Request for Proposals
To be added to our mailing list for future funding announcements, please email AFscience (at) arthritis.org with the subject line "Add Me to Your Mailing List" and specify your area of interest.
The Arthritis Foundation’s Fellowship DEI Request for Proposals (RFP)
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.”
The Arthritis Foundation’s Rheumatoid Arthritis Request for Proposals (RFP)
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.”

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