End AxD Grant Program

Supported and evaluated by the End AxD Scientific Advisory Committee.

  • General goals

    • We are interested in all aspects of therapeutic research, ranging from basic mechanisms through translational studies (both bench to bedside and back) and current clinical practices. We especially encourage projects aimed at generating strong preliminary data that can be used in support of applications for major funding by other third parties in the future. 

  • Eligibility

  • The Principal Investigator must be associated with a non-profit or academic institution that will provide appropriate oversight for finances, safety, animals, and human subjects research (as needed). The PI must have a faculty appointment equivalent to assistant professor or higher.

  • Funding levels

    • $50,000 to $100,000 direct costs, 1-2 years (although projects that are above and below this range will be considered on occasion and as finances permit).

    • Projects asking for 2 years of support will require a mid-term assessment with a written proposal describing what was accomplished during year 1 and updates (if any) to the plans for year 2. 

    • Indirect costs are permitted up to 15% of the direct costs.

  • Calendar

    • Applications will be accepted once a year, due September 30, with review completed by December 1 and funding available by January 1 of the next year.

  • Guidelines for application

    • Proposal format

      • One page Letter of Intent, due Aug 8, with response within 1 week

        • Required information

          • name, appointment, institutional affiliation, and contact information

          • title of proposal

          • project duration

          • estimated budget

          • brief statement of the specific aims

  • Full proposal

    • page limit 5 pages (not including cover letter, layman summary, references, other support, biosketches, or response to prior review)

    • Required sections

      • Cover letter

        • PI’s name, appointment, institutional affiliation, and contact information

        • Title of proposal

        • Project duration

        • Attestation regarding use of AI (see below)

      • Specific aims

      • Background 

        • Preliminary data (if any) can be included here or in Approach

      • Approach

      • Budget

        • Should include % effort for all key personnel, along with a brief description of their role(s)

      • References

        • Each reference that is cited must have a PubMed ID, PMC number, or DOI included as part of the entry in the bibliography.

      • Other support

      • Biosketch for PI and other key personnel (use NIH format)

      • Revised applications must include a 1 pg response to the prior review.

      • Lay Summary

        • Describe in a plain, lay language the aims of your research project, the means to be used to test your hypotheses and the relevance to health & therapy for Alexander Disease. Therefore, do not include proprietary/confidential information. If the grant is awarded, the lay summary will become public information and there is a requirement to provide a Lay progress report.

    • The proposal must abide by the follow rules regarding format:

      • Minimum font - Arial 11

      • Minimum line spacing of 6 lines per inch

      • Page size 8.5 x 11” with minimum 0.5” margins

      • PDF format

    • Policies regarding the use of AI in application and review

      • Any use of AI in the crafting and writing of research proposals must be acknowledged and described in the cover letter for submission.  

      • Use of AI is not permitted for preparation of proposal reviews. 

      • We will follow NIH guidelines as described in the following link: 

      • Per guidelines adapted from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the Annals of Neurology, “Tools that are used to improve spelling, grammar, and general editing are not included in the scope of these guidelines.”

  • Please submit Letter of Intent and Full Proposals to both info@endaxd.org and amessing@wisc.edu