The Whitehall Foundation, through its program of grants and grants-in-aid, assists scholarly research in the life sciences. The Foundation emphasizes the support of young scientists at the beginning of their careers and productive senior scientists who wish to move into new fields of interest. Consideration is given, however, to applicants of all ages. The chief criteria for support are the quality and creativity of the research as well as the commitment of the Principal Investigator (a minimum time allocation of 20% is required). The principal investigator must hold no less than the position of assistant professor, or the equivalent, in order to participate in the application process.
The Foundation is currently interested in basic research in neurobiology, defined as follows: Invertebrate and vertebrate (excluding clinical) neurobiology, specifically investigations of neural mechanisms involved in sensory, motor, and other complex functions of the whole organism as these relate to behavior. The overall goal should be to better understand behavioral output or brain mechanisms of behavior.
The Foundation offers two grants mechanisms:
Research Grants – Available to established scientists of all ages working at accredited institutions in the United States. Applications will be judged on the scientific merit and the innovative aspects of the proposal as well as on the competence of the applicant. Research grants of up to three years will be provided. A renewal grant with a maximum of two years is possible, but it will be awarded on a competitive basis. Research grants will not be awarded to investigators who have already received, or expect to receive, substantial support from other sources, even if it is for an unrelated purpose. The maximum budget is $100,000 per year for the two- and three-year research grants.
Grants-in-Aid – Designed for researchers at the assistant professor level who experience difficulty in competing for research funds because they have not yet become firmly established. Grants-in-Aid can also be made to senior scientists. All applications will be judged on the scientific merit and innovative aspects of the proposal, as well as on past performance and evidence of the applicant’s continued productivity. Grants-in-Aid are awarded for a one-year period and do not exceed $30,000. Applicants for the Grants-in-Aid program are reviewed and ranked together with the traditional research grant program. This program is not a pre-requisite to a two- or three-year research grant. The majority of the applications received are for a three-year research grant.
To be eligible, the applicant must meet all of the following eligibility requirements in order to participate in the application process:
Assistant Professor (or higher)
Must be considered an ‘independent investigator’ with their own dedicated lab space
The Foundation does not fund investigators who have substantial (approximately $200,000 per year) extramural funding. Startup funds and internal funding are not included in the calculation.