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Researcher Resources

NAF’s programs that support your work to accelerate treatment development.

NAF works with the most knowledgeable, accomplished Ataxia researchers in the world. We are committed to providing the resources needed to pursue a cure and better quality of life for people with Ataxia.

Research Grants

Research Grant Program Overview

The National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) is committed to funding cutting-edge basic, translational, and clinical research relevant to hereditary and sporadic Ataxia. For decades, NAF has served as a catalytic supporter of ataxia research by investing in high-impact, investigator-driven work across the research and clinical spectrum.

NAF invites research applications from domestic and international non-profit and for-profit institutions. We accept applications across career stages, from graduate students through senior researchers and established clinicians. Researchers based outside the United States are eligible to apply for most research grants from NAF. Specific eligibility requirements will be updated and published each application cycle.

Funding amounts, award mechanisms, program policies, and application and award processes may be adjusted periodically to reflect NAF’s strategic research and clinical funding priorities, existing grant commitments, and overall resource availability. These adjustments ensure that the Foundation can steward funds responsibly while investing in initiatives that advance our mission to accelerate treatments and improve the lives of those affected by Ataxia.

Applications are selected for funding annually following a multistage competitive review process. All applicants must first submit a Letter of Intent (LOI). High-scoring applicants will be invited to submit full grant applications. 

Grant Funding Mechanisms

NAF funds research through 7 distinct award mechanisms:
-Graduate Research Fellowship
-Pre-doctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Ataxia Research
-Post-doctoral Fellowship
-Early Career Investigator Award
-Research Seed Money Award
-Pioneer SCA3 Translational Award
-Michael Lundquist Grant to Advance MSA-C Research

Mechanism-specific details are described below and on ProposalCentral.

FY2027 Research Funding Application Dates

  Grant Submissions   Open Date  Deadline  Decision Notification
  Letter of Intent September 14, 2026  November 18, 2026  January 2027
  Full Proposal  Upon LOI approval  March 1, 2027  June 2027

NAF’s grant application process is detailed below.

Prospective applicants should carefully review this page, including mechanism-specific guidance, linked LOI + proposal writing instructions and NAF program policies, as well as answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ), before beginning an application in ProposalCentral.

NAF Research Grant Mechanisms

Michael Lundquist Grant to Advance MSA-C Research

Research Seed Money Grant

Pioneer SCA3 Translational Research Award

Early Career Investigator Award

Post-doctoral Fellowship Award

Pre-doctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Ataxia Research

Graduate Research Fellowship

Additional Eligibility Information

Eligibility requirements vary by funding mechanism. NAF accepts applications from both U.S. and international researchers and institutions; however, certain funding opportunities may have additional citizenship, geographic, or institutional eligibility requirements. Applicants should carefully review the eligibility criteria for their selected funding mechanism before applying.

Applications from public and private academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations will be considered, subject to mechanism-specific eligibility requirements.

To be eligible for funding, both the applicant and their institution must be in good standing with NAF and compliant with all applicable grants program policies, reporting requirements, and award terms and conditions.

Letters of Intent and full grant applications may be administratively rejected if eligibility requirements are not met.

Grant Application Process

Application Guidelines

NAF utilizes ProposalCentral for to manage applications and awards. All interested researchers will need to create a ProposalCentral account in order to access the application portal.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all submitted materials accurately reflect their own scientific work, analysis, conclusions, and intellectual contributions. Applicants remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and completeness of all application materials, regardless of any tools used during preparation. References and source materials must be appropriately cited.

LOI Instructions:
Click to open NAF’s LOI submission instructions and formatting guidelines

Full Proposal Instructions:
Click to open NAF’s grant application submission instructions and formatting guidelines

All applicants and awardees are expected to comply with NAF’s research grants program policies, terms, and conditions:
Click to open NAF’s grants program policy manual

 

Steps to Apply

1. Create a proposalCENTRAL account.

2. Submit a Letter of Intent by the deadline

3. If your LOI scores highly, you will be invited to submit a full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my proposal need to focus on ataxia?

Yes. All applications must demonstrate a clear and significant focus on hereditary, sporadic, or acquired ataxia. Some funding mechanisms require a direct focus on a specific type of ataxia.

Applications with only indirect, incidental, or tangential relevance to ataxia are not responsive to program priorities and may not be advanced for review.

Under which grant mechanism should I apply?

