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General Application FAQs:

Q: Does ALSF fund institutions outside of the U.S. and Canada?

A: Yes. ALSF will fund institutions with a non-profit status inside or outside the U.S. This varies by grant category. Please refer to each category's guidelines for details.

Q: Does the Principal Investigator (P.I.) need to be a U.S. citizen to apply?

A: No. ALSF does not have citizenship requirements for our investigators. However, the Principal Investigator needs to be employed by a non-profit institution.

Q: Does ALSF offer educational grants?

A: No. ALSF does not pay tuition or living expenses for graduate or medical education.

Q: Are appendices accepted by ALSF?

A: Please consult the grant guidelines. If allowable, the appended information must be crucial to the understanding of the application. Applications with excessive appendices will not be accepted. The application PDF size may not exceed the limited outlined in the grant guidelines including appendices.

Q: What is “Vancouver” format for citations?

A: Vancouver style references are listed in numerical order on the citation page. The in-text reference is usually in parentheses. Repeat the number if the referencing the source more than once. This format saves space in the body of the application.

Q: What bio-sketch form is required?

A:  The NIH five page form (must include A. Personal Statement, B. Positions and Honors, C. Contributions to Science, D. Research Support) reference link https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-073.html

Q: If I am currently funded by ALSF, may I apply for renewal of the original grant?

A: No. ALSF does not allow grant renewals at this time. One no-cost extensions may be requested in the Final Report to complete original aims, finish data analysis etc.

Q: I am currently working on an ALSF funded project, but I am not the P.I. Am I eligible to apply for a grant as the P.I.?

A: You may apply as long as you meet the other eligibility criteria and the project aims do not overlap.

Q: If I have already been funded by ALSF, can I apply for another grant?

A: In most cases, ALSF does not have a limit per investigator. Please consult the guidelines for the grant you are interested in to confirm the exceptions.  If allowed, you may apply for funding through the competitive review process.

Q: May I apply if I have not received my letter of approval for animal and/or human subjects?

A: Yes. Please note in the appropriate sections that the approval letters are pending and when they are expected to be approved. 

Q: I am having trouble logging back in to an application I have already started.

A: ALSF accepts new grant application via Proposal Central. Once you login, go to the Proposal Tab and you will see your in progress applications.  (Please do not use ALSF’s donor “My Account Login”!)”. If you have trouble logging in contact: [email protected].  For questions about a specific grant category contact ALSF Grants Team at [email protected].

Q. What time does the online application close?

A:  Applications are open up until 8:00 P.M. EASTERN TIME of the due date.

Q: Does Alex’s Lemonade Stand fund psychosocial research?

A:  ALSF has funded psychosocial research through our Quality of Life and Care grants. 

Q: Can my project have multiple funding sources?

A: The scientific aims for the project submitted to ALSF may not overlap with other funding. Use the biosketch “Other Support” section to detail current grants.

Q: My manuscript was accepted for publication after I submitted my application. May I update my application?

A: Applications may not be updated after submission. The review process begins shortly after the deadline.

Q: What is your grant selection process?

A: We use a review process modelled after the NIH peer review process. ALSF convenes a Scientific Review Board. Applications are scored and discussed by our panel of experts. The number of projects selected depends on the review and the amount of funding available.

Q:  Who receives notification of award decisions?

A:  Email correspondence is sent to the Principal Investigator and Co-P.I. (if any), and grant manager as listed in the application.

Q: How are applicants notified of grant decisions?

A: An award email will be sent with a written Award letter, reviewer comments and grant requirements. Declined applicants are notified via email, followed up by a letter with reviewer comments.

Application Budget:

Q: Are indirect costs covered by ALSF grants?

A: Most ALSF grants do not pay indirect costs. See Budget Restrictions in the Guidelines. If you have questions please contact ALSF.

Q: May equipment be budgeted?

A: Each grant has different limits or restrictions; please see the grant guidelines and Budget Expenditure Policy for details. Generally small pieces of lab equipment, essential to conducting the project, may be purchased under the grant. If you have questions contact ALSF at [email protected].

Q: Are there any restrictions as to what may be included in my proposal’s budget?

A: ALSF does not pay indirect costs on most grants, student stipends or tuition.  ‘Equipment’ is defined as hardware needed to perform lab tasks and research. Please see the Guidelines specific to your application for specific limits and other detail. 

Q: Should the Progress Report budget form include actual expenses or projected expenses? There will be expenses that clear after the Progress Report deadline.

A: The Summary section (page 2) of the budget form should include actual cleared and estimated expenses for the grant year.

Early Career Applicants: Young Investigator (YI) & ‘A’ Awards 

Q: Can multiple post-doctoral students from the same lab apply?

A: Multiple post-docs from the same lab may apply. However, their projects should have different scientific aims.

Q: Is there a minimum amount of time expected on a project?

A: Please refer to the guidelines. The amount of time on the project should demonstrate your commitment to pediatric oncology research and to a career in the field.

Q: Who can serve as a mentor to Young Investigator & ‘A’ Award applicants?

A: A mentor from the pediatric oncology field is expected.

Q: Are two mentors allowed?

A: Multiple mentors are permitted. However, one member should be designated as the primary for the application. As noted above, at least one mentor should be working in the field of pediatric oncology. The mentoring plan should describe the roles and responsibilities of each mentor named in your application.

Q: Should the mentor’s bio-sketch be included in the application?

A: Yes, please include bio-sketches for all mentors named in the application, as well as the mentoring plan and letter of recommendation. Bio-sketches should use the current NIH short form.

