Request for Proposals (RFP)
Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program (www.homebase.org),is providing catalyst funding to be used toward innovative, military-focused research. The purpose of this funding is to stimulate new ideas and exciting approaches to research designed to yield meaningful impact for Veterans, Active-Duty Service Members and Military-Connected Families. Data from catalyst awards can then be used to seek larger-scale funding from other entities to conduct additional research. Proposals should relate to advancing one or more of the following areas of clinical or translational research:
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Post-traumatic stress and its most common comorbidities including but not limited to depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
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TBI and its most common comorbidities including but not limited to depressive, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
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The impact of invisible wounds on the service member’s or veteran’s family relationships, as well as interventions to improve these relationships
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Interventions to improve wellness among service members and veterans, irrespective of specific clinical diagnoses.
Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by the Home Base Scientific Advisory Council based on their scientific merit, the quality of the research team, the project design, and the likelihood the project will generate novel findings relevant to invisible wounds. We plan to award two $75,000 grants, inclusive of 20% indirect costs. The project period for your proposal can be either one year or two years. Recipients will be expected to present their findings to the Home Base Program, provide annual progress reports to the Home Base Scientific Advisory Council, and acknowledge this support in any presentations or publications that result from this research.
About Home Base
Home Base is dedicated to healing invisible wounds; traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and other conditions for Veterans of all eras, Military Service Members, Military Families, and Families of the Fallen through world-class clinical care, wellness, education, and research. Home Base is the largest private sector clinic in the United States with the sole focus of helping at-risk Veterans and Military Families regain the lives they once had. By caring for Veterans in a family-based clinic, and by working in cooperation with the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), Home Base serves as the model of excellence for promoting the health and well-being of Veterans and Military Service Members nationwide. All care is provided at no cost thanks to support from a Grateful Nation.
Application Deadline: May 4, 2026 By 5:00 pm
Award Announcement: Week of July 13, 2026
Funding Period: October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2028
Applications will be evaluated on:
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The potential to generate findings that will transform the field.
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The potential to catalyze growth of cross-disciplinary military-focused research at MGB.
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Scientific merit and novelty.
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Evidence of a compelling long-term vision that extends beyond the duration of the Catalyst award, and toward measurable improvement in patient health and well-being.
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Likelihood that preliminary data will be generated that could attract additional funding from federal, industry, or philanthropic sources.
Review Process:
Applications will be evaluated and ranked for funding priority by the Home Base Scientific Advisory Council, which consists of senior researchers and advisors from across MGH.
PI Eligibility:
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Principal investigator eligibility is generally limited to those who hold an MGB/HMS faculty appointment. For more details, please review the PI Eligibility Policy here:
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PI Eligibility Policy.pdf
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Awards are for new projects, not to extend a PI’s ongoing or previous work.
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Awards are not intended to be used as bridge funding.
Expenses for which the funding may be used:
Funds may be used at investigator’s discretion for completion of the project. Allowable costs include:
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Salary support (PI, co-investigator, CRC/RA, postdoc, etc.)
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Research materials, supplies, software, etc.
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Equipment
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MGB Research Core Services
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Travel & meeting support
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Participant payments
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Publication costs
Submission Requirements:
This funding mechanism utilizes the Mass General Brigham Grant Management Portal. Instructions on using the Portal are provided in the next section, “HOW TO APPLY”. The opening screen of the Portal requires you to fill out some information about the Applicant and the title of your proposed project. You will then need to upload a series of documents as PDFs. The PDFs to upload are:
1. Project Proposal
2-page limit, excluding references. The Project Proposal should describe the nature of the research, the long-term strategy, and how this award will provide the essential first step toward success. This section should include:
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Title of Research Project (this should be the first line at the top of the Project Proposal)
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Background and significance (including a description of the problem to be solved)
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Specific Aims of the project
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Preliminary data (optional)
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Experimental design and methods
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Next steps & long-term impact
Adding additional pages by uploading a separate Appendix is not permitted.
2. List of Key Personnel and Performance Site(s)
2-page limit. For each Site (the location(s) of where the research will be conducted), include the address of the site, and a brief description of the research-related resources available at the site.
3. NIH Biosketches for all Key Personnel
A sample NIH-formatted biosketch, as well as information about the page limit, can be found here:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm
4. Budget
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Please use the Excel template provided here
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When you click this link, the document will automatically download to your computer (most likely to your Downloads folder).
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After filling out the template, convert it to a PDF.
5. Budget Justification
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Please use the Word template provided here.
