National – American Lung Association 2027 Dalsemer Interstitial Research Award ($50,000 per Year; December 1, 2026)

Funding$50,000 per year for up to two years, applicant/institution total up to $100,000 contingent on successful first-year review and fund availability. No indirect costs; applicant salary and fringe <=75%; permanent equipment <=30%; project travel/publication <=$2,500 annually. Individual grant, not overall funder pool.

DeadlineDecember 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET); opened August 5, 2026 through proposalCENTRAL.

Last verified2026-11-02

Required next actionRead the 17-page official Dalsemer 2026-2027 PDF; confirm early-career and mentor eligibility; sign in at https://proposalcentral.altum.com ; assemble mentor plan, three recommendation letters plus Department Head Statement, specific aims one page, research strategy six pages, biosketches, budget, Other Support and institutional approvals. Validate and submit by December 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. IRB/IACUC evidence due before award starts.

Broad Eligibility

Early-career doctoral investigator including eligible PhD postdoctoral and medical research fellows with a qualified research mentor, at a US nonprofit academic/research institution. MD/DO must have 2 years of post-degree research training by start. Excludes medical residents, currently enrolled graduate students and established investigators. US work authorization, institutional employment certification, one ALA application per cycle.

Atlas Analysis

FULL 2026-2027 SOURCE VERIFIED 2026-11-02. The American Lung Association official 17-page Dalsemer program PDF was reviewed in its entirety through authenticated remote document text extraction. Award is a mentored junior-investigator research grant for interstitial lung disease, $50,000/year for up to two years; second year dependent on review and available funds. Eligible US nonprofit universities and research institutions. Mentored doctoral candidates with required postdoctoral or medical research background; mentor plan, three recommendation letters and Department Head Statement required. Dec 1, 2026 11:59 PM ET online proposalCENTRAL deadline. No indirect costs, salary/equipment and travel expense caps. No matching requirement published. No LOI stage is prescribed in mechanism-specific guide. No duplicate found by current WordPress title/program search. Not a vendor procurement.

American Lung Association 2027 Dalsemer Interstitial Research Award

Applications are open and must be submitted through proposalCENTRAL by December 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. This is a mentored research award for junior investigators studying the mechanisms and biology of interstitial lung disease. The planned research term begins July 1, 2027.

Funding to an individual applicant

$50,000 per year for up to two years, or up to $100,000 over the full period, contingent on a satisfactory first-year progress review and available funds. This is a grant to an eligible US nonprofit academic or research institution supporting the investigator, not a guaranteed fellowship payment. No indirect costs are allowed. Applicant salary and fringe may not exceed 75% of the requested budget; permanent equipment may not exceed 30% of total award budget; project-related travel and publication costs may not exceed $2,500 annually. The controlling document does not impose a matching-funds percentage.

Who qualifies

Applicants need a relevant doctoral degree, such as PhD, MD or DO, and affiliation with a recognized US nonprofit academic or scientific research institution. The award targets junior investigators pursuing independence with a qualified mentor experienced in lung disease research. Eligible candidates can include postdoctoral fellows and medical fellows planning at least two years of mentored research. MD or DO applicants must have completed at least two years of research training after their terminal degree before the award starts. Medical residents, degree-enrolled graduate students and established investigators are ineligible. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States, have institutional appointment continuity certified by the institutional signing official, submit only one American Lung Association application per cycle and may receive this award only once.

Application and restrictions

Submit via proposalCENTRAL with a mentor and mentoring plan, three recommendation letters plus a distinct Department Head Statement, investigator and mentor biosketches, one-page Specific Aims, six-page Research Strategy, budget and justification, summaries, institutional resources, active and pending Other Support, relevant assurances and signatures. Human-subject, animal-care and biosafety approvals must be finalized before the research award starts. Duplicate funding is disallowed. Tobacco and e-cigarette industry funding conflicts are prohibited. Any use of AI in preparing the application must meet and disclose permitted administrative uses. Check all prescribed format, file and institutional certifications in the full 17-page official guide.

Official documentation

Controlling American Lung Association 2026-2027 Dalsemer RFA: https://www.lung.org/getmedia/7f2663d5-d009-4bb2-aade-b2f96d376e2a/Dalsemer-Interstitial-Lung-Disease-Award_26-27.pdf . Funder program page: https://www.lung.org/research/awards-and-grants-opportunities . Apply: https://proposalcentral.altum.com . Current 17-page RFA was read November 2, 2026. This is a legitimate academic research grant, not procurement.

Source verificationReferenced source · www.lung.orgAtlas last verified this record 2026-11-02. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