If you are a:   Please consider and review guidelines for:
PhD Student   Predoctoral Fellowship Programs
Postdoctoral Researcher   Postdoctoral Fellowship
Early Career Researcher   Early Career Investigator Award
Established Investigator   Research Seed Money Grant
Senior SCA3 Researcher   Pioneer SCA3 Translational Award
Senior MSA-C Researcher   Michael Lundquist MSA-C Research Grant


Eligibility requirements vary across funding mechanisms. Depending on career stage, institutional affiliation, citizenship, and research focus, some researchers may not be eligible for NAF funding opportunities in a given cycle.

What should be included in the Letter of Intent (LOI)?

All LOIs must be submitted through ProposalCentral by the stated deadline.

LOI contents include brief need and impact statements, a researcher biosketch, and a one-page Specific Aims document. Please review LOI instructions and formatting guidance linked on this webpage and on ProposalCentral.

May I submit more than one LOI or apply to multiple programs in the same application cycle?

No. Researchers may only submit one LOI per cycle.

May I resubmit a project that was not selected for funding in a previous cycle?

Yes. Applicants whose proposals were not selected for funding in a prior cycle are welcome to reapply in a future funding round. However, resubmitted applications should demonstrate meaningful improvements and responsiveness to prior reviewer feedback, where applicable.

May multiple investigators from the same institution apply?

Yes. However, each application must be distinct and may not include overlapping scientific aims or duplicated budget requests.

Am I eligible if my institution is located outside the United States?

Yes, with one exception: applicants applying under the Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Ataxia Research mechanism must be affiliated with institutions in the United States.

I have previously been awarded funding from NAF. May I apply for another grant type in this new funding cycle?

It depends.

Researchers who have served as the lead PI on an NAF-funded award within the past two fiscal years are not eligible to apply for additional funding.

In addition, most NAF funding mechanisms do not permit researchers to receive more than one award through the same mechanism. The Seed Money Research Grant is the only exception to this rule; previous Seed Money awardees may reapply, subject to all other eligibility requirements.

Previous NAF awardees may be eligible for different funding mechanisms later in their careers, provided all eligibility requirements are met.

Examples:

  • Previous Graduate Student Fellowship awardees may be eligible to apply for a Postdoctoral Fellowship.
  • Previous Postdoctoral Fellowship awardees may be eligible to apply for an Early Career Investigator award.

Researchers with an active award under a No-Cost Extension are not eligible to apply for additional funding.

How are applications evaluated and selected for funding?

All applications undergo competitive peer review by scientific experts at both the LOI and full proposal stages. Applications are evaluated based on factors such as scientific merit, significance, feasibility, investigator qualifications, and alignment with program priorities.

Final funding decisions are informed by peer review results, portfolio balance considerations, strategic funding priorities, and available funding. All funding recommendations are subject to approval by NAF’s Board of Directors.

Are there any restrictions on how my awarded funds may be used?

Specific restrictions on use of funds vary by funding mechanism. Applicants should review NAF’s Grants Program Policy Manual and the instructions associated with their selected funding opportunity before applying.

Common Budget Questions:

Are indirect/F&A costs allowed?
No.

Can awards support stipends or salary?
Yes, consistent with effort and subject to mechanism-specific limitations.

Are fringe benefits allowed?
No.

Is tuition allowed?
No.

Can I request travel support?
Yes, subject to program-specific limitations.

Can I request publication support?
Yes, subject to program-specific limitations.

Can I rebudget after award activation?
Only with prior NAF approval.

May award funds be used for expenses not included in the approved budget?
No.

All proposed budgets must comply with NAF’s allowable and unallowable cost guidelines. Applications containing noncompliant budgets may be administratively rejected.

All final financial reports will be reviewed against approved budgets and allowable cost guidelines. Institutions are required to repay NAF if any award funds are directed to unallowable costs.

What reporting requirements does NAF have for awardees?

NAF awardees must complete required pre-award, mid-project, post-project, and longitudinal reporting as detailed in award agreements and assigned through ProposalCentral.

Timely completion of required deliverables supports award initiation, project monitoring, and assessment of funded research outcomes and impact.

Award payments and researcher and institutional good standing are contingent upon compliance with reporting requirements and all other applicable award terms, conditions, and grants program policies.

Funded Researchers

Lay Summaries

Want to check out research that we have funded in the past? Click a link from past years to a see a list of researchers and information about their studies.

