- Guidelines
Key Dates
RFA Release / Applications Accepted – November 2, 2026
Application Deadline: 5:00 PM on December 4, 2026
Funding Notifications: By January 4, 2027
Project Period: February 1, 2027 – January 31, 2028
Catalyst Fund for Women's Health
In close collaboration with the Department of Medicine, the Department of Urology is pleased to launch the inaugural funding cycle of the Catalyst Fund for Women's Health (“Catalyst Fund”), a new initiative that supports innovative, high-risk, high-reward research from tenure track investigators with a School of Medicine appointment to advance the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions affecting women’s health. Established through philanthropic support, the Catalyst Fund represents a long-term commitment to advancing women’s health research at Johns Hopkins. This is the first funding opportunity being made available as part of a new partnership between JHU and its generous donors with future funding opportunities expected.
For this inaugural funding cycle, the Catalyst Fund anticipates awarding two pilot project grants of $40,000 (direct costs only) each to be used over a one-year period with an option for a one-year no-cost extension (by request).
Eligibility
Funding is open to all Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine appointed faculty. Areas of high interest include urology and oncology, but we are accepting all topics that demonstrate a mission to improve health outcomes of women. Applicants from all specialties and disciplines are encouraged to apply. Proposals that advance women’s health through research relevant to urology and/or oncology are welcome regardless of the applicant’s primary field. Where appropriate, applicants are encouraged to consider collaborations with faculty in Urology, Oncology, Women’s Health, or other complementary areas of expertise. The goal is to foster innovative research that brings together diverse expertise while remaining closely aligned with the fund’s mission to improve women’s health.
Required Application Materials
Applicants must submit the following components as part of the New Investigator / Pilot Project Application. All documents should be combined in a single PDF in the order listed below and uploaded in the application portal. Please use the following naming convention for the file: PI Name_CFWH-2026
All files should be created using standard NIH file format guidelines: font size 11 or greater with margins of 0.5 inches on all sides.
- Title Page (1 page) - Project title, PI/Co-PIs, co-investigators, and department affiliations.
- Specific Aims (1 page) - Clearly state the aims and expected outcomes of the pilot project.
- Research Narrative (4 pages) - Provide scientific background, any preliminary data from the PI, describe methods, scientific approach, and feasibility. Refer to previous publications of PI whenever possible.
- Lay summary / project summary (250 words) - 250-word summary written in layperson text.
- References/works cited (No limit) - References do not count against the 4-page limit.
- Detailed Budget (1 page) - Please use the PHS398 Budget form.
- Budget Justification (No limit) - Justify all requested costs.
- Letters of Support (if applicable; no limit) - Include letters from collaborators, Brady Urological Institute partners, or others providing resources.
- Biosketches (NIH common form format) - Include biosketches for PI and co-PIs only.
- Current and pending support (NIH common form format) - Include current and pending support for PI and co-PIs only.
Reporting Requirements
Award recipients will be required to provide a brief mid-year progress report (no more than 1 page) and a full progress report (2-3 pages) at the end of the year. Projects that have made significant progress may be considered for subsequent year funding but on a competitive basis.
We will encourage awardees to present their research at the annual symposium of the Johns Hopkins Center for Women’s Health, Sex and Gender Research (each Spring).