Upcoming Science Events

Letters of Intent Due: Monday, June 2, 2025, at 2 PM ET.  

This Request for Proposals invites applications that seek to better understand and predict the development, progression, and treatment response of RA. This includes applications focused on investigating the conversion of pre-RA to clinical RA, disease progression, and treatment response and safety. Competitive projects should aim to define risk factors/biomarkers of conversion of pre-RA to clinical RA, disease progression, treatment response, pathogenic mechanisms, and/or therapeutic approach personalization. 

The pilot research award can be up to $150,000 inclusive of 8% indirect costs for up to 2 years. Large research awards can be up to $450,000 inclusive of 8% indirect costs and up to 3 years.

Review the RFP here.

Letters of Intent Due: Tuesday, April 22, 2025, by 2 PM ET 

The Arthritis Foundation invites hypothesis driven research proposals that seek to advance the use of existing, validated PROs in shared decision making during arthritis clinical care. Our goal is to better incorporate the patient perspective into arthritis care and research and thus improve the quality of both endeavors. Research projects may explore topics including identification of goals of treatment, monitoring disease activity over time and improved paradigms for communication, interpretation and use of PROs data. Projects may be up to 2 years in duration, and budgets up to $235,000 in total (inclusive of 8% indirect costs).

For application and instructions, please log into ProposalCentral, click the Grant Opportunities tab, and search for Arthritis Foundation. The RFP PDF can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the program name.

Letters of Intent Due: Monday, April 14, 2025, by 2 PM ET 

The Arthritis Foundation is committed to improving healthcare access and health outcomes for all people living with arthritis. This program provides seed funding to support innovative and impactful research projects intended to identify or test interventions to improve healthcare access and health outcomes for populations and communities where access and outcomes are not up to the highest standards. Populations or communities may be defined by geographic, social, language, demographic, economic, or other factors. Projects may center on access and outcomes across arthritis broadly or within specific indications including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, and spondyloarthropathies. Projects may be up to 2 years in duration, and budgets up to $85,000 in total (inclusive of 8% indirect costs).

Application Deadline: Monday, March 10, 2025, 11:59 PM PT

The Arthritis Foundation is seeking applications from high school juniors, seniors, and college undergraduates with an interest in the fields of rheumatology and immunology, with a focus on arthritis and related autoimmune diseases. This 8-week internship offers experience in basic laboratory (bench) research, clinical epidemiological/translational (patient oriented) or bioinformatics (computational) research at UCSF and affiliated institutions. For application and instructions, please click here.

Application Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025 5 p.m. ET

This Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applications for investigator-initiated clinical research proposals to study interventions to stop or slow the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA) related to shoulder pathology. Studies are encouraged to identify and utilize patients at high risk for rapidly progressing OA. The earliest submission date is January 1, 2025, and the letter of intent is due on January 31, 2025. The principal investigator (PI) or a co-PI must be a practicing Orthopaedic surgeon, who is fellowship trained in sports medicine or shoulder and elbow, and a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM).

The funding for this initiative is provided through a collaborative effort between the Arthritis Foundation’s OA Clinical Research Program and the AOSSM Research Committee.

For application and instructions, please log into ProposalCentral, click the Grant Opportunities tab, and search for Arthritis Foundation.

Application Deadline: Friday, February 21, 2025, by 5 PM ET

The goal of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to identify patient groups with risk of accelerated osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and to define concepts for future clinical studies focused on those cohorts. The earliest submission date is January 1, 2025, and the letter of intent is due on January 24, 2025. The deadline for submitting the application is February 21, 2025. All applications are due by 5 p.m. ET. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

The funding for this initiative is provided through the AF FastOA Initiative and OACTN.

For application and instructions, please log into ProposalCentral, click the Grant Opportunities tab, and search for Arthritis Foundation.

Application Deadline: Tuesday, January 14, 2025, by 5 PM ET

Applications for the 2025 AF/AOFAS Foot & Ankle Arthritis Development Program are now open. The Foot & Ankle Arthritis Development Program is a collaborative partnership between the AOFAS and the Arthritis Foundation (AF). The program provides medical students and residents from underrepresented groups with valuable training and mentoring opportunities across the country. 

The program is open to 4th year medical students through PGY3 orthopaedic residents in the United States (current 3rd year medical students are welcome to apply since they’ll be 4th year in Sept 2025).

Applicants must complete the application and upload a CV, personal statement, and two sponsor letters, one of which should be from a Dean or Program Director. Participants will be selected in mid-2025 and begin travel in September 2025.

Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 by 5 PM ET

Since the program’s inception in 2018, we have invested $4.2M for 27 awards (9 Adult, 15 Pediatric and 3 Med-Peds rheumatology fellowships) at 19 institutions across the country. The Arthritis Foundation is seeking applications from institutional program directors. The RFP is particularly interested in innovative approaches in training to prepare the next generation of rheumatologists to meet the evolving needs of the community. For 2024, there are two main changes:

1. We have increased our annual funding to $75K per year.
2. We have adjusted the funding term/duration to coincide with the board eligibility duration of each program.

For application and instructions, please log into ProposalCentral and click the Grant Opportunities tab, then search for Arthritis Foundation. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the words “Rheumatology Fellowship Training”. After reviewing the criteria, those who intend to apply should email the Arthritis Foundation with the subject line: “Fellowship – Yes” and in the body of the email indicate Adult, Pediatrics, or Med-Peds.

Letters of Intent Due: Tuesday, May 21, 2024

This Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applications that seek to better understand and predict the progression of RA, including from pre-RA to clinical RA, and progression to more severe disease. Competitive projects should aim to define risk factors/biomarkers of disease progression, pathogenic mechanisms, and approaches to prevent or slow RA disease onset and progression. The long-term goal of this Arthritis Foundation research program is to reduce the incidence of RA and slow disease progression. 

Request for proposals opens on Feb. 21, 2024, and the letters of intent are due on May 21, 2024. Letters of Intent can be submitted via Proposal Central beginning March 6, 2024. The invitation is open to early- and mid-career investigators affiliated with U.S. academic institutions and hospitals who are committed to improving the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis patients through biomedical and/or health outcomes research.

Review RFP. To view a Zoom recording on an information session on the RA RFP, please email afscience (at) arthritis.org.

Application Deadline: Monday, March 4, 2024, by 11:59 PM PT

The Arthritis Foundation is seeking applications from high school juniors, seniors, and college undergraduates with an interest in the fields of rheumatology and immunology, with a focus on arthritis and related autoimmune diseases. This 8-week internship offers experience in basic laboratory (bench) research, clinical epidemiological/translational (patient oriented) or bioinformatics (computational) research at UCSF and affiliated institutions. For application and instructions, please click here.

Application Deadline: Thursday, February 22, 2024, by 5 PM ET

The goal of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to identify patient groups with risk of accelerated osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and to define concepts for future clinical studies focused on those cohorts. The earliest submission date is January 1, 2024, and the letter of intent is due on January 22, 2024. The deadline for submitting the application is February 22, 2024. All applications are due by 5 p.m. ET. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

The funding for this initiative is provided through the AF FastOA Initiative and OACTN.

For application and instructions, please log into ProposalCentral, click the Grant Opportunities tab, and search for Arthritis Foundation.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 6, 2023 by 5 PM ET

The Arthritis Foundation is seeking applications from institutional program directors. The RFP is particularly interested in innovative approaches in training to prepare the next generation of rheumatologists to meet the evolving needs of the community.

For application and instructions, please log into ProposalCentral, click the Grant Opportunities tab, and search for Arthritis Foundation. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the words “Rheumatology Fellowship Training”. After reviewing the criteria, those who intend to apply should email the Arthritis Foundation with the subject line: “Fellowship – Yes” and in the body of the email indicate Adult, Pediatrics, or Med-Peds. 

LOI Deadline: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET | Application Deadline: Wednesday, July 19, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET

The Arthritis Foundation has previously supported ground-breaking research that led to the development of early biologics used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In conjunction with the Rheumatoid Arthritis Expert Working Group, AF is releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP).  This opportunity is available to experienced postdocs, clinical fellows and early and mid-career investigators at academic, nonprofit institutions in the United States. Full professors are not eligible to apply. Please see the RFP for detailed eligibility criteria. 

This RFP invites applications that seek to better understand and predict the varied responses patients have to RA medications, including projects that aim to characterize disease control, remission, flare, and non-response, as well as ideas for potential novel interventions that could improve treatment response and control disease. The long-term goal of this AF research program is to improve therapeutic outcomes for individuals living with RA. 

Review the RFP here.

LOI Deadline: Monday, April 24, 2023 by 5 PM ET | Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 by 5 PM ET

This RFP invites applications for planning grants aimed at supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in cultivating a new generation of Health Care Professionals (HCPs), including clinical rheumatologists, to serve all patients with arthritis. 
 
For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for Arthritis Foundation. The RFP details can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the words “DEI with LOI”. After reviewing the criteria, those who intend to apply should email the Arthritis Foundation with the subject line: 2023 DEI – Yes.  

