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Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum Grants

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation

Overview: This funding supports a wide range of research that will lead to an improved quality of life for those living with SCI. The proposed research may target any system or function affected by SCI or its sequelae during the acute or chronic injury period. It should demonstrate novelty, high scientific merit, and the potential for substantial impact on treatment and care. The uncertainties inherent to such research should be balanced by the likelihood that success will advance the development of treatments to restore function and promote wellbeing. Meaningful incorporation of people with lived experience in the development and management of the research is encouraged.

Funding is for up to two years for preclinical studies. Human subjects research may be up to three years to allow sufficient time to recruit and follow participants.

Funding for both two- and three-year projects is up to a maximum total cost of $400,000 over the duration of the grant. Budgets may not exceed $200,000 in any year

Details for this category:

• PIs must be independent investigators, actively employed at the grantee institution at the time of FGA submission and can be at any stage of their research career.

 Applicants who do not hold a tenure track position (e.g., Instructor, Research Associate) may include, at the LOI and FGA stage, a Letter of Assurance from the institution’s Director or Department Chair confirming their position as independent and affirming that needed space and equipment are available to them.

Allowable budget categories include:

• PI Salary: The amount requested for the PI (salary plus fringe benefits) may be up to 30% of the total yearly cost of the grant.

• Collaborator(s): A collaborator is an individual who will make a significant contribution in the conduct of the research, whether paid or unpaid. In most cases, the collaborator provides needed expertise, such as a specific type of SCI research experience. Collaborators do not need to be affiliated with the same institution as the PI; a subcontract may be used for their support. If paid, the total amount requested for each collaborator’s support (salary plus fringe benefits) may be up to 25% of the total yearly cost of the grant. Support for collaborators beyond this limit may be requested, with strong justification.

• Other Personnel: This category includes other key project staff (e.g., project coordinator, statistician, community interviewer) who will contribute directly and substantively to the project. There is no restriction on the percentage of salary support for other positions. The Neilsen Foundation does not fund graduate student tuition or fees; however, stipends/salaries for graduate students can be included.

• Fringe Benefits: These will be supported at the institution’s standard levels, up to 50% of salary for any listed personnel; institutionally defined fringe rates above this level are not supported by Neilsen Foundation grants.

• Consultants: Consultants are generally independent contractors who offer advice or work on specific aspects of a project. The Neilsen Foundation supports Knowledge Translation Guiding Principles for the conduct of SCI research partnerships and encourages inclusion of people with lived experience and/or knowledge translation expertise on research teams.

• Subcontracts: A subcontract may be established by the grantee institution with another site to carry out selected activities of the proposed project. If a subcontract is included in the grant, the combined indirect cost amount for the PI’s institution and the subcontractor’s institution may not exceed 10% of the total cost of the grant.

• Supplies: All project-related items (e.g., glassware, chemicals, animal costs, electrodes) other than those described below in Equipment are allowed. A computing device or computer software is considered a supply if the acquisition cost is less than $5,000, regardless of the length of its useful life.

• Equipment: An item having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit is considered equipment. Requests must be justified and should not exceed $10,000 during the grant term. If equipment needs exceed this amount, a compelling explanation must be provided. • Travel: Support for conference travel is limited to $10,000 during the grant term. Adequate justification is required for any additional project-related travel support (e.g., research participant travel, travel to a collaborating site).

• Publications: Up to $10,000 is allowed during the grant term, including open-access fees; all publications resulting from Neilsen Foundation funding should be publicly available.

• Other Costs: Refer to Budget instructions in ProposalCentral and list under “Other:”

 Accommodations for personnel with disabilities.

 Childcare costs, as described above, up to $2,500 per PI/staff person, per year.

 Data sharing/curation costs (see PART 2, Section C., Publication and Data Sharing).

• Indirect Costs: The maximum amount allowed for indirect costs (i.e., administrative, overhead, per capita infrastructure costs, etc.) is 10% of the total cost of the grant. Indirect costs are not allowed on individual pieces of equipment costing $5,000 or more.

• Per Capita Infrastructure Costs: These costs cannot be charged as direct costs (e.g., IT, network, communications, or other charges not specific to the research Aims); indirect costs may be used to defray these charges, subject to the 10% total indirect cost cap.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🧠 1. Strict Focus on Spinal Cord Injury (Non-Negotiable)

All funded projects must directly address:
- Spinal cord injury (SCI)—acute, chronic, or rehabilitation phases
Includes:
- Mechanistic, preclinical, clinical, and psychosocial research

👉 Non-SCI topics are not eligible

🔄 2. Strong Translational Continuum (Top Predictor)

The foundation explicitly supports:

Research across the “translational spectrum”
- Basic → preclinical → clinical → implementation

👉 Projects must show:
Clear pathway toward improving treatment, function, or care

🎯 3. Clear Impact on Function & Quality of Life (Most Critical)

Successful proposals demonstrate:

Improvements in:
- Functional recovery
- Complication management
- Independence and participation

👉 Central evaluation question:
“Will this improve life outcomes for people with SCI?”

