The Office of Research Development and Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations invite faculty to submit internal applications to the W.M. Keck Foundation. The foundation’s Research Program focuses on supporting pioneering, fundamental discoveries in Science and Engineering or Medical Research. The Foundation supports high-risk and high-impact work that is distinctive and novel in its approach, questions existing paradigms, or has the potential to break new ground in its field. Keck is not interested in research that is iterative or an extension of current work; they are seeking a leap forward in your field through high-risk methods and/or new approaches.

Keck is interested in interdisciplinary research; thus, proposals may also come from a faculty team across departments, disciplines, or institutions. Keck funds projects that:

• Focus on important and emerging areas of research.
• Have potential to develop breakthrough technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies.
• Are innovative, distinctive, and interdisciplinary.
• Demonstrate a high level of risk due to unconventional approaches or challenges to the prevailing paradigm.
• Have potential impact such as the founding of a new field of research, enabling of new observations, or altering perception of a previously intractable problem.
• Fall outside the mission of public funding agencies.

Applicants should have unsuccessfully attempted to secure funding from conventional sources (National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, etc.) and be able to share formal or informal feedback indicating the breakthrough, high-risk nature of the project. 

For medical research concept papers, please note that the Keck Foundation is rarely interested in funding disease-specific projects (the outcome may impact a specific disease, but that should not be the impetus of the work)

Eligibility and Funding Details:

There are no limitations on the PI. Funded research programs include 1-3 PIs across departments and/or institutions.

Typical grants are $1 to $1.5 million over 3 years.

Unallowable costs include:

• Indirect costs
• Graduate student tuition
• Support for tenured and tenure track faculty exceeding 10% of their academic year salary.
• Renovations in excess of 10% of request
• International costs in excess of 10% of request

Although Keck does not require formal cost sharing, the foundation prefers to see a significant commitment to the project from the applicant’s home institution or PI discretionary funds. Keck will acknowledge overhead, graduate student support, and commitments of time, space, renovations, and equipment as institutional support. As such, total project costs are typically several hundred thousand dollars higher than the grant budget.

Rowan University’s Internal Competition Details:

The Rowan University Foundation serves as the liaison with the Keck Foundation and will present approved concepts to the Program Officer in collaboration with the Office of Research Development.

Internal Application Requirements:

Concept papers should be  one page, single spaced with 1” margins, 12-point type, New Times Rowan or Helvetica font, figure, captions must be at least 9-point type, and citations must be within the text in the format (i.e. Journal Vol: page, year or DOI). We recommend you do not include illustrations in the concept paper.

Each paper should include:

• Title and List of PIs
• An overview of the proposed project emphasizing any unique aspects and pilot studies (indicate area of emphasis for project – Medical Research or Science & Engineering Research)
• A description of the methodologies and roles of key personnel
• A brief justification of the need for Keck Foundation support (why this is an impactful, high-risk idea that is unlikely to be funded by government sources or private funders) 
• An 2-3 sentence estimated budget broke down, if possible, by major areas, e.g., personnel, equipment, consumable supplies, etc.
• On a separate page, provide a detailed justification statement to include a description of the project being declined by federal agencies as well as relevant reviewer comments, especially those that detail the interdisciplinary nature of the work, the high-risk level involved, that methodologies are untested, that it is too early stage, or other relevant comments. Formal or informal conversations with Program Officers that focus on similar themes can be included here as relevant.

SAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS

1. ABSTRACT EXAMPLE- Medical Research

Brown University: Christopher Moore $1,300,000 - Discovery of dynamic processes that enable rapid and focal brain-body communication… The brain evolved to meet challenging biological needs, with the mammalian forebrain integrating lifelong experience, ongoing sensations, and future predictions. This powerful computation relies on the quality of body information received at moments of choice and learning. Brain vasculature contains a rich supply of such body signals, delivered in their native chemical format, but researchers view this pathway as sluggish and diffuse, unsuited to real-time behavior due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The recent discovery of Plume Events—rapid, local increases in BBB permeability timed to relevant behavioral events—suggest a dynamic solution for forebrain computation: brief vascular access when the risk is worth the information value. An investigator at Brown University and several of his collaborators will test key predictions, such as whether transient electro-calcium ‘spikes’ in vessels trigger these events, if Plume Events deliver impactful bio-active signals such as oxytocin, and if they are expressed across the forebrain. The collaborative team, bringing diverse computational and biological expertise, will also create a broader community for insight through colloquia and retreats focused on understanding this new discovery.