Application Deadline: Monday, April 17, 2023 by 11:59 PM PT

The Arthritis Foundation is seeking applications from high school juniors, seniors, and college undergraduates with an interest in the fields of rheumatology and immunology, with a focus on arthritis and related autoimmune diseases. This 8-week internship offers experience in basic laboratory (bench) research, clinical epidemiological/translational (patient oriented) or bioinformatics (computational) research at UCSF and affiliated institutions. For application and instructions, please click here. 

LOI Deadline: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET | Application Deadline: Saturday, April 1, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET

This Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applications for funding to support innovative clinical research that advances knowledge toward treatments to stop or slow ankle osteoarthritis (OA). A goal of this funding mechanism is to support research that will build data needed to secure funding from large institutional sources.

The funding for this initiative is provided through the Arthritis Foundation and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. Additional support from Paragon 28.
 
For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for “Arthritis.” The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of “AF-AOFAS Ankle Arthritis Think Tank Grant.”

Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 5:00 PM ET

The Arthritis Foundation is seeking applications from institutional program directors. The RFP is particularly interested in innovative approaches in training to prepare the next generation of rheumatologists to meet the evolving needs of the community.

For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for Arthritis Foundation. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the words “Rheumatology Fellowship Training”. After reviewing the criteria, those who intend to apply should email the Arthritis Foundation with the subject line: “Fellowship – Yes” and in the body of the email indicate Adult, Pediatrics, or Med-Peds. 

LOI Deadline: Monday, July 1, 2022 by 5PM ET | Application Deadline: Monday, September 1, 2022 by 5PM ET

This Request for Proposals (RFP) invites applications for clinical research proposals to investigate interventions to stop or slow post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) after knee injury.  Studies are encouraged to utilize aspects of the risk calculators to identify patients at high risk for rapidly progressing PTOA to guide patient enrollment.  The goal of this funding mechanism is to support research that would highlight innovative interventions that may be advanced to Phase II clinical trials for knee PTOA patients. 
 
For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for Arthritis. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of “FastOA Interventional Pilot Studies”.

LOI Deadline: Monday, June 13, 2022 by 5PM ET | Application Deadline: Monday, August 1, 2022 by 5PM ET

This Request for Applications (RFA) invites applications for clinical trial units (CTUs) to serve as clinical sites for Osteoarthritis Clinical Trials Network (OACTN) trials.  The CTUs will serve several key functions to advance OACTN randomized clinical trials, including identifying, screening, enrolling, randomizing, and conducting follow-ups on trial participants as well as gathering data, samples, images, and other materials to send to the OACTN coordinating center or other storage sites.

The overall goal of this funding mechanism is to support a network model that will test innovative interventions in Phase IIb or Phase III clinical trials for patients after ACL injury at risk for knee PTOA. For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for Arthritis. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of “OACTN Clinical Trial Units.”

LOI Deadline: Monday, May 16, 2022, 5:00pm ET Application Deadline: Monday July 18, 2022, 5:00pm ET

The Arthritis Foundation has previously supported ground-breaking research that led to the development of early biologics used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In 2021, the Arthritis Foundation Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee formed an Expert Working Group of academic and government RA experts to prioritize the unmet medical needs and potential research areas of interest for funding in RA research. Based on their recommendations, AF is releasing this Request for Proposals (RFP), which is open to investigators affiliated with US academic institutions and hospitals who are committed to improving the outcomes of the RA patient community through biomedical and/or health outcomes research.

A substantial portion of all RA patients are not responsive to the currently available therapies. The reasons for such variation in outcomes are not well understood but are most likely the result of a combination of factors. Recent advances in development of experimental tools and approaches applicable to the study of blood and tissue of RA patients, along with availability of clinical and demographic data linked to biologic data, provide an opportunity to gain novel insights. These insights have the potential to reveal the underlying causes of therapeutic response and non-response in RA.

For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for The Arthritis Foundation. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the words “Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Program.”

Application Deadline: Monday, June 6, 2022, 5:00 pm ET 

The Arthritis Foundation is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to support the training of a diverse generation of rheumatologists and to improve health outcomes for all patients with rheumatic diseases, especially those living with arthritis. Two complementary initiatives were launched in 2021 and will continue in 2022 to support our aspirations.
 
The first initiative aims to provide seed funding to support impactful and innovative research to improve health outcomes across different racial and ethnic groups, as well as among various categories of socioeconomic status. The second initiative has a goal to increase diversity in the next generation of rheumatologists, for those who are physicians or physician/scientists. The ability of proposed projects to have a lasting impact and to be sustained beyond the award period, with potential for their findings to lead directly to advocacy and to reduce structural barriers, are considered important for success. Focus on arthritis research and curriculum development is preferred.
 
For application and instructions, please visit Proposal Central and search for Arthritis. The instructions can be downloaded by clicking the paper icon to the right of the words “Fellowship DEI.”