🔬 4. High Scientific Merit & Innovation

Funded projects must show:

Novelty + strong scientific rationale
Potential to advance understanding or treatment

👉 Required across all portfolios (basic to clinical)

🧪 5. Feasible, Milestone-Driven Research Plan

Typical grants:
- 2–3 years
- ~$200K–$800K
Must include:
- Clear aims
- Achievable timeline
- Defined deliverables

👉 Overly ambitious or vague proposals are commonly rejected

🤝 6. Inclusion of People with Lived SCI Experience (Unique Predictor)

Increasing emphasis on:
- Patient involvement in research design and execution

👉 Meaningful engagement strengthens proposals

🧬 7. Broad Portfolio Alignment (Choose the Right Track)

Higher success when aligned with one of the foundation’s key programs:

Research

Translational SCI research
Psychosocial research

Programs

Community independence
Accessibility & inclusion

👉 Correct program fit significantly affects success

👩‍🔬 8. Investigator Development (Early-Career Advantage)

Supports:
- Postdoctoral fellowships
- Early-stage researchers

👉 Strong mentorship + career trajectory improves success

🌍 9. Real-World Applicability & Scalability

Preference for:
- Interventions usable in clinical or community settings
Includes:
- Rehabilitation
- Assistive technologies
- Community integration programs

👉 Practical implementation is highly valued

📑 10. Competitive, Two-Stage Review Process

Typical process:
1. Letter of Intent (LOI)
2. Invited full proposal

👉 Only top LOIs proceed → clarity and alignment early is critical

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

SCI-specific focus
Translational pathway
Patient/functional impact

Moderate predictors:
4. Scientific merit & innovation
5. Feasibility
6. Program alignment

Supporting factors:
7. Patient involvement
8. Investigator strength
9. Real-world applicability

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to NIH or general neuroscience funders:

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation is:
👉 highly mission-driven (SCI only)
👉 strongly translational + quality-of-life focused

👉 Winning formula:
SCI relevance + translational pathway + real-world impact

Specialties

Clinical Trials

Pulmonology

Eligibility Requirements

The following applies to all funding categories:

• Applicants must have a doctoral degree or equivalent professional degree (e.g., PhD, MD, DVM).

 Non-fellowship applicants must demonstrate appropriate experience to serve as an independent PI. The Neilsen Foundation encourages eligible PIs who represent a wide range of disciplines to apply; however, it is required that relevant SCI expertise be represented on the proposed research project team. • The grantee organization must be a nonprofit academic/research institution or rehabilitation facility located in the United States or Canada with the capability to conduct grant-funded research.

 The Applicant named in a grant application must be employed by and deemed eligible by the grantee organization to apply for a grant and is expected to be responsible for conduct of the research. The Applicant is not required to be a citizen of the United States or Canada.

 Each application must include the appropriate endorsement of an institutional official who is responsible for the administration of grant funds (hereafter known as the “Grants Administrator”).

• Neilsen Foundation grants are not awarded to individuals, private foundations, or non-functionally integrated Type III supporting organizations.

• A PI may submit only one application in each cycle in this portfolio (see PART 3, Section A., Concurrent Grants Across Neilsen Foundation Portfolios).

• The Neilsen Foundation does not recognize Co-Principal Investigators—if two or more investigators are working together on a research project, name only one as the Applicant; the other(s) should be listed as collaborator(s). Collaborators and/or consultants do not need to be affiliated with the same institution as the PI; a subcontract may be used to support a domestic or international collaborator or consultant.

• Multiple PIs from an institution may submit concurrent, independent applications in a given grant cycle. In such cases, each project must be distinct, with non-overlapping Aims.

• The Neilsen Foundation discourages Postdoctoral Fellows and their mentor(s) from submitting concurrent applications with overlapping Aims to multiple funding categories within this portfolio.

• It may not be necessary to provide preliminary data. Neilsen Foundation funding may be sought to allow the Applicant to obtain data to establish a line of research if the proposal provides strong rationale (i.e., support from the literature or use in an indication other than SCI) that justifies testing the hypotheses with the proposed experimental design. However, if feasibility issues add an unacceptable risk of failure, reviewers may note that preliminary data to address this risk should have been provided.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND CONSIDERATIONS

• All application materials and communications (including IRB/IACUC approvals) must be in English, and budgets must be in U.S. dollars.

• The Neilsen Foundation values inclusion and accessibility to foster equitable opportunities and diverse points of view, and encourages grantees to promote them within their organization and the communities they serve.

• Applicants should carefully review each funding category to ensure they meet the requirements before submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI).

• Annual funding for multi-year awards is contingent on acceptance of annual progress and expenditure reports. Acceptance of final research and final expenditure reports is required at the end of the grant term to receive final payment.

• Perceived or real conflicts of interest (e.g., company shareholder providing a device for a study or program) must be disclosed in both the LOI and FGA.

• The grantee organization retains title to Intellectual Property developed with this funding.

• Human interventional studies funded by the Neilsen Foundation must be registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.

• Rigor, transparency, and reproducibility in research are fundamental to scientific progress. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how the proposed experimental design, methodology, and analysis ensure well-controlled and unbiased results (see Appendix 4). Applicants should address the rigor of the research upon which the proposed study is based.

 The Neilsen Foundation strongly encourages data sharing consistent with FAIR Data Principles (https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/) and open access (see PART 2, Section C., Publication and Data Sharing). Grantees should describe plans to make all reports and datasets openly accessible no later than one year after publication and will be required in any future applications to provide links to all reports and datasets from funded studies.

• Childcare cost reimbursement should adhere to the Grantee’s institutional guidelines or, in the absence of such guidance, may include expenses for the care of children up to age 13, or children up to age 18 who are physically or mentally incapable of self-care. The Neilsen Foundation does not review the eligibility of dependents or caregivers.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Craig H. Neilsen Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 16830 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 352 Encino, CA 91436

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