Open Call: Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) – Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants

Mar 10, 2026 | Awards & Funding, Faculty

To: Science Faculty
From: Office of Foundation Relations
Subject: Funding Opportunity

The Office of Foundation Relations is pleased to share this open call for funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.  

 

 

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

  • Small, early-stage grants of $2,500 – $50,000. 
  • Indirect costs cannot be charged on BWF grants. 
  • Salaries of support personnel and materials appropriate to administering the work should be included as direct costs. Reasonable and justified consultant costs may be included in the budget. Benefits are direct costs.

 

Timeline

Deadline dates for the upcoming cycles are:

  • 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 send a request to the Office of Research Development, resdev@ucsc.edu. Within the Division of Social Sciences, please contact Ashlee Tews (ashleeac@ucsc.edu) to initiate notification and proposal support.

Call sent: March 6, 2026

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.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact forde@ucsc.edu
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