New Jersey Health Foundation — 2027 Annual Research Grants
New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) is accepting applications to fund promising early-stage research that may lay the groundwork for larger external research grants. This is a competitive applicant grant, not a procurement contract. The current cycle opened September 14, 2026.
Funding and deadline
Up to $50,000 per applicant research project for a one-year grant period. The application deadline is November 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. The September 2026 official FAQ does not label a time zone; applicants should confirm their submission cutoff inside the official portal. Awards are made to the affiliated institution, not personally to the principal investigator. The sample agreement describes a March 1, 2027 start, 80% initial payment and 20% following accepted final reports.
Strict eligibility
Only full-time faculty, staff and other personnel working at these NJHF-affiliated organizations may lead an application: Cooper University Health Care, Hackensack Meridian Health, Kessler Foundation, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Rowan University, Rutgers University, University Hospital and Virtua Health. Part-time employees, adjunct faculty and postdoctoral fellows are ineligible as principal investigators. Applicants must complete internal institutional approvals before submitting.
Application requirements
Apply electronically through the official NJHF portal. The September 2026 policies require a one-page double-spaced lay abstract, a four-page double-spaced proposal, principal-investigator CV or biosketch up to five pages, institutional authorization letter, and budget on the application form. The proposal must cover hypotheses, methods, resources, evaluation and intended future funding. Optional literature references may accompany the application. Strict page, font-size and margin rules apply.
Funding restrictions
Only direct project costs are allowed. Funding cannot pay principal-investigator or co-principal-investigator salary, overhead, tuition, grant-administration fees or investment management fees. Other staff time may be allowable when directly attributable to the project. Equipment exceeding $1,000 needs justification; travel generally requires exceptional justification. A specific applicant matching-fund requirement is not stated in the reviewed policies. Material budget or scope changes require prior written approval.
Official application materials
September 2026 Research Grant Policies and Procedures · Research Grant FAQs (including the November 16 deadline) · NJHF grant program overview. The applicant-specific login-only portal questionnaire has not been independently inspected; applicants should verify all portal fields and the time zone before submitting.