Grants

A key part of the AACPDM mission is to foster innovative research as well as its dissemination and implementation. One way the Academy promotes research is through the annual Research Grant Program.

AACPDM Research Grants provide support to bring together investigators from diverse geographical locations to obtain pilot data, statistical consultation and develop a multi-center research study plan.

AACPDM is excited to accept research grant applications that align with the Academy's mission to support a collaborative multidisciplinary community that provides robust scientific education, fosters innovative research, and advocates for equitable access to evidence-based care.

Research grant funding supports high-quality clinical research projects/programs. The award may be used to fund planning for a project or to complete a small research project.

AACPDM is excited to announce the return of the AACPDM Mentored Research Grant for $15,000!

Eligibility for AACPDM Mentored Research Grant:

The Principal Investigator (PI), as the mentee, must be an AACPDM member in good standing who meets the following criteria:

PI has a research degree (PhD or equivalent); OR has a clinical degree and license to practice in the field of developmental disabilities in their local region, but would benefit from research mentorship to expand their research career. Examples of potential Principal Investigators include:
- An early career faculty with a research degree (PhD or equivalent),
- PhD students who have completed a clinical degree (in addition to their mentor, PhD students will need to demonstrate approval from mentor and their dissertation committee to submit an application)
- Post-doctoral fellows and researchers
- Full-time clinicians with research mentorship,
PI has not successfully competed for a federal or non-institutional grant of more than $50,000 in direct costs per year. (exclusive of start-up package)
PI has an identified environment and mentor that will support and guide training opportunities in childhood onset disabilities. The application will require a 1-page environmental support and separate 1-page mentoring training plan statement to describe alignment with the project and career goals and will be evaluated along with the research plan. Applications without a training plan will not be considered.

Other Application Information:

Only one grant application per member will be considered in a budget year.
International applicants are eligible if they meet the other eligibility criteria listed above.
No indirect costs (F&A) can be included in the budget.
Grant funds are available for 12 months to support the project starting October 1st.
Human subjects and any other institutional approvals must be obtained within 6 months of the project start.
No cost extensions must be approved before the end of the budget period.
Delays in grant start date are not allowed.
A 6-month interim and final progress report are required.

Grant Timeline:

Announcement: March 2026

Submission deadline: April 15^th, 2026 at 11:59 pm CT

Grant review panel: May 2026

AACPDM review of grant scores and discussion: June/July 2026

Grant award announced: August 2026

Funds released: October 2026

Funding period: October 2026-September 2027 (12 months)

Grant Evaluation Process and Criteria:

Grant applications will be reviewed and scored by 2-3 reviewers who are part of the AACPDM research committee.

Scoring and evaluation will be consistent with the NIH grant scoring criteria:

Importance of the Research (Significance and Innovation: (scored 1-9 scale)
Rigor and Feasibility (Approach: (scored on a 1-9 scale)
Expertise and Resources (Investigators and Environment: (Appropriate/Not appropriate)
Budget (Appropriate/Not appropriate)
Overall Impact (scored on a 1-9 scale)

For AACPDM training grants, research training and mentoring plan will be separately evaluated, as these are considered key parts of the Reviewers will separately evaluate the training and mentoring plan as this is a key part of the mentored grant.

Specific instructions about what to include in each section of the application can be found in the template application.

Submission Process:

You will submit the application within the AACPDM website. Please review frequently asked questions regarding the application.

Please be sure that you have read the application outline and structure your documents accordingly. The online application form will save the information you enter to be completed later. You will not be able to edit your application after it is submitted.

When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact info@aacpdm.org to confirm that your application has been successfully submitted.

Grant Applications OPEN March 2026

The deadline to submit an Annual Research Grant application is April 15, 2026

AACPDM Members