Parkinson’s Foundation Impact Awards

The Impact Awards support innovative projects from their inception, providing the necessary resources to maximize their impact on the Parkinson’s community. The science underlying the awarded projects should be “outside the box” with the goal of bringing new light to the biology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a new approach to PD research or testing a truly novel therapeutic idea. Projects should be based on groundbreaking or unconventional ideas that are unlikely to be funded through more traditional funding mechanisms.

Visit the Parkinson’s Foundation website for more information on the Impact Awards.

Value and Duration

Awards are up to a maximum of USD $150,000 for 12 to 18 months. Up to 10% (USD $15,000) of the total award may be used towards indirect costs. Salary support is permitted for no more than 40% of the principal investigator’s salary and capped at USD $50,000.

Eligibility

The Impact Awards are intended for researchers both established and new to the field of PD. Only independent investigators are eligible to apply.

Applicants must be in a tenure-track position or equivalent. Non-tenure track faculty and postdoctoral fellows can be co-principal investigators or co-investigators.

Awardees may not concurrently hold an award from another source with overlapping specific aims.

External Deadlines

• Letter of Intent (LOI): October 10, 2025
• Application (by invitation only): February 23, 2026
• Award notification will be in June 2026 for projects to begin on August 1, 2026.

View LOI internal deadlines and other details regarding the application process.

Special Requirements

All research proposals must demonstrate a significant research focus and impact on PD. The Foundation will consider proposals seeking to:

• Bring new light to the biology (underlying mechanisms) of PD.
• Address gaps or unresolved issues in the current PD research landscape.
• Test a new approach (methods or technology) to Parkinson’s research.
• Identify new biomarkers that can aid in the diagnosis or monitoring of PD.
• Identify new targets for therapeutic interventions.
• Test truly novel therapeutic ideas (pharmacological, brain stimulation, cell or gene therapy).
• Investigate how co-existing conditions affect the progression or treatment of PD.
• Use human subjects with already established cohorts to advance PD research.

Though important, the following areas are not within the scope of this award and will not be considered:

• Complementary and supportive therapies (research focusing on diet, exercise, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy, social work and community support).
• Proposals centered on clinical trial methodologies or conducting clinical trials.
• Proposals that cannot be completed within the 12 to 18 month timeframe of the award.
• Proposals that intend to use human subjects but lack established cohorts.
• Research that involves analyzing data from existing clinical studies rather than generating new primary data.

Quota

Applicants can only apply to one program per funding cycle. In addition, applicants may not submit multiple LOIs (with different projects) to the same program during the same funding cycle.

How to Apply

All components of the application must be submitted online through the Foundation’s grant portal, where additional details regarding the application process, including LOI guidelines and a list of all required components, can be found.

Letter of Intent Stage

• Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their LOI with the appropriate Faculty Research Facilitator.
• cuResearch Approval Form deadline: September 26, 2025
• Submission to sponsor: October 10, 2025

Full Application Stage

• If selected after peer review, applicants will be invited to submit a full-length proposal.
• Application deadline: February 23, 2026

Contact Us

• Heloise Emdon: HeloiseEmdon@cunet.carleton.ca
• Katie Harriman: KatieHarriman@cunet.carleton.ca