Program Overview

The Mark Foundation Endeavor Awards support collaborative research projects that bring together investigators with diverse areas of expertise to tackle challenges in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. These grants are awarded to teams of three or more investigators to generate and integrate data from diverse lines of research and transform those insights into advances for cancer patients that could not be achieved by individual efforts.

The submission window for Letters of Intent will open on January 6, 2021. Additional information will be available at that time.

Webinar

Registration is now open for a webinar with additional information and details about the Endeavor Program, including an overview of the program, eligibility requirements, the application process, and a Q&A period. Attendance at the webinar is optional – all information presented will be posted on the Endeavor website in December. All three webinar sessions will cover the same information, so we request that you only register for one session.

Webinar dates (click on the link to register):

Eligibility

  • Projects for this award must be centered on evidence-based laboratory, data, and/or medical science.
    • Basic, translational, and clinical projects are eligible.
    • The project must seek to address an overarching, urgent scientific question.
    • Sub-projects should be designed to elucidate various aspects of the overarching question, theme, or focus.
    • The output of the individual team members (data, samples, hypotheses, compounds, etc.) must be integrated and/or shared in a way that makes the impact of the project as a whole larger than the sum of its parts.
  • Teams will consist of three or more co-investigators.
    • All co-investigators on the team must be employed by a non-profit academic institution.
    • One co-investigator shall be designated as the team leader.
    • There are no restrictions on citizenship or geography.
    • Inter-institutional collaborations are permitted and encouraged.
    • Teams are encouraged to consider diversity in terms of discipline, seniority, gender, race, ethnicity, and any other parameters that will enhance the team’s ability to approach challenging problems from fresh perspectives.
  • Proposed projects must not be supported by other sources of funding. Finalists will be asked to discuss any potential overlap with other current or pending awards.
  • The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other legally protected characteristics.

Award Terms

  • Applicants may request funding to support a total budget of up to $1,000,000 per year for a total of three years.
    • The budget and duration requested for the grant must match a realistic estimate of the cost and timeline for the proposed work.
    • The requested funding should be divided amongst team members in a manner proportional to the actual cost of the work carried out by each investigator for the project.
    • The budget limit includes both direct and indirect costs, with indirect costs not to exceed 10% of the direct costs.
    • The third year of funding will be contingent on sufficient scientific progress as presented at the 18-month project review.
  • Award start date will be January 1, 2022.

Submission Process

Key Dates

  • January 6, 2021: Letter of Intent Online Portal Opens
  • March 1, 2021: Letters of Intent Due
  • May 2021: Applications Invited
  • June – July 2021: Finalist Team Interviews
  • July 2021: Applications Due
  • November 2021: Selection of Awardees
  • December 2021: Signed Agreements Due
  • January 1, 2022: Grant Start Date