Q: Who should create the mentoring plan that is required for YI and ‘A’ Award applications?

A: You and your mentor should jointly develop the plan. Either one of you may write up the plan for application purposes.

Q: How many letters of reference are required?

A: The YI and ‘A’ Award guidelines specifically note this requirement. Please adhere to the specification.

Resubmissions:

Q: I submitted a proposal that wasn’t funded. May I resubmit?

A: Typically, ALSF permits one resubmission of a reviewed application. Please consult the guidelines of the grant category for any exceptions or restrictions. Describe changes to design, experiments, etc. in response to the previous reviewers’ critiques. The response to the prior critique is scored as part of the review.

Q: This year I want to apply for a grant with a proposal substantially different from my previous application. Will this be considered as a resubmission or a fresh application?

A: To be considered a new proposal the hypothesis and aims should be unique. If changes are made to the aims of a prior proposal based on feedback received from reviewers or the prior submission, the new proposal is considered a resubmission.

Funded Grant Requirements and Important FAQs:

Q: What does ALSF require from my institution if this proposal gets funded?

A: If funded, ALSF requires signed grant conditions, proof of the institution’s not-for-profit status, PI’s other support document and publicity information. Please see our Policies section where you may review the grant conditions prior to submitting an application. 

Q: What reports are required if my project is funded?

A: ALSF requires annual Progress Report(s) with budget expenditures. The progress report is reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board. Subsequent payments are contingent upon approval. A Final Report with expenditures is required and the significance of your results will be reviewed. Reports are submitted online. Copies of publications and presentations should be submitted through the Progress and Final Report Requirements on your application user account.

Q: Should the Progress Report budget form include actual expenses or projected expenses? There will be expenses that clear after the Progress Report deadline.

A: The summary page of the budget form should report totals combining actual cleared and estimated expenses for the grant year.

Q: May we carry-over funds to the next grant year?

A: Unused funds must be reported on the budget form submitted with the annual Progress Report. Approval of the carry-over is based on satisfactory progress toward proposed research objectives and appropriate budget expenditures. If there are concerns about progress and/or carry-over amount, ALSF may elect to partially fund or to hold new funds with interim conditions. Approvals are sent via email.

Q: Is re-budgeting allowed?

A: Yes, PIs may rebudget within allowable categories without ALSF approval. Changes must be within the specific limits for the grant category. Check the Grant Guidelines for specifics. However, budgetary updates to an Award that involve changes in project scope, PIs, collaborators, institutional transfer of award, or a leave of absence must be requested with a letter of explanation and updated budget for approval by ALSF.

Q: How do I request a no-cost extension?

A: One no-cost extension (NCE) may be requested at the end of the funding period in the context of the Final Report (Future Plans section and budget form). The Final Report may be submitted online in advance of the grant ending date if the required by your institution. The report and request will be reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board; you will be notified by email. If approved, an additional report is required at the end of the extension. Please note that the approval process may take several weeks. If your institution requires a decision by a certain date, please consider this in planning the timeline of your report submission.

Q: Is a budget required for a no-cost extension?

A: Yes. Complete the Detail section (page 1) of the budget form for expenditures during the extension period. Use the summary page for cleared expenses during the original grant period.

Transfers:

Q: I accepted a position at a different institution. May I transfer the grant to continue the project?

A: Individual ALSF grants may be transferred but this must be approved. To initiate a transfer, ALSF will need to review 1) a letter requesting the transfer including any changes to the aims of the project 2) confirmation of your position at the new institution. 3) A grant cover page signed by the new institution and 4) approved budget. Please note that for Young Investigator, and ‘A’ Awards, a new mentor must be identified, biosketch and new mentoring plan must be submitted. Next, the Scientific Advisory Board will review for approval. Lastly, if approved, ALSF will have requirements for the new institution to complete.

Q: How will remaining ALSF grant funding move to my new institution?

A: Your originating institution must clear all expenses. Remaining funds should be remitted to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Once the transfer is approved and requirements submitted, and the refund received, a payment will be issued to the new institution. All outstanding (future) payments will be remitted to the new institution pending progress report approval.

Q: I am leaving my institution and will not be transferring my grant. May another PI take over the project and continue to receive funding?

A: Mentored grants may not be continued by another PI or the mentor (e.g. Young Investigator, ‘A’ Award). For all other grant categories, ALSF requires a letter and proposed PI biosketch to initiate the request. ALSF’s Scientific Advisory Board will review for approval.

Requirements for funded projects:

Q: How do I submit the requirements for my grant?

A: ALSF requires you to submit grant requirements online. Once your grant funding is approved, you will be sent an email with a list of requirements and instructions. You may also refer to the Grant Recipients page: http://www.alexslemonade.org/grants/grantees 

Q: Are payments contingent on requirements?

A: Yes! Requirements must be completed and reviewed by ALSF prior to processing payments.

New Grant Requirements include:

• Signed Grant Conditions
• Proof of Federal 501c3 or other exempt status
• Other support – if changed from original application

Funded Grant Requirements include:

• Progress Report – must demonstrate adequate progress toward stated aims, identify problems & solutions, justify any changes in direction; list publications and presentations. The report must include ALSF’s budget form for the prior year expenditures and next year expected costs, with justification.
• Final/NCE Report –detail research accomplishments, scientific impact, future plans etc.
• Publications and presentations acknowledging ALSF should be submitted through the Progress and Final Report Requirements on your application user account.