Funding Opportunities

The Dana Center offers seed grants and fellowships to support researchers and trainees working on neuroscience questions with real community relevance. Explore our RFAs below.

For 2026-2027, the Dana Center is offering two Seed Grant funding tracks, each designed to support a different stage of multidisciplinary, community-centered neuroscience research. Both tracks require multidisciplinary teams and at least one trainee, and both are eligible to compete for stage two funding.

Applications are due July 15, 2026.

Purpose:Funds teams to develop the cross-disciplinary and cross-sector partnerships needed to advance societally impactful neuroscience research projects.
Award Amounts:Up to $15,000
Eligibility:

This award requires a team of at least three people:

  1. A Contact PI at UCLA or CDU
  2. At least one faculty from a different discipline or community organization partner
  3. At least one trainee 

Teams are strongly encouraged to support trainees in applying for a Dana Center Fellowship in order to receive additional funding. See Eligibility section for more information.

Webinar:1pm June 15, 2026 (will be recorded and posted). Register here.
Application due:July 15, 2026
Award Announcement:August 2026
Project Period: October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027
Eligible for competitive stage 2 funding after year 1? Yes
Purpose:Support for researching and writing a review article that synthesizes neuroscience evidence related to areas of interest identified by a community organization (All People’s Health Collective). These articles will summarize relevant neuroscience-related knowledge for informing policymakers about changes needed to advance health equity and enable future empirical neuroscience research.
Award Amounts:$20,000 (scoping review); $30,000 (systematic review)
Eligibility:

NEIRA requires a team of at least three people:

  1. A Contact PI at UCLA or CDU
  2. At least one Co-PI from a different discipline
  3. At least one trainee.

Teams are strongly encouraged to support trainees in applying for a Dana Center Fellowship in order to receive additional funding.

Webinar:1pm June 15, 2026 (will be recorded and posted). Register here.
Application due:July 15, 2026, 11:59pm
Award Announcement:August 2026
Project Period:October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027
Eligible for competitive stage 2 funding after year 1? Yes

The UCLA-CDU Dana Center for Neuroscience and Society invites applications for its 2026–2027 Interdisciplinary Fellowship. This program offers embedded research training at the intersection of neuroscience and society, supporting fellows across disciplines and career stages, from undergraduates to postdocs to community leaders. Fellows work on original projects, participate in a weekly seminar series, and engage directly with community partners in South LA. To learn more about our current fellows, click here

Applications are due July 15, 2026.

Fellowship Award
Purpose:

Cultivates the next generation of leaders at the intersection of neuroscience and society through interdisciplinary, community-engaged research training. Fellows will be expected to work on a project that explores community engagement in the neurosciences.

Seed Grant Co-Project: Fellow applicants may co-apply alongside a Dana Center Seed Grant application. The seed grant PI should name the fellow as a trainee on their application. Seed Grant Co-Applications are strongly encouraged. 

Independent Project: Fellow applicants may propose an independent project aligned with the Center’s mission. Strong support from the applicant’s PI or supervisor is required

Award Amounts:Up to $36,000
Eligibility:
  • Pre- or post-graduate trainees (Undergrad, Master’s, PhD, Postdocs)
  • Medical students at UCLA or CDU
  • Community leaders with relevant experience

PI / supervisor support is required for all applicants

Webinar:1pm June 15, 2026 (will be recorded and posted). Register here.
Application due:July 15, 2026
Award Announcement:August 2026
Project Period: October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027
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Find Collaborators!

Are you interested in one or more of these RFAs and would like some help in finding potential collaborators? 
Fill out the survey below!

Results will be public and published here so that potential collaborators can find each other.

Questions?

Attend our informational webinar on 1pm June 15, 2026 or contact danacenter@mednet.ucla.edu.

A recording of the webinar will be posted here after June 15th.

Explore Current Awardees!

Check out the projects our current seed grant awardees and fellows are pursuing.