Request for Proposals: Aging and Cancer


The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, and the American Cancer Society are pleased to jointly issue a request for proposals (RFP) to enable collaborations that bring together complementary expertise in the field of aging and cancer. We invite selected institutions to submit one project that describes a collaboration between one investigator at their institution and one investigator at a different institution. Proposals must justify the partnership through synergistic scientific aims. Awards will provide $500,000 total over three years.

Research supported by this program will advance our understanding of the rising incidence of cancer due to aging, with an emphasis on translational research that could lead to new treatments or prevention. Example topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Identifying actionable biomarkers (genetic, epigenetic, protein, RNA, etc.) that link aging and cancer risk, including in younger individuals with early onset cancers and those with genetic predispositions, and explore underlying mechanisms. Studies may include single-cell analyses that capture the heterogeneity within aged tissues and tumors. This is a stepwise approach to clinical algorithms useful to predict aging/cancer onset.
  • Assessing contributions of the aging microenvironment (e.g., immune system, senescent cells, changes in the ECM) and other extrinsic factors (e.g., exposure to therapies and pollutants, environmentally induced aging phenotypes, systemic effects of organ aging) on tumorigenesis, progression, and treatment response.
  • Characterizing the mechanisms and consequences of age-associated genomic instability and DNA damage response decline on tumorigenesis.
  • Investigating age-associated changes in metabolism across all cell types (tumor, stromal, immune) that affect cell function and may contribute to cancer formation. Studying the effects of GLP-1 agonists and caloric restriction on metabolism, aging, and cancer risks.
  • Exploring the molecular mechanisms responsible for the age-related declines in stem cell numbers and function, such as hematopoietic, epithelial or mesenchymal stem cells, and their relationship to clonal evolution and tumor formation.

2025 RFP Guidelines


  • The award will provide support of up to $500,000 to a team of two investigators for a term of three years, with $200,000 provided in Years 1 and 2 and $100,000 in Year 3. The distribution should be even between the two investigators.
  • Collaboration teams must consist of one principal investigator (PI) at the host institution and one co-principal investigator (co-PI) at a different institution. The host institution or PI must have received an invitation to apply to this RFP. The co-PI may be from any institution within or outside the US.
  • The PI and co-PI must both lead established laboratories currently supported by at least one R01 or R01-equivalent grant. Equivalency for international applicants will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
  • Host institutions that receive this RFP are invited to submit one letter of intent (LOI). Individuals who receive a direct invitation to apply do not count towards this limit.
  • A select number of LOIs will be invited to advance to the full application stage.
  • Award recipients will be required to attend the annual Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation Scientific Review Meeting during each year of the award.
  • Budget limits are inclusive of both direct and indirect costs, with indirect costs allowed up to 10% of direct costs.

Key Dates (all in 2025)


February 4: Application portal opens
March 18: Letters of intent due
April 25: Notification of invitations to submit full applications
June 9: Full applications due
August 15: Notification of award
October 1: Projects and funding start

Invitations for full applications and funding decisions will be based on peer review by a committee of members of the SWCRF Scientific Advisory Board and Mark Foundations representatives.

Letters of intent are limited to 1 page and should be formatted with 0.5 inch border and 11 type.

They must include:

  • Proposal title
  • Background
  • Key preliminary data
  • Premise and rigor of underlying research
  • Hypothesis
  • Specific aims
  • Novelty
  • Potential translational impact for cancer and aging

Letters of intent must be submitted through the online portal by 5 pm ET on March 18, 2025.

Submit all inquiries to grants@themarkfoundation.org.