funding.

Keep lay summaries clear — reviewers often include clinicians or patient advocates.

🧠 What FARA Does Not Typically Fund

Projects unrelated to FA biology or therapy development. Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Incremental work lacking innovation (especially under AIM). Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

🧠 Summary: FARA Success Predictors