Children’s Tumor Foundation: Clinical Research Awards (CRA) Grant

The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) offers Clinical Research Awards (CRA) to advance therapies for neurofibromatosis (NF). The CRA funds early-stage investigations into innovative therapeutic and psychosocial interventions. Areas of interest include pilot clinical trials, biomarker studies, and patient-reported outcomes, focusing on improving care for individuals with NF1 and schwannomatosis. CTF aims to support groundbreaking research that addresses critical healthcare challenges faced by patients, ultimately enhancing treatment outcomes and quality of life.

The Children’s Tumor Foundation is dedicated to funding research that will prevent, reverse, or manage the complications of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and all types of schwannomatosis (SWN), including NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN), formerly called neurofibromatosis type 2. As the leading non-governmental NF research funder in the US, CTF has historically acted as a ‘seed funder’ to provide funding especially to early-career NF researchers and to early-stage NF research, both of which require additional time and support before becoming eligible for larger governmental or industrial funding.
Examples of areas of interest for this award include, but are not limited to, the following:
Pilot clinical trials or studies adjunct to an ongoing clinical trialBiomarker studies (e.g. molecular, imaging, or genetic biomarkers) that may inform or accelerate a clinical trial or the development of diagnosticsPatient-reported outcome measures or other real-world evidence that can assess disease burden, risk stratification, short- or long-term treatment effects, etc., for specific manifestationsNatural historyClinical heterogeneity and its relation to genetic, environmental, or biologic factorsAdult care concerns such as barriers to care, transition from pediatric to adult healthcare, chronic pain management, mental health, nutrition, bone/joint health, and sexual and reproductive healthResearch in support of developing evidence-based care and treatment guidelines