Rita Allen Foundation: Scholars Award in Pain Grant

Rita Allen Foundation: Scholars Award in Pain Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Rita Allen Foundation
Amount: US $150,000
Last Updated: October 05, 2025

Summary

The Rita Allen Foundation: Scholars Award in Pain supports early-career researchers in basic pain science. Established in 2009, it offers grants of $150,000 over three years to those investigating innovative pain mechanisms and analgesic development. Eligible candidates should be in the early stages of their faculty careers, demonstrating exceptional promise and a commitment to pain research. This award aims to enhance understanding and treatment of chronic pain, fostering impactful scientific advancements.

Overview

Rita Allen Foundation: Scholars Award in Pain Since 2009, the Rita Allen Foundation has provided a special award for early-career leaders in basic pain research whose work holds high potential for uncovering new pathways to improve the treatment of chronic pain. The Foundation has awarded annually two grants or more in the amount of $150,000 over three years to early-career investigators pursuing innovative research that focuses on basic science mechanisms of pain. Eligible candidates will have completed their training and provided persuasive evidence of distinguished achievements or extraordinary promise in basic science research in pain. Candidates should be in the early stages of their career with an appointment at the faculty level. Research Topics Proposed research projects should be directed toward investigating the molecular biology of pain and/or basic science topics related to developing new analgesics for managing pain. The entire award is made available to projects specifically chosen by the recipient; university overhead (i.e., in-direct costs) is not supported.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. To be eligible for the Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Award in Pain, the applicant must: Have received committed start-up funds and independent laboratory space from their institution.This information must be clearly indicated in the Department Chair/Division Chief letter of support for the candidate.Be within three years of the start date of a tenure track position or equivalent.If extenuating circumstances slowed your tenure trajectory (e.g., home-schooling children during the COVID-19 pandemic, other caregiving responsibilities, etc.) please get in touch with USASP directly about your circumstance. The determination of your eligibility will be at the discretion of the Rita Allen Foundation and the Award in Pain Selection Committee.Conduct their research and be appointed at an institution in the United States or Canada.Demonstrate a commitment to the field of pain research.

Ineligibility

Senior postdocs and associate professors are not eligible.