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Postdoctoral Fellowships

American Cancer Society

Grant Overview

Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) support new investigators in research training programs to position them for independent careers in cancer research. As part of their evaluation, peer reviewers consider how well the fellowship will broaden the applicant’s research training and experience.

Grant Term and Budget

Awards are for up to 3 years with recently increased progressive stipends of $66,000, $68,000, and $70,000 a year.

Depending on availability of special endowment funds, the American Cancer Society (ACS) annually selects one or more of the top-ranked fellowships to be supplemented above the standard stipend.

Fellowship Allowances: Fellows receive $4,000 a year to help defray costs such as health insurance, workshop costs, and expenses associated with presenting at a scientific meeting.

In the last year, an additional $1,500 is added to the fellowship allowance for PFs to attend either the ACS Postdoctoral Fellows Symposium or a domestic scientific meeting.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🔑 1. High-Impact, Hypothesis-Driven Science (Most Critical)

ACS reviewers prioritize:

Clear, testable hypothesis (not exploratory only)
Strong biological or population-science rationale
Innovation that meaningfully advances the field

👉 Weak hypothesis = one of the most common rejection reasons

🎯 2. Direct Relevance to Cancer Burden

Funded proposals clearly address:

Cancer risk, prevention, detection, treatment, or survivorship
Or major contributors (e.g., tobacco, obesity, disparities)

👉 ACS is mission-driven:
“How does this reduce cancer burden?” must be obvious

🌍 3. Population-Level or Patient-Level Impact

ACS uniquely values:

Public health impact (very strong weight)
Behavioral, epidemiological, or implementation research
Interventions that can scale

👉 Compared to AACR:

More weight on real-world impact, not just biology

⚖️ 4. Balance Between Innovation & Feasibility

Winning proposals:

Are innovative but not overly risky
Have:
- Preliminary data
- Realistic aims
- Backup strategies

👉 Over-ambitious = frequent rejection

👩‍🔬 5. Investigator Potential (Key Differentiator)

ACS strongly funds people, not just projects:

Early-career:

Clear trajectory toward independence
Strong mentorship team

Established investigators:

Productivity (publications, prior grants)
Leadership in field

👉 Weak CV can sink even a good idea

🧪 6. Rigorous Study Design

Clearly defined aims (usually 2–4)
Appropriate methodology and statistics
Feasible recruitment/sample access

👉 Vague methods = major scoring penalty

🤝 7. Alignment with ACS Priority Areas

Higher success rates seen in:

Cancer disparities research
Prevention (lifestyle, screening)
Survivorship and quality of life

👉 These areas are often strategically prioritized

🏥 8. Strong Institutional & Mentorship Support

Access to:
- Facilities
- Data or patient cohorts
Clear institutional backing

👉 Especially critical for fellowships and junior awards

💰 9. Realistic Budget & Scope

Budget matches project scale
Efficient resource use

👉 Over-scoped proposals often fail feasibility review

📑 10. Clear, Reviewer-Friendly Writing

Successful proposals:

Are easy to read and logically structured
Clearly connect:
- Hypothesis → Methods → Impact

👉 Poor presentation can undermine strong science

📊 What Actually Wins (Practical Ranking)

🔥 Decisive factors:

Strong hypothesis + innovation
Clear cancer relevance
Real-world or population impact

⚖️ Major differentiators:

Investigator strength
Feasible, rigorous design
Alignment with ACS priorities

📌 Supporting factors:

Institutional support
Budget
Writing quality

💡 Insider Insight

Compared with other cancer funders:

American Cancer Society = “impact-balanced science”
Not as biology-heavy as AACR
Not as purely clinical as ASCO

👉 The winning formula is:
Strong science + clear path to reducing cancer burden (especially at population level)

Specialties

Cancer

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

Typically, you ARE eligible to submit a proposal if you:

Work at a US academic institution or eligible non-profit
Are a US citizen or a non-US citizen with an appropriate visa or lawful immigration status at the time of application
Are in a "postdoctoral" position at their institution. Applicants with a faculty appointment (instructor, assistant professor) or who are a research or staff scientist are not eligible.
Have had a terminal doctoral degree for 3 years or less (time spent in clinical-only training is not counted) and/or completed 3 or fewer years of postdoctoral research training at the time of application.
Applicants may apply for 2- or 3-year fellowships, but all applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria.
Applicants may submit only one postdoctoral fellowship application per cycle.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Cancer Society

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: P.O. Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741

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