Funding Opportunities for the FY21 Melanoma Research Program Open for Applications

May 14, 2021 – The MRF is pleased to announce that the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Melanoma Research Program is now accepting pre-applications for the following awards – Idea Award, Melanoma Academy Leadership Award, Melanoma Academy Scholar Award, Mid-Career Accelerator Award, Team Science Award and Translational Research Award. These awards range from $500,000 to $1,300,000 for up to four years of maximum funding.

Pre-Applications are required for each award type, from which a select number of proposals will be invited to submit a full application. Pre-applications for the Idea Award and Melanoma Academy Scholar Award are due by June 29, 2021. For those invited to move forward, applications will be due on September 28, 2021. Pre-applications for the Melanoma Academy Leadership Award, Mid-Career Accelerator Award, Team Science Award and Translational Research Award are due on August 4, 2021, with final applications due on August 26, 2021. More information can be found on the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) website.

In March 2019, the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), led a coalition of advocates to successfully secure $20 million in dedicated research funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) Melanoma Research Program (MRP), a $10 million increase from the previous year. The coalition led efforts to increase this budget to $30 million in the 2021 bill and is currently urging lawmakers to meet a growing need by including $40 million in the next appropriations bill.

This program supports critical research toward new breakthroughs in melanoma diagnosis and treatment that will benefit American service members, their family members and the general population.

Since 2009, melanoma has been eligible to receive Defense funding through the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP). While conditions like breast cancer and lung cancer benefited from dedicated funding during this time, melanoma researchers were in competition with over a dozen other cancer types to secure a portion of PRCRP funding. The creation and expansion of the dedicated Melanoma Research Program reflects the critical need for melanoma research to be a national priority.

As one of the leading organizations funding cutting-edge melanoma science, the MRF applauds the continued bipartisan commitment to advance innovative melanoma research to benefit all Americans.

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About Melanoma
Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, races and skin types. In 2021, approximately 106,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with Stage I-IV melanoma and another 101,000 will be diagnosed with melanoma in situ – totaling over 207,000 total diagnoses. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25- to 29-years-old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15- to 29-years-old. The majority of melanomas occur on the skin and melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the eye (ocular, or uveal melanoma), in mucous membranes (mucosal melanoma), or even beneath fingernails and toenails.

About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Since 1998, the MRF has funded over $20.1 million in melanoma research, transforming the landscape of treatment development. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is a committed advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of the disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at https://www.melanoma.org. Find the MRF on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.