Brain Research & Innovation Network: Grant Initiative of Texas (BRING IT)
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) offers BRING IT, a competitive 2026–2027 one-year research seed grant for qualified research leaders at Texas-based universities, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. This is a direct applicant-facing research funding competition—not the broader Texas Dementia Prevention and Research Institute (DPRIT) allocation or an equipment procurement contract.
Individual Applicant Funding
Up to $100,000 in direct costs per one-year award. RCF expects approximately 10–20 grants, subject to available resources, merit, and priorities. Indirect costs will not be awarded. The funder does not state a mandatory percentage match on its controlling opportunity page. The individual $100,000 maximum is not a statewide DPRIT allocation and the anticipated award count is not a promised overall fund pool.
2026 Letter of Intent and 2027 Full Application Dates
First-stage LOI deadline: November 13, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time (noon CT). The LOI window opened September 25, 2026. RCF anticipates issuing full-application invitations December 16, 2026. Invited-only full applications are due February 12, 2027 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Anticipated grant notification is May 2027 and the award start is in the third quarter of 2027. Late LOIs will not be considered; submitting an LOI does not guarantee a full-application invitation.
Eligible Institutions and Principal Investigators
The lead applicant must be a Texas-based academic institution or nonprofit research organization. Its designated principal investigator (PI) must have the organization’s authorization to conduct independent research and sufficient staff, facilities, data, partnerships, and other resources. A faculty appointment or laboratory is not universally required when irrelevant to the project. Each PI may serve as PI on only one LOI for this competition. Collaborating startups or other for-profit entities are permitted when scientifically justified, but the eligible Texas institution or nonprofit must remain the lead applicant and award administrator.
Five Eligible Research Themes
Applicants must choose one topic: (1) implementation science for brain health and dementia care; (2) next-generation disease models and new approach methodologies; (3) multimodal sensing and algorithmic risk stratification in primary care; (4) computational drug repurposing for neurodegenerative disease; or (5) precision prevention of modifiable dementia and cognitive-decline risk factors. Projects should be feasible within twelve months and generate proof-of-concept evidence for subsequent research or implementation funding.
LOI Requirements and Submission
The official two-page LOI question preview (PDF) requests the PI’s name, title, institution, email, project title, selected topic, and a concise 300–500 word maximum project description uploaded as a PDF no larger than 5 MB. The narrative should explain the unmet need, approach, expected outcomes, fit with the selected topic, and potential subsequent funding. Applicants must acknowledge the Scientific Integrity Policy and Procedures. Review the controlling Rainwater BRING IT competition guidelines and use its official LOI submission portal link; portal access and any additional submission prerequisites are controlled by the funder. Direct questions to medgrants@rainwatercf.org.
Verified official sources: RCF BRING IT program instructions and RCF official LOI question preview PDF. Research verified October 25, 2026.