Clinical Pilot and Feasibility Awards are offered to support projects involving human subjects (see 45 CFR§46.102(f)) that will develop and test new hypotheses and/or new methods (or those being applied to the problems of cystic fibrosis for the first time), and to support promising new investigators as they establish themselves in research areas relevant to cystic fibrosis. The intent of these awards is to enable investigators to collect sufficient preliminary data to determine the best strategies and methods for approaching a major question that ultimately will require assessment through a larger-scale research and/or multi-center, collaborative trial.

Support may be requested for $80,000 per year (plus 12% for indirect costs) for single-center studies; and up to $150,000 per year (plus 12% indirect costs) for multi-center clinical studies for up to two years. Up to an additional $100,000 over the entire project period may be available via supplemental funding.

Supplemental Funding to Address High Priority Area Health Equity Supplement:

NOTE: Funding for Health Experiences and Outcomes Supplements is based on availability of funds. If sufficient funds become available at the end of the calendar year, awardees will be notified to submit budget revisions to reflect the supplement. Do not include the Health Experiences and Outcomes Supplement request in your budget with your submissions. 

Health Experiences and Outcomes Supplement: An additional $50,000 (plus 12% indirect costs) over the entire project period may be available to the applicant. Health Experiences and Outcomes supplements can be used for the following: 

• Improve our understanding of health disparities in cystic fibrosis
• Enhance the range of perspectives and experience of the biomedical workforce
• Support the translation of validated PROMs, study materials (including informed consent documents), and/or the use of interpreters

Applicants must be independent investigators. Fellows may submit applications; however, funding will be considered only if they will hold a faculty-level appointment at the time of the award. Industry-sponsored research projects are not eligible for this award.

Special consideration will be given to those projects that pursue new approaches, study under-researched topics, or investigate more creative avenues of research to address the problems of cystic fibrosis. Applications for continued funding of existing projects, or for long-term support of an investigator, will not be considered.

Up to an additional $50,000 over the entire project period may be available via supplemental funding.

It is recommended that applicants speak with program staff prior to submission of a letter of intent to ensure the project design is in line with the goals of this RFA. For specific questions regarding your project and the CF Foundation's research priorities, please contact the Program Officer, Dara Riva, at driva@cff.org.

Policies and Guidelines

Please review the Fall 2026 Policies and Guidelines for complete submission information.

Deadlines

All letters of intent and full applications for the 2026 cycles must be submitted online at awards.cff.org by 5 p.m. ET.

Fall 2026

• Letter of Intent: April 2, 2026
• Full application: August 16, 2026

For More Information

Those who are interested in any funding programs offered by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation may get further information or discuss the potential relevance of their studies or research by contacting Angela Minucci, the pre-award manager for this program, at aminucci@cff.org.

Grants and Contracts Management and Administration (GCMA) Office inquiries can be sent to:

GCMA Office
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
4550 Montgomery Ave.
Suite 1100 N
Bethesda, MD 20814
800-FIGHT-CF
301-841-2614