American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowships

Scholarship Sponsored by American Cancer Society

Overview

Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) support new investigators in research training programs and help position them for independent careers in cancer research. Peer reviewers evaluate how well the fellowship will broaden the applicant’s research training and experience. The fellowships fund full-time research training at eligible institutions and are intended for individuals in postdoctoral positions rather than faculty appointments.

Description: Competitive fellowships that provide salary support and training resources to early-career researchers seeking independence in cancer research.

• Targets early-career researchers in postdoctoral positions.
• Emphasizes broadened training and preparation for independent research careers.
• Support includes stipend and allowances for training-related expenses.

Eligibility

Eligibility is based on institutional affiliation, immigration status, current role, and time since the terminal doctoral degree. Applicants must be in a postdoctoral position at a US academic institution or eligible non-profit and must meet the specified time limits since receiving their doctoral degree. Specific limits and exceptions (for example, clinical-only training) affect the calculation of eligibility.

Eligibility: Must be at a US academic or eligible non-profit institution; be a US citizen or hold appropriate immigration status at application; hold a postdoctoral (not faculty or staff scientist) appointment; have received a terminal doctoral degree within the allowable window or have completed no more than three years of postdoctoral research; one PF application allowed per cycle.

• Applicants must hold a postdoctoral appointment (faculty and staff scientist roles are not eligible).
• Time-since-degree limits are applied using month and year of degree and deadline.
• Only one postdoctoral fellowship application may be submitted per cycle.

Grant Term and Budget

Fellowships are awarded for up to three years with progressive annual stipends. Recent stipend levels are $66,000, $68,000, and $70,000 for years one through three, respectively. Top-ranked fellowships may receive supplemental funding from available endowments, and fellows receive additional annual allowances to cover training-related costs.

Award Value: Stipends are progressive across the fellowship term; fellows receive an annual allowance ($4,000) for items such as health insurance and meeting travel, plus an additional $1,500 in the final year for symposium or domestic meeting attendance. Some awards may be supplemented above the standard stipend when endowment funds permit.

• Award duration: up to 3 years.
• Progressive stipend schedule: $66,000, $68,000, $70,000 (recent levels).
• Annual fellowship allowance of $4,000, plus a final-year $1,500 meeting/symposium supplement.

Parental Leave

The fellowship includes a paid parental leave option that preserves stipend support and extends the grant term as needed. Fellows may elect paid leave of at least four weeks per year, up to a maximum of 12 weeks, for births and adoptions. The grant term is extended by the same number of weeks taken for leave, and stipend payments continue during the extended period.

Parental Leave: Paid maternity/paternity leave of 4–12 weeks with extension of the grant term and continued stipend during leave and the extended period to allow completion of fellowship research.

• Minimum 4 weeks and maximum 12 weeks paid leave for births and adoptions.
• Grant term extended by the number of leave weeks taken.
• Stipend continues during leave and throughout the extended term.

Application Deadlines

Applicants must submit materials by the posted application deadline for each cycle. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, submissions will be accepted on the following business day. Applicants should confirm specific cycle dates and submission procedures with the program or host institution well in advance of the deadline.

Application Timeline: Observe posted deadlines; when a deadline is on a weekend or holiday, the next business day is acceptable for submission.

• Meet posted cycle deadlines; verify exact dates for each cycle.
• Weekend or holiday deadlines are accepted the following business day.
• Direct eligibility questions at least six weeks before the deadline to grant.eligibility@cancer.org.