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When you click this link, the document will automatically download to your computer (most likely to your Downloads folder).
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After filling out the template, convert it to a PDF.
6. Letter(s) of Support from External Collaborator(s) – Optional
If you plan to engage one or more external collaborator(s), you have the option of including up to two letters of support from the external collaborator(s). 2-page limit for each Letter of Support. If you obtain two letters, please combine both letters into a single PDF.
7. Assessment Form for Research at Home Base – If applicable
If your proposed study involves measurable effort by Home Base personnel, or involves enrolling patients of a Home Base clinical program, please fill out and submit the REDCap form found here:
https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=EKACCYJNP4C7YEF8
If you have any questions regarding who to contact as you complete this form, reach out to Alan Berkeley, Home Base Research Manager, at aberkeley@mgh.harvard.edu
After submitting the form, click the “Download” button that will appear on the screen, and a PDF of the form will download to your computer. Include this PDF in your grant application.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications are submitted via the MGB Grant Management Portal. Here are the instructions:
1. Click the Apply button at the bottom of the page.
2. Log in using your MGB credentials. If you don’t have an account yet, create a new account, and then fill out your profile information.
3. Once your account profile is complete, you will be guided through the creation of your online grant application. If you cannot complete your application in one session, click Save and return to it later to finish. Before submitting, you will have the ability to make changes to your application.
4. When you have completed the application, click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
5. Once you submit, you will not be able to make further changes unless you send a request to mgbresearch@mgb.org. Once the deadline passes, requests for changes are unable to be accepted.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
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You can only upload PDF documents.
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When naming your PDFs, limit characters to A-Z, a-z, and 0-9. Do not use periods, commas, or dashes in any of the file names.
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Submission deadline is Monday May 4, 2026 by 5:00 pm.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are there specific areas of interest that will be considered?
Home Base is specifically interested in advancing one or more of the following areas of clinical or translational research related to the invisible wounds: post-traumatic stress, TBI, impact of invisible wounds on family relationships, interventions to improve wellness among Service Members/Veterans.
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What is the dollar amount of the funding?
Each Catalyst grant will be in the amount of $75,000, inclusive of 20% InDirect Costs (IDC). Projects can be budgeted for either 1 year or 2 years.
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Does the same amount need to be budgeted for each year of the award?
No. Year-to year differences are common, especially with Personnel, since salaries tend to be slightly higher in Year 2 of a grant than in Year 1. The Justification section of the template allows plenty of space to explain any material increases or decreases year-to-year for any of the budget categories.
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Can the proposed research involve human subjects or laboratory animals?
Yes. Projects can involve human subjects, laboratory animals, or both. IRB and/or IACUC approval will be necessary before a study can begin.
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Is the award open to existing teams of collaborators, new teams, or both?
Both. If the project builds on an existing collaboration, it must measurably strengthen the team and address a new scientific question which falls within the scope of the RFP.
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Does the PI need to belong to any particular department?
No. Investigators from any MGB hospital or department are encouraged to apply.
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Are co-PIs / multiple PIs allowable?
Yes. In the Key Personnel document as well as in the Budget Justification, please specify the unique contributions of each PI to the project and describe how their complementary expertise is essential for the project’s success.
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Do all team members need to have MGB staff appointments?
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PIs/co-PIs must have their primary appointment at MGB.
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Independent Contractors (aka External Consultants) are allowed, but discuss this with your HR Partner and with MGB Supply Chain before adding any Independent Contractors to your budget. The contracting process is complicated, with several criteria that need to be addressed before MGB can determine if funds can be remitted to an Independent Contractor.
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Subcontracts to other institutions are not allowed.
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Can postdoctoral fellows apply?
Postdoctoral fellows cannot serve as a PI or co-PI, but may be included as study staff, and can receive salary support. Doctoral-level staff (including Postdocs) are typically categorized within the Key Personnel category.
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Will applicants receive feedback?
Specific scores will not be shared with applicants. Upon request, applicants may be provided with brief feedback to the extent that it is recorded during the evaluation and scoring of the application.
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If I receive a Catalyst award, when will the funding be disbursed?
Funds will be disbursed (via an Insight Revenue Journal) immediately upon IRB Approval of your project.
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Who should I contact with additional questions?
Please reach out to Alan Berkeley, Home Base Research Manager, at aberkeley@mgh.harvard.edu with additional questions. For technical questions about the MGB Grant Management Portal, please email Katherine Book at kebook@mgh.harvard.edu.