Burroughs Wellcome Fund — Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative, 2026–2027
Open competition. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is accepting proposals for its Next Generation Pregnancy Initiative (NGP), a biomedical basic-science research grant supporting prevention and understanding of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The controlling 2026–2027 Request for Proposals provides $700,000 per award over four years ($175,000 annually), with an anticipated award start on October 1, 2027. The applicant-level award is $700,000. A separate competition-wide funding pool was not published in the controlling RFP.
Deadline: November 17, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), with no extensions. The ProposalCentral application opened September 1, 2026. BWF recommended completing its eligibility screen by November 3, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. EST, but states that the eligibility questionnaire may still be accessed afterward; it will not respond to eligibility inquiries after that date. The eligibility screening is mandatory to gain access to the full proposal.
Research focus
Eligible investigations address mechanisms of healthy pregnancy, preterm birth, pregnancy loss after 12 weeks and recurrent pregnancy loss, or preeclampsia. Research addressing adverse pregnancy outcomes must emphasize prevention. The funder seeks innovative basic science, especially molecular or physiological mechanisms, and welcomes interdisciplinary collaborations; general healthcare service delivery or social-determinants-only projects are not eligible.
Who may apply
A sponsoring public or private nonprofit institution in the United States or Canada must receive and administer the award. Eligible institutions include universities, research institutes, and teaching hospitals affiliated with degree-granting institutions; other nonprofits require program-officer approval. An eligible primary investigator must be a senior postdoctoral fellow, staff scientist, assistant professor, or associate professor; full professors may collaborate but not be the named principal investigator. The PI must meet citizenship or applicable U.S./Canadian work-authorization conditions throughout the grant. Previous BWF Preterm Birth or NGP primary awardees cannot serve as PI. One proposal per investigator is permitted, but there is no institutional cap.
Allowable expenses and restrictions
Funds may support research personnel, supplies, equipment, and scientific travel, subject to the RFP. No institutional indirect costs may be charged. Equipment purchases exceeding $50,000 in an award year or scientific travel exceeding $15,000 in an award year need prior BWF approval. Salary and fringe support for each of the named investigator and up to two collaborators is limited to $42,000 annually per person, with a combined $126,000 annual maximum and no more than $14,000 per person annually for fringe benefits. No universal applicant cash match or reimbursement percentage is specified.
Application requirements
Complete ProposalCentral eligibility screening and a full proposal with a six-page research plan (including one page of specific aims), NIH-style biosketch of up to five pages, lay and scientific abstracts, a four-year itemized budget and justification, separate supporting publication PDFs (up to three), institutional IRS determination or equivalent documentation, and required institutional certification. Optional collaborator letters and biosketches are limited by the RFP. Both the investigator and institutional sponsored-program signing official must sign before submission. Only a validated and submitted online application is accepted; faxed, emailed, or paper applications are not accepted. IRB or animal-care approvals, when applicable, are due before award start.
Official controlling RFP: https://www.bwfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/BWF-NGPI-RFP-2027_v4.pdf . Funder program page: https://www.bwfund.org/grants/reproductive-sciences/next-gen-pregnancy-initiative/ . Applicants must follow the current funder instructions and complete the required ProposalCentral submission before the deadline.