The Office of Foundation Relations is pleased to share this open call for funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
UCSC Contact: Samantha Forde |forde@ucsc.edu
Funder: Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF)
Opportunity: Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants
Funding: $2,500 – $50,000
Next Deadline: October 23, 2025. 12pm Noon PT. Note that proposals are accepted quarterly through July 2026.
Overview
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund aims to stimulate growth of new connections between scholars working in largely disconnected fields who might together change the course of climate change’s impact on human health. The full request for proposals can be found here.
BWF is interested in:
- Linking basic/early biomedical science to climate-focused thinking
- Sustainability in health care systems, health care delivery outside institutions, and biomedical research
- Health impacts and health systems impacts of extreme weather events and other crises
- Outreach, communication, and education around climate and human health
This call focuses on developing partnerships. Proposals from single institutions must develop partnerships that do not already occur naturally. Proposals should include the rationale/vision for the project, including who it is intended to impact.
Please see a list of FAQs here.
Award Amount & Terms
- $2,500 – $50,000.
- Indirect costs cannot be charged on BWF grants.
Timeline
Deadline dates for the upcoming cycles are:
- Oct 23, 2025
- Jan 22, 2026
- April 23, 2026
- July 23, 2026
Special Instructions: Please notify the Office of Foundation Relations if you are interested in applying to this opportunity (cfr@ucsc.edu). Please submit a proposal intake form prior to UCSC’s internal Institutional Deadlines. For support developing your proposal, please contact a Research Development Specialist or send a request to resdev@ucsc.edu. Within the Division of Social Sciences, please contact Ashlee Tews (ashleeac@ucsc.edu) to initiate notification and proposal support.
Call sent: September 24, 2025
The Office of Foundation Relations is a unit of University Advancement. The FR team creates and maintains mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with private organizations, matching grant initiatives with educational and research programs and centers. FR supports faculty and staff to identify and approach these and other private foundations and corporations for funding, to assist in strategic positioning of the grant application, and to facilitate funder campus visits.
For a list of recent funding opportunities, please visit the FR website: FR Calls for Funding.