Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants
This program is currently closed. The details below reflect the previous call and are for general information purposes only.
Sponsor’s Website
Visit the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) website for more information on the Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants.
Internal Contacts
- Katie Harriman: katie.harriman@carleton.ca
- Heloise Emdon: heloise.emdon@carleton.ca
Potential applicants are also encouraged to discuss this opportunity with their Faculty Research Facilitator.
Deadlines
| Deadline | Date |
|---|---|
| Faculty deadline | Consult your Faculty Research Facilitator |
| Internal cuResearch Approval Form | July 16, 2026 |
| Submission of application to BWF | July 23, 2026 |
Overview
The Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants program aims to stimulate the creation of new connections that address the impacts of climate change on human health. The program supports early‑stage, high‑risk and creative projects that bring together researchers, practitioners and organizations from fields that do not traditionally work together, with the goal of catalyzing innovative approaches to climate‑related health challenges.
BWF is particularly interested in projects that bridge biomedical and health sciences with ecological, environmental, geological, geographic and planetary‑scale thinking, as well as population‑focused disciplines such as epidemiology, public health, demography, economics and urban planning. The program also welcomes proposals that pilot new interactions or systems aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of health‑centered activities, preparing for climate‑driven crises and extreme weather events, or advancing public outreach, climate communication and education at the intersection of climate change and human health.
This opportunity is intended as seed funding to support idea development, partnership building and proof‑of‑concept work.
Value and Duration
Seed grants of $2,500 to $50,000 USD per project for activities conducted over up to one year.
Eligibility
Applications must be submitted by non‑profit organizations or degree‑granting institutions based in the United States or Canada.
Individuals may serve as principal investigator or project director on only one application per review cycle.
Projects led by a single institution are eligible, provided that the work involves interdisciplinary collaborations that do not already occur naturally.
The program does not support standalone biomedical research projects led by individual investigators.
Submitting Your Application
- Submit an internal Approval Form through our central awards management database cuResearch. Consult the user’s manual for guidance.
- Submit an external application to BWF through their online portal.