Grants

The KCA’s 2025 Award Program will open March 3, 2025

Submit questions to [email protected].

The KCA funds promising young- to mid-career investigators to foster innovative kidney cancer research. Proposals should be projects that can be realistically accomplished in one year and should provide sufficient preliminary data that could lead to potential further funding through other granting mechanisms. The 2025 Award Program will fund the following grant categories:

Trailblazer Awards – $75,000
Any focus in kidney cancer accepted

Pediatric Kidney Cancer Focus Awards – $75,000
In partnership with Joey’s Wings Foundation
Required Focus: Pediatric kidney cancer, specifically translocation RCC in the following ways:

• Comparative Analysis of Pediatric and Adult tRCC
  • Develop methodologies to compare clinical and pathological characteristics of pediatric and adult tRCC.
  • Investigate shared and distinct biological features and therapeutic responses between pediatric and adult tumors.
• Characterization of Fusion Targets in Pediatric tRCC Models
  • Evaluate the robustness and reproducibility of existing pediatric tRCC models and propose strategies for model improvement.
  • Explore the functional implications of distinct fusion events on disease biology in pediatric cases.
• Therapeutic Target Identification and Validation for Pediatric tRCC
  • Perform focused drug screenings in patient-derived or engineered cell lines relevant to pediatric tRCC to identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities.
  • Validate potential targets using robust in vitro and in vivo pediatric models.

Interdisciplinary Medicine Focus Awards – $75,000
In partnership with the Michael and Ina Korek Foundation
Required Focus: Explore the relationship between kidney cancer and various lifestyle factors. This includes, but is not limited to, nutrition, the gut microbiome, dietary habits, and physical activity. Proposals should aim to identify modifiable risk factors and develop preventive strategies or interventions that can be rapidly applied in clinical settings to aid in treatment or outcomes.

Applications due by: April 2025 (Date TBD)

Award Recipients for the 2025 KCA grant cycle will be notified Summer 2025. 

Eligibility, submission guidelines, review process, and additional information are available through the grant submission portal (opens soon).