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SFA Research Grants

Sarcoma Foundation of America

The Sarcoma Foundation of America Research Grants support investigators conducting pre-clinical, translational, and clinical research on the etiology, molecular biology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of human sarcomas. This program supports our mission to fund research and increase awareness and advocacy for sarcoma patients and their families. The goal of the SFA grant program is to support research that results in improved therapeutic options for sarcoma patients. The SFA encourages applications from ALL areas of sarcoma research.

Process

The SFA Research Grant Program is a two-stage process. All applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). Full applications will only be invited from the most highly ranked LOIs.

Key Dates

September 7, 2026	LOI submissions open on proposalCENTRAL
November 6, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST	LOI submission deadline
January 15, 2027	Full applications invited (if LOI selected)
March 5, 2027	Full applications due
Mid-May, 2027	Notification of Award
July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028	Grant Award Period (start date – end date)

Funding Availability

The total award amount is $75,000 for one year. The grants are awarded on an annual cycle from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028. SFA encourages applications in ALL areas of sarcoma research from U.S. and international applicants.

The maximum award for each grant is $75,000 in total cost, to cover equipment, supplies and other expenses in support of research. In addition, the following funding restrictions apply:

No more than 10% of the total cost amount can be applied to indirect cost (e.g., $7,500 indirect cost toward the $75,000 total cost of the grant)
The SFA does not permit funds to be used for Principal Investigator (PI) salaries. However, applicants are permitted to request money for the payment of salaries for non-faculty post-docs, fellows, and technicians, if applicable. No more than 50% of total cost can be used for salaries (e.g., $37,500 for the $75,000 award). Applications requesting more than this amount for salaries will not be accepted.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Direct Relevance to Sarcoma and Potential to Improve Therapy

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

The most fundamental predictor is a strong, explicit connection to human sarcoma and the potential to improve diagnosis or treatment.

SFA's current Research Grant program specifically covers:

Sarcoma etiology
Molecular biology
Pathogenesis
Diagnosis
Treatment
Preclinical research
Translational research
Clinical research

The stated goal is research that results in improved therapeutic options for sarcoma patients.

A strong proposal should make the chain unmistakable:

Sarcoma problem → biological/clinical gap → proposed intervention or discovery → patient benefit

2. Scientific Merit and Rigor

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

SFA's proposals undergo scientific peer review, with reviewers scoring applications individually and the scores determining the ranking of proposals. SFA states that its review system is based on the NIH peer-review model.

A competitive proposal therefore needs:

Clear hypothesis.
Appropriate experimental design.
Well-defined Specific Aims.
Valid controls.
Appropriate statistical analysis.
Scientifically justified methods.
Appropriate endpoints.
Interpretation of alternative outcomes.

Because funding is competitive, scientific interest alone is insufficient—the proposed experiments must convincingly answer the stated question.

3. Meaningful Therapeutic or Clinical Potential

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Critical

SFA repeatedly emphasizes improving treatment options for sarcoma patients. Its grant-selection policy specifically states that proposals are selected based partly on the predicted potential of the research to result in improved therapeutic options.

Strong applications should explain how the research could contribute to:

A new treatment.
Improved treatment response.
Reduced toxicity.
Better patient selection.
New therapeutic targets.
Earlier diagnosis.
Better disease monitoring.
Improved clinical decision-making.
More effective combinations of existing therapies.

The translational connection should be explicit rather than assumed.

4. Innovation and Breakthrough Potential

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

SFA describes its mission as funding promising research capable of advancing understanding and finding a cure for sarcoma. Its historical awards include work on areas such as immunotherapy, genomics, radiotherapy, organ-on-chip technology, mitochondrial biology and molecular mechanisms.

Strong proposals should identify:

An important unanswered question.
A novel mechanism.
A new therapeutic strategy.
A new diagnostic method.
A novel model or technology.
A new way to overcome treatment resistance.

SFA's competitive environment favors research that can produce a meaningful advance rather than merely replicate established findings.

5. Strong Preliminary Evidence and Feasibility

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

A promising idea needs a credible route to execution.

Preliminary evidence can demonstrate:

Proof of concept.
Biological activity.
Target engagement.
Feasibility of the assay/model.
Preliminary patient data.
Evidence supporting the mechanism.
Early therapeutic activity.

The proposal should also demonstrate access to the required:

Models.
Patient specimens.
Clinical population.
Technology.
Equipment.
Expertise.
Collaborators.

This is particularly important because SFA grants are relatively focused awards intended to generate meaningful research progress within the grant period.

6. Clear Translational Pathway

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

SFA's portfolio includes basic, preclinical, translational and clinical research, but its mission ultimately focuses on improving outcomes for sarcoma patients.

A strong proposal should therefore explain:

Discovery → validation → preclinical evidence → clinical application

For a basic-science project, the applicant should explain how the discovery could eventually influence sarcoma diagnosis or treatment.

For a translational project, the pathway should be more immediate:

Target → intervention → model validation → patient-relevant evidence → clinical development

7. Appropriate Sarcoma Subtype and Biological Question

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

SFA funds all areas of sarcoma research, so there is no requirement to focus on one particular subtype.

However, proposals should precisely identify the relevant disease context.

Examples of areas represented in recent SFA awards include:

Osteosarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Myxofibrosarcoma
Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma
Chondrosarcoma
Desmoplastic small round cell tumors
Angiosarcoma
Soft-tissue sarcomas.

A proposal becomes stronger when the biological rationale is tailored to the specific subtype rather than treating "sarcoma" as a single homogeneous disease.

8. Strong Investigator Expertise and Research Environment

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

Eligibility requires an MD, DO, PhD or international equivalent with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to perform the proposed research. International applicants are eligible.

The application should establish:

Relevant scientific expertise.
Prior sarcoma or related research.
Appropriate technical skills.
Access to institutional infrastructure.
Appropriate collaborators.
Ability to complete the proposed work.

A multidisciplinary team can be particularly useful where the project combines molecular biology, computational analysis, pathology, drug development and clinical research.

9. Potential to Generate Follow-on Research or Funding

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

SFA's role includes filling gaps that can prevent promising sarcoma research from progressing. Its research portfolio includes programs intended to support projects toward larger future funding opportunities.

The Last Mile Sarcoma Research Award, for example, has specifically supported translational research intended to move toward future R01 or R01-equivalent funding.

A strong proposal should therefore state what the SFA award will enable next:

SFA funding → decisive data → larger grant / clinical development / partnership

10. Efficient Use of a Focused Budget and Clear Deliverables

Importance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

The current standard SFA Research Grant provides up to $75,000 total cost for one year, making budget discipline important. SFA permits equipment, supplies and other research expenses, but PI salary is not permitted; no more than 50% of the total award may be used for salaries of eligible non-faculty personnel. Indirect costs are capped at 10%.

A strong application should therefore:

Request only necessary costs.
Connect each major expense to an aim.
Avoid an overambitious project.
Define measurable one-year outputs.
Show that the requested funds will generate meaningful evidence.

Specialties

Others

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be an MD, DO, PhD, or international equivalent, inside or outside the U.S., with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed sarcoma research;
Only one applicant may be designated as PI for each grant. The PI is responsible for the overall grant management, coordination and research oversight, including all deliverables;
Applications from researchers outside of the U.S. must be able to provide a budget and accept funds in U.S. dollars;
Returning SFA PIs and organizational grantees must be in compliance with any/all previous SFA grant deliverables

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Sarcoma Foundation of America

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 310 Bethesda, MD, United States, 20814

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