Grant Application Process
All grant applications have a rolling deadline. Please contact: science@cureangelman.org for more information and provide a letter of intent if you are considering applying for a grant.
General Eligibility
Institutions receiving grants are generally recognized as nonprofit organizations. In the US, this means institutions that do not operate to make a profit. In rare circumstances funding is given to contract research organizations or industry scientific teams. Individuals should have training and experience at least equal to the PhD or MD level.
Similar or Identical Applications
FAST will not consider grant applications with essentially the same research focus from the same applicant organization. This includes derivative or multiple applications that aim to create a single product, process, or service that can be applied to various purposes with minor modifications. Applicants must confirm and ensure that the materials they submit are original and have not been utilized elsewhere in the preparation and submission of a similar grant application. If another grant is approved during the grant review process with any overlap to the submitted grant the Chair of the SAB should be notified immediately for withdrawal or objective and aim modifications to be made.
Human and Animal Subjects
Human subjects studied in the course of research conducted under a research award are under no circumstances the responsibility of FAST. Human subjects in a program supported by FAST shall be volunteers in any survey, study, or procedure. FAST requires recipients of any award using human subjects to demonstrate institutional review board (IRB) approval of the research project prior to dispersal of the awarded funds. If IRB approval cannot be obtained within 6 months of the award, the award may be rescinded by the Board of Directors.
If animals are used in the proposed study, written certification must be provided to FAST indicating that proper treatment, care, and humane conditions will be provided. FAST requires recipients to receive approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) prior to starting any animal work on the FAST grant.
FAST Grant Review Process
The first stage of providing fair and expert review for research funding applications submitted to FAST consists of scientific peer review by a group of highly esteemed basic and clinical scientists and clinicians that form our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). If the topic of the grant is not within the area of expertise of the SAB, consultants will be recruited in a confidential manner to support the review. The panel uses standard guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for scoring applications with an emphasis on innovation, scientific rigor, impact, and relevance to the mission of FAST. All reviewer conflicts of interest must be revealed prior to the review. All members of the SAB have signed a nondisclosure/confidentiality agreement. If the SAB Chair deems there to be a conflict of interest, the SAB member in conflict will be recused from the review process. Conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, employment at the same sponsoring institution and collaboration on recent or current research projects, a competing research proposal or area in AS, , and anything else that the chair of the SAB determines to be a conflict.
Applicants undergo scientific peer-review by the SAB and will receive scores based on scientific merit, innovation, translational impact and alignment with FAST’s mission. Applications will also be reviewed based on the experimental design, methods, rationale, budget and feasibility. Applicants should concisely and adequately detail how the hypotheses will be tested, demonstrating adequate power for testing the hypothesis, and clearly define all variables and aims. If SAB critiques have follow-up questions or recommendations, the Applicant will provide a response to each question and/or recommendation. The SAB recommendations are then reviewed and compiled independently by the Scientific Panel. This panel consists of the Chair of the SAB, the Chief Science Officer and the Science Director. All recommendations for funding are then assessed from each individual, and are shared with the FAST Board of Directors (BOD). Funding recommendations are based on scientific merit (as evaluated by the SAB), budgetary considerations and discussion of relevancy and priority to the mission of FAST. Final approval is required by the FAST BOD before funding may occur.
FAST strives to review and give a funding response to all submitted grants within six weeks of receiving the grant submission. This allows for the grants to be initially reviewed and for any concerns raised by the SAB to be properly addressed by the Applicant before final funding decisions are made.
FAST Reporting Policy
Progress reports for each grant are expected every 6 months from the start of the experimental period. A template for these progress reports can be found here. A meeting should be scheduled with the FAST scientific team at this time with the progress report due for review at least 1 week before the meeting.
End of project report is due within 8-weeks of the end of the grant period. A template for this report can be found here. Please note that final payment of the grant will not be distributed until after this meeting concludes.
No-Cost Extensions
A no-cost extension extends the project period beyond the original project end date. No additional funding will be allowed. A no-cost extension may be requested if there is a programmatic need to continue the research and there are sufficient funds. A no-cost extension request should be made at least 30 days prior to the end of the project period and must be requested by the PI detailing the amount being requested with an appropriate budget of what was spent and what is available to complete the project, the cause for such request, the status of the project based on each specific aim, and the date in which the extension would end. For more information on no-cost extensions please click here.
Carry-Forward Policy
A carryover allows unobligated funds remaining at the end of the budget period to be carried forward to the next budget period. The carryover would allow the grantee to use the unused prior year funds in a following budget period. A carryover request should be made at least 30 days prior to the end of the project period and must be requested by the PI detailing the amount to be carried over, explanation of unobligated balance, detailed budget and scientific justification. A carryover request will only be allowed for grants longer than one year. For more information on carry-forwards please click here.
Prohibition of Discrimination
No person shall be excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of any program or activity receiving financial assistance from FAST because of race, ethnic origin, religion, age, sex or sexual orientation.
Amendment of Policies
FAST reserves the right to modify its policies governing research awards at any time. The recipient agrees to abide by any changes or to terminate the grant at the time when such changes become effective. Failure to abide by the policies governing awards shall be considered sufficient grounds for cancellation of an award or refusal to consider any pending application by the grantee.