Guidelines

2026 Patrick C. Walsh and Prostate SPORE Research Fund
Request for Applications

The Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund is pleased to announce the Fiscal Year 2026 Request for Applications (RFA) supporting multidisciplinary research in prostate cancer.

For the 2026 funding cycle, we anticipate awarding up to $1.2 million in total support. This amount includes funding from the Patrick C. Walsh Fund, as well as an additional $200,000 from the Prostate SPORE to support two new Career Enhancement Program (CEP) projects and two new Developmental Research Program (DRP) projects. 

Funding is open to all Johns Hopkins University-affiliated faculty. Faculty who were the PI of an award from the Patrick C. Walsh Fund in 2025 will not be eligible to receive an award in 2026 (with the exception of the Program Project Development mechanism which is open to 2025 awardees). Applications from investigators outside the field of prostate cancer are particularly encouraged for mechanism #3 below, with the goal of attracting new investigators into the field.

In addition to progress reports, all award recipients will be required to submit an abstract and present either a poster or a research talk at the annual Donald S. Coffey Urology Research Day Symposium. Unless an extension is awarded by the PCW Research Fund Board, any unused funds at the conclusion of the approved funding period must be returned to the Walsh Fund.

Application Portal Opens: June 22, 2026

Application Deadline: 5:00 PM on July 20, 2026

Funding Notifications: by August 28, 2026

Project Period: September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027

 

Funding Mechanisms

The Research Fund will consider three categories of applications for funding this year:

  1. Bridge Funding
    Investigators seeking bridge funding to support a recently reviewed grant that scored competitively and is actively being revised for resubmission, may apply for a one-time, one-year award of up to $100,000. Proposals must include a clear justification for how the requested funds will be used to complete the work necessary for preparation of the resubmission application or submission to another sponsor. Investigators who have received bridge funding to support the same project from JHU are not eligible for these awards. These awards will be limited to a strict one-year funding period and will not be eligible for renewal or extension.
  2. Program Project Development
    A team of investigators planning a program project grant application, such as a P01, P30/50, or U01/54, may submit a proposal for up to $150,000 per year. Funded applications may be eligible for annual extensions and renewals, provided that specified deliverables are met.
  3. New Investigator / Pilot Project Awards
    New Investigator and Pilot Project Awards in the amount of $100,000 each will be awarded to support innovative multidisciplinary research projects focused on the understanding or treatment of prostate cancer. Funding is open to all Johns Hopkins University-affiliated faculty, although priority will be given to investigators who have not recently received support from the Research Fund. Investigators new to the field of prostate cancer are strongly encouraged to include a co-principal investigator from Urology or the Brady Urological Institute. Applications in this category will be among those most likely to be considered for one of the CEP/DRP SPORE projects. 

New Projects/Pilot Award applications will also be considered for the Prostate SPORE CEP/DRP program. Please indicate if you are specifically interested in this program, which will require PI commitment of at least 15% toward the project. All awards in this category may be considered for a no-cost extension at the end of the one-year project period, contingent upon submission of a progress report. SPORE CEP/DRP projects can be considered for a second year of funding through the SPORE in Prostate Cancer grant.

While our goal is to fund the applications that will create the largest impact towards treating/curing prostate cancer, we anticipate awarding 4-6 New Investigator / Pilot Project awards, 2-3 Program Project Development awards, and 2-3 Bridge Funding awards. However, these are only estimates and the Scientific Advisory Board will have discretion to award more or fewer grants in each category.

Additional details regarding each application type and the specific requirements for each may be found in the application guidelines.

Applications should be submitted through the ResearchLogix application portal. Applicants should ensure that they are applying to the Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund, have carefully reviewed the application guidelines, and have included all required materials and information.

Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Brandy Yeater at dyeater1@jhmi.edu.

Tamara Lotan, M.D.
Director, Urology Research Laboratories

Sam Denmeade, M.D. and Shawn Lupold, Ph.D.
SPORE Directors

 

Apply
06/22/2026 07/20/2026
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Have more questions?
Brandy Yeater
dyeater1@jhmi.edu