Requirements for NCE Consideration and Approval

If you are considering requesting a No-Cost Extension for your funded award, please review the below and reach out to Aimee Alcott at aimee@ataxia.org for more information and next steps. 

  • A no-cost extension (NCE) allows a grantee to extend the project period end date and budget period by up to 12-months for the sole purpose of completing grant activities. NCE’s can only be requested by the lead PI or fellowship recipient in the original grant proposal.  
  • An NCE must be received at least 30 calendar days prior to the end of the original funding period.  
  • If an NCE request is planned to exceed 12-month period, or if a grantee is requesting a second NCE, the grantee is required to schedule a meeting with NAF’s Chief Scientific Officer, Lauren Moore, prior to NCE consideration. You can schedule a meeting by emailing lauren@ataxia.org.  
  • NCE requests will not be approved for the sole purpose of using unspent award balances. NCE approval does not authorize additional spending on any new activities beyond the purposes consistent with the approved project proposal. 
  • A grantee cannot be the lead PI on any new NAF grant application during the period of an approved NCE.  
  • Grantees must complete reporting annually regardless of whether they have been approved for an NCE. If they fail to complete their annual reporting, NCE approval may be rescinded.  

Recruit Research Participants

Research Study Promotion

We know that patient recruitment for research is important to the success of your work. NAF is here to help. 

We maintain an active list of Ataxia research opportunities for patients on our website. We ensure that studies listed on our site have undergone approval by esteemed Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), Research Ethics Boards (REBs), and/or Research Ethics Committees (RECs). In addition, NAF offers recruitment assistance via email and social media, including targeted recruitment efforts by location and Ataxia type. We can also work with you to develop and deliver an informational webinar on your research study.

If you would like to have your study listed on our website or request help with recruitment, download the Research Recruitment Application or email research@ataxia.org with your question.

Ataxia Patient Meeting

NAF hosts an annual patient conference each year which is attended by those affected by Ataxia and their caregivers/family members. Attendance is often over 500 individuals. Presentations by leading Ataxia researchers are given during the 2-day conference. Ataxia researchers are invited to participate in the exhibit area of the meeting to recruit patients for IRB approved research studies or share their research findings. 

If you are interested in recruiting patients at NAF’s Annual Ataxia Conference, please contact us at (763) 553-0020 or email research@ataxia.org.

Access Patient Registry

NAF partners with Sanford Research Coordination of Rare Dieseases (CoRDS) to maintain a registry of Ataxia patients. Access the registry to find potential participants for your research studies. 

Additional Resources

Ataxia Brain/Tissue Banking Program

NAF and the University of Florida’s Center for NeuroGenetics are working together to maintain a repository of brain and spinal cord tissue from Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) donors. This tissue is available to SCA researchers to help advance our understanding of these diseases. To learn what is available and how to request tissue, download our instruction sheet.

Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA)

The Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA) is on a mission to better understand the factors that determine disease progression among Cerebellar Ataxia with the goal of improving the understanding of disease process, current treatments, and development of disease-modifying therapies. CRC-SCA collects longitudinal data and biospecimens for research participants who have a confirmed diagnosis of SCA 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 or 10. Ataxia researchers can request data and biosamples.

International Ataxia Congress for Ataxia Research (ICAR)

ICAR is a collaborative research environment that promotes exchanges of ideas and knowledge to improve understanding of Ataxias and accelerate treatment development initiatives. This bi-annual conference is hosted by NAF, Ataxia UK, FARA and AGI. It is attended by hundreds of delegates from countries around the world. The event offers oral presentations, poster presentations and networking opportunities.

Ataxia Global Initiative (AGI)

The Ataxia Global Initiative (AGI) is a worldwide research platform that has the goal to facilitate the clinical development of therapies for ataxias. AGI´s activities are based on the principles of openness, transparency, flexibility and fairness.

Centralized Ataxia Genomics Core (CAGC) Website

The Centralized Ataxia Genomics Core (CAGC) is a freely accessible resource developed with support from the National Ataxia Foundation and hosted within the Clinical Neurogenomics Research Center based at the University of California, Los Angeles. This application is designed to facilitate connections within the ataxia research community related to shared interest in the same gene(s) and/or genetic variant(s). The goal of the CAGC is to improve collaboration to help solve undiagnosed Ataxia cases through a centralized ataxia-specific data repository of genomic data collected from both research and/or clinical sources.

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