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Young Investigator Grants

Alex's Lemonade Stand

The Young Investigator grant is a three-year award designed to support early career researchers, such as postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows or instructors, pursuing promising childhood cancer research ideas. These grants aim to cultivate the best and brightest researchers of the future who demonstrate a commitment to a research career in pediatric cancer. A mentor is required, and a career development plan must be included. The Young Investigator grant offers up to $60,000 in direct costs per year for three years.

Application Timeline and Review

• A full proposal must be submitted that meets all guideline criteria as well as all eligibility criteria; otherwise, applications will be administratively rejected.

• Proposals will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts according to the NIH recognized peer-review process.

Budget

The requested budget should be in proportion to the scope of the proposed project and should be at or under $180,000 USD in direct costs over 3 years. A maximum of $60,000 in total costs may be requested per year. Restrictions:

o ALSF adheres to the NIH salary cap for principal investigator(s).

o Indirect costs are not allowed.

o The grant may not be renewed; one no-cost extension request is allowed.

o Other budget items may include fringe, travel, supplies and small pieces of equipment. ALSF funds cannot be used for tuition remission. View ALSF’s complete budget policy.

o If utilizing a subcontract or subaward, you must include this expense in the budget.

▪ No indirect costs will be paid.

▪ The PI’s institution is responsible for disbursing funds for subawards and/or subcontracts.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Predictor	Why It Matters	Supporting Evidence / Patterns
Strong alignment with pediatric oncology	Proposals must clearly address childhood cancers, not adult oncology or general biology.	ALSF emphasizes direct relevance to pediatric disease mechanisms or therapies.
Innovative and translational focus	ALSF favors novel ideas that can move rapidly toward clinical application.	Funded “Innovation” and “A Award” projects often introduce new targets, models, or technologies.
Strong preliminary data	Competitive proposals show feasibility through compelling early data or proof-of-concept experiments.	Peer review guidelines state “preliminary evidence of viability” is key for A and Reach awards.
Track record and mentorship (for early-career applicants)	Demonstrated productivity and strong mentorship plans are major success factors for early investigators.	Past Young Investigator awardees often have >3–5 peer-reviewed publications in pediatric oncology.
Feasibility and scientific rigor	Clear hypothesis, defined aims, and feasible methods are essential.	Reviewers downscore overambitious or poorly justified experimental plans.
Potential for high impact and clinical translation	ALSF prioritizes projects that could change outcomes for children—novel targets, biomarkers, or therapies.	Translational relevance is emphasized in all review criteria.
Institutional and resource support	Strong letters of commitment, lab environment, and access to patient samples or models improve credibility.	Especially important for Reach and Clinical Research Grants.
Collaboration and data sharing	ALSF encourages collaborative teams and open data policies.	“Crazy 8” awards explicitly require cross-institutional collaboration.

⚠️ Common Weaknesses in Unsuccessful Applications

Vague or weak connection to pediatric cancer relevance

Lack of preliminary data to support feasibility

Generic career development plans or weak mentorship (for early-career awards)

Overly technical or unfocused proposals without clear rationale

Insufficient detail on translational pathway (how findings reach clinic)

📊 Funding & Success Rate Insights

Young Investigator Awards: ~10–15 funded annually (success rate ≈15–20%)

A Awards: 5–8 awarded per year; highly competitive (~10% success)

Innovation Grants: <10–15% success rate depending on cycle

Crazy 8 Initiative: Large multi-million-dollar collaborative projects — selected from international competition

✅ Summary: Strongest Predictors

High relevance to pediatric cancer

Novel and translational science

Strong mentorship and career plan (early-career)

Preliminary data demonstrating feasibility

Potential for clinical impact and collaboration

Specialties

Cancer

Oncology

Eligibility Requirements

At the time of application

• Applicant institutions must be based in the United States or Canada. Applicants need not be United States citizens. Funds must be granted to nonprofit institutions or organizations.

• Applicants must have an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD or equivalent and must not have achieved an appointment higher than Instructor. Assistant Professors, including adjuncts at this level, will not be considered. In addition:

o Applicants from accredited clinical fellowship programs are automatically eligible for the duration of their training and during their first three years at the Instructor level.

o Applicants not from accredited clinical fellowship programs must meet the following criteria:

▪ Applicants holding an MD or MD/PhD must be within seven years from the granting of the last doctoral degree at the time of application.

▪ Applicants holding a PhD must be within four years from the granting of the last doctoral degree at the time of application.

• A minimum of 75% of the applicant’s time during the Young Investigator period must be allocated as non-clinical protected time for all research activities. This percentage of time includes both Young Investigator activities and the applicant’s other research responsibilities.

• Research mentor(s) must be identified and have a track record in pediatric cancer research. If no such record exists, a co-mentor with such a record must be identified. The application must document the mentor(s) involvement in experimental design and execution. A detailed plan for training activities is required and will be weighed heavily during the application review.

At the time of application or successful award

• Applicants must not hold an NIH independent (R or P Award) or individual training (F or K Award) grant. Institutional training grants (KL2, K12, T32) are permitted. Funding from other foundations is permitted provided there is no scientific or budgetary overlap.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Alex's Lemonade Stand

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 333 E. Lancaster Ave, #414. Wynnewood, PA 19096

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