2. ABSTRACT EXAMPLE – Science and Engineering Research

Oregon State University: Kristen Buck, Mya Breitbart $1,200,000 - To determine whether viruses store iron in the surface ocean… In nearly half of the global surface ocean, iron is the primary limiting nutrient for phytoplankton that supports the marine food web, fix carbon, and drive the biological pump of atmospheric carbon dioxide to the ocean interior. Due to iron’s virtual insolubility in oxygen-rich ocean conditions, nearly all dissolved iron is bound to organic matter. The nature of these organic iron-binding ligands governs iron bioavailability; however, the origin of as much as 90% of the organic dissolved iron pool is unknown. The Oregon State University/ University of South Florida team proposes that marine viruses - highly abundant biological entities within the dissolved size fraction - may hold the key to unlocking an enduring mystery of ocean iron chemistry. Building on evidence demonstrating the presence of iron in viruses that infect non-marine bacteria, as well as conserved iron binding sequence motifs in marine virus genomes, they hypothesize that marine viruses incorporate iron into their structures and represent a significant form of organic dissolved iron in the oceans. To test this hypothesis, they will use synergistic culture- and field-based approaches, combined with microscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry, to quantify the elemental composition of marine viruses. Finally, they will perform experimental studies to assess the stability of iron in marine viruses and determine its bioavailability to marine microorganisms through known acquisition strategies. Revealing the presence of iron in marine viruses would provide a fundamentally new perspective on iron chemistry, identifying a novel, overlooked, and ubiquitous organic iron pool with major influences for the biogeochemical cycling of this vital micronutrient.

Additional abstracts can be found at the following: https://www.wmkeck.org/our-focus-research/.

ROWAN INTERNAL SUBMISSION TIMELINE

November 14, 2025: Submit Project Description (guidelines above) to Rowan Office of Research Development at ord@rowan.edu.

Selected concepts from internal applicants will be included in a Concept Counseling Session with the Keck Foundation, led by the Rowan University Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, which will take place between January 1, 2026 – February 15, 2026. PIs are not permitted to participate in the Concept Counseling Session. The Foundation will determine if one project meets the criteria to submit a Phase I application. 

May 1, 2026: Phase I application due to the Keck Foundation. 

August 15, 2026: Phase II application (if invited) due to the Keck Foundation. 

Submit applications via email to ORD@rowan.edu with the subject line “W.M. Keck Foundation’s Internal Submission.”

Keck Foundation Information: Detailed program guidelines and eligibility criteria can be found in the https://www.wmkeck.org/our-focus-overview/

Additional Contact Information: If you have questions as to whether your project is a fit for the W.M. Keck Foundation, please contact the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations at CFR@rowan.edu.

The New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) has opened its 2025–2026 award cycle. Since its inception, NJHF has awarded over $68 million in funding, supporting innovative research and community initiatives across New Jersey. Rowan University faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to apply.

Funding Opportunities

• Research Grants: Up to $50,000
  Supports early-stage, innovative research projects with strong potential to attract future external funding.
• Community Health, Behavioral and Social Science, Social Service & Education Grants: Up to $35,000
  Supports health-related community, education, social service, and behavioral and social science projects addressing critical societal needs.

Application Timeline

• Opens: September 17, 2025
• Closes: November 19, 2025
• Anticipated Award Start Date: March 2, 2026

Eligibility

Full-time faculty, staff, and personnel at Rowan University are eligible to apply. Applicants must adhere to Rowan’s internal approval processes before submitting to NJHF.

How to Apply

• Applications must be submitted through the NJHF grant portal available via the New Jersey Health Foundation website.
• All proposals will undergo review by NJHF’s committee of experts from academia, medicine, business, and philanthropy.
• Awardees will receive 80% of their grant up front, with the remaining 20% released upon submission and acceptance of final narrative and financial reports (due April 26, 2027).

Resources

• Policies & Procedures
• FAQs
• Questions may be directed to researchgrant@njhf.org.