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Application Process
The Congenital Heart Alliance of Cincinnati will fund seed research, or ongoing projects associated with CHD. While the award is focused on translational investigation in hopes of improving patients’ lives with CHD, the board of trustees will evaluate all proposals for merit and encourage applicants to apply.
At this time, the Congenital Heart Alliance of Cincinnati (CHAoC) will only consider grant applications with a direct connection to Cincinnati Children’s. The Lead Principal Investigator (PI) must be a current faculty member or employee of Cincinnati Children’s. Collaborative proposals are encouraged and may include co-investigators/collaborators from other institutions.
This requirement ensures that CHAoC’s research investments continue to strengthen and advance the work of Cincinnati Children’s while fostering meaningful collaboration with researchers at other institutions.
CHAoC does not fund indirect costs for research projects. Only direct costs will be considered for funding. Budgets submitted for consideration should exclude any indirect or overhead expenses. In addition, for personal compensation, the budget must cap salaries at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) salary cap level in effect at the time of submission.
Fall Cycle | 2026
October 15, 2026
Applications Open
December 15, 2026
Deadline for Submission
February 2027
Recipients Announced
July 2027
Funding Released
Recipients will be notified of a funding decision via email. The CHAoC Board of Trustees will require project updates at 12-month intervals, depending on length of funding duration. Expectations and requirements for these project updates will be shared with award recipients.
Application Requirements
All applications must be received by the deadlines outlined above and must include a CHAoC Research Proposal Cover Sheet, signed by PIs division director.
Applications must also include the following elements:
- Title of proposal.
- Investigator(s) department and divisional affiliation – at least one faculty member must be listed as principal investigator
- Research Proposal – no more than three pages (single space, ariel font, size 11), not including citations and must be submitted as one PDF. Proposals that do not adhere to these guidelines will not be reviewed. The proposal must include the following elements:
- Abstract
- Specific Aims
- Innovation and clinical Impact
- Methods and data sources summary
- Prospects for future funding
- Citations (limited to 10)
- Budget – A detailed budget that illustrates how the funding will be apportioned for any personnel, supplies and equipment. Faculty salary and equipment costs can be included or excluded as desired. No indirect costs should be included in the budget. As the grant is a catalyst for larger funding sources, indirect costs will not be supported.
- An NIH-style biosketch for the investigator that includes all current and pending support from all sponsored and non-sponsored sources. The biosketch is limited to four pages.
Award Requirements
Recipients will be required to provide updates to the CHAoC Board of Trustees at 12-month intervals of the grant cycle. Grant funding must begin within six months of notification of award. Expectations and requirements for these project updates will be shared with award recipients. The CHAoC will reserve rights for media release and social media announcements. Publications resulting from this funding must include an acknowledgement of CHAoC’s support. Recipients may be asked to attend future CHAoC events.
