Diversity Supplement Grant

Next Issue Date:	June 10, 2024
Next Submission Due Date:	July 15, 2024 by 11:59 pm ET
Next Grant Selection Notification:	by October 25, 2024
Grant Selection Notification:	by June 14, 2024
Period of Performance:	8 weeks – 3 years
Amount of Grant:	Up to 20% of the parent research grant, with a maximum of $50,000

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2024 Diversity Supplement Grant (Cycle 1). Cycle 2 will open in June 2024. Please check back for additional details or subscribe to the mailing list to receive updates on AASM Foundation programs. The application overview for this program can be viewed here for informational purposes only.

The AASM Foundation is committed to developing the careers of sleep and circadian investigators. To meet this goal, the AASM Foundation encourages and supports the development of a diverse and well-trained sleep and circadian research workforce. The AASM Foundation is offering supplemental funds to active grants to support individuals from groups identified as underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences.

All sleep and circadian science investigators holding an active research grant may request supplemental funds to improve the diversity of the sleep and circadian research workforce. The Diversity Supplement Grant provides an opportunity for sleep and circadian science investigators, who have a funded research program, to support mentored sleep and circadian research training of promising students, post-doctoral fellows and clinical fellows who are members of minority groups traditionally underrepresented in US science to participate in sleep and circadian science research projects.

This AASM Foundation research grant is supported by AASM Foundation general funds.

Research Focus

This request for applications for the Diversity Supplement Grant is open to mentored projects that address one or more important unanswered scientific questions related to sleep and circadian science, sleep disorders and/or sleep health.

The proposed research must provide meaningful experience in sleep and/or circadian science-related research to stimulate and/or retain interest in sleep research careers, develop a candidate’s research capabilities for all education and training levels of candidates. For candidates with advance education or training, the proposed research must assist in supporting the research training in preparation for an independent sleep research career.

Funding Information

The Diversity Supplement Grant provides funds for the duration of an active research grant and can be for up to 20% of the grant (maximum of $50,000). The funds can be used for salary support (commensurate with current stipends or salaries) for a mentored sleep and circadian science research project of a parent sleep and circadian science research grant. Indirect costs are not allowed.

Performance Period

The mentored research training and experience provided as part of the Diversity Supplement can last as short as 8 weeks (e.g., for undergraduate and health professional student summer research experiences) or as long as 3 years, depending on the duration of the parent sleep and circadian science research grant. The performance period must be continuous.

Eligibility

The following individuals are eligible to apply:

Principal investigator must apply for the Diversity Supplement Grant and have an active sleep and circadian science research grant from a US federal agency or US-based non-profit organization.
Principal investigator must serve as the mentor for the candidate for the duration of the Diversity Supplement Grant.

The following candidates are eligible to be supported by the grant:

Candidates who are directly supported by the Diversity Supplement Grant must be one the following:
- Students who are enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or health professional degree-granting program.
- Individuals who are enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program.
- Individuals who are within one year of completing bachelors, masters or doctoral degree and taking a gap year in their education.
- Clinical residents, post-doctoral fellows, or clinical fellows.
Candidates who are directly supported by the Diversity Supplement Grant must be from one of the groups identified as underrepresented in the extramural U.S. biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social sciences workforce, such as:
- Individuals from racial and ethnic groups that have been shown by the National Science Foundation (January 2023) to be underrepresented in health-related sciences on a national basis. This includes individuals from the following racial and ethnic groups: Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders. In addition, it is recognized that underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting; individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be demonstrated convincingly to be underrepresented by the grantee institution are eligible to apply. For more information on racial and ethnic categories and definitions, see the Explanation of Data Standards for Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Primary Language, and Disability.
- Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.
- Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who meet two or more of the following criteria:
  - Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  - Were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families.
  - Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years.
  - Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree, as defined by the S Department of Education.
  - Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants.
  - Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children as a parent or child.
  - Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas. Only one of the two possibilities listed can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.
- Candidates must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States or individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (i.e., in possession of a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551).
- The Diversity Supplement Grant may support no more than two candidates who meet the above criteria, and the total support cannot exceed the established amount of the supplemental grant (i.e., up to 20% of the grant not to exceed $50,000).

Ineligibility

The following individuals are not eligible to apply:

Due to varying definitions of underrepresented groups across countries, international investigators are not eligible to apply.
Current AASM and AASM Foundation Board of Directors members are not eligible to apply and cannot be listed as a principal investigator, key personnel, mentor (paid or unpaid) or paid consultant during their term on the Board and for one year after their term ends.

Note: In rare instances, AASM and AASM Foundation Board members may serve as unpaid consultants on an application, however, this requires Executive Committee approval prior to submitting the application.

The following candidates are not eligible to be supported by the grant:

Candidates cannot be supported by the Diversity Supplement Grant if already supported by the parent sleep and circadian science research grant.

Review Criteria and Process

All submitted applications will be evaluated by a review committee to determine its overall merit. Factors that will be taken into consideration include:

Research Plan and Goals: Research plain is tailored to the academic level of the candidate and includes goals, milestones, and objectives of the proposed research. The proposed research must contribute significantly to the research career development of the candidate.
Mentoring and Training Plan: Plan for training includes opportunities to acquire new research, presentation and publication skills; training also includes protections for human subjects or animal care. Plan for mentorship includes experiences to increase candidate’s knowledge, skillset and abilities.
Candidate Statement: Candidate’s career goals, educational achievement and interest in science will be bolstered through this new research experience. Appointment of candidate will promote diversity in the sleep research field.

Only materials submitted within the application will be used in the evaluation of applications. The AASM Foundation Executive Committee will make the final funding decisions.

Payment Schedule

Payment #1 – Upon execution of contract

100%

Deliverables and Expected Outcomes

The AASM Foundation intends the Diversity Supplement Grant to support the AASM Foundation’s mission and assist in the growth of diverse scientists in the field of sleep and circadian research.

Applicants are expected to serve as a research mentor to the candidate for the duration of the Diversity Supplement Grant. The AASM Foundation also expects that the work from this grant will be presented at the annual SLEEP meeting and potentially lead to the publication of original research in peer-reviewed journals with the opportunity for the candidate to be the lead author.

The candidate and principal investigator must submit progress reports of work that was accomplished at 6 months if the performance period is up to one year. If the performance period exceeds one year, progress reports are due annually. Additionally, the candidate and principal investigator must submit a final report that includes findings of research project. At the conclusion of the grant, the candidate must provide an impact statement on their research work and how the experience has or will assist in their development of pursuing a research career.

Grant Questions

We encourage potential applicants to contact us early in the application process with questions. Eligibility questions may need to be reviewed by a member of the AASM Foundation Executive Committee, so please allow for at least a 1-week response time for eligibility questions. For all other inquiries, please allow a minimum of two business days for a response. Please note that questions received within 48 hours of an application deadline may not be answered before the deadline.