MGFA Research Grants and Funding Areas
With our grant program, the MGFA supports research that will improve the lives of those diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and related neuromuscular junction disorders.
Funding areas include:
- High-Impact Pilot Projects: Pilot studies leading to new federal, pharmaceutical or private foundation supported investigations
- Transformative Research: Focused, innovative investigations that are highly likely to produce fundamental alterations in understanding myasthenia gravis
- Targeted Research and Special Projects: Further greater understanding of MG and its impact on quality of life
- Awards to Engage and Support Young Investigators and Clinicians: Recognize the importance of good clinical research and encourage young investigators’ involvement in clinical studies
CONTACT
Melissa Jenkins, MS, Global Director, Research Operations
Funding Opportunities through the MGFA
2026 High Impact Pilot Project Award
This award supports research that will demonstrate proof-of-concept to support the feasibility of a paradigm shift, test a new research hypothesis, or otherwise advance the development of safe and effective treatments for myasthenia gravis. Proposals must include clear plans of investigation, well-defined deliverables, and metrics for determining the quality of those deliverables.
MGFA is committed to supporting research that will ultimately improve the lives of patients with myasthenia gravis and related neuromuscular junction disorders. The research committee has identified five broad research priorities of unmet need in the field that, when addressed, could substantially impact the understanding of the etiology or pathogenesis of disease, or advance the development of safe and effective treatments to end MG.
Though this research agenda intends to guide researchers towards topics that are viewed as critical to the advancement of MG research and treatment, MGFA will accept proposals outside of these priority areas if the applicant demonstrates that work stemming from his or her proposal has the potential to impact the understanding or treatment of MG.
MGFA will fund highly meritorious projects with a maximum of $110,000, over two years, of which no more than $10,000 may be allocated to indirect costs. Funds will be expended over two years from the time of the award. Special funding requests and/or changes to the award period must be approved prior to submission of proposal through the Letter of Intent.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent (LOI) by April 3, 2026 using the forms provided in MGFA’s grant portal, ProposalCentral. This form will be found by searching for Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America under “Grant Opportunities.” (Note: You must create an account and log in to access and submit all forms.) There, you will find additional documents and details regarding the application process.
You will be informed by April 20, 2026, if you are invited to submit a full proposal.
Award criteria and full application information can be found via the PDF below. MGFA uses Proposal Central for all grant application submissions.
ELIGIBILITY
The RFA is open to established and new investigators. Applications will be accepted from U.S. and international principal investigators with faculty status. Applications are not open to for-profit or small business submissions.
IMPORTANT DATES
| Activity | Date |
| Call for Proposals Opens | March 6, 2026 |
| Letter of Intent Deadline | April 3, 2026 |
| Notification of Invitation to Proceed with Application | April 20, 2026 |
| Application Deadline | June 5, 2026 |
| Funding notification | August 2026 |
| Funding provided | September 2026 |
| Progress Report / Final Study Report | To be determined; details stipulated in Notice of Award letter (typically at 1-year and at the end of the grant award period) |
Clinician Scientist Development Award in Myasthenia Gravis
The Clinician Scientist Development Award in Myasthenia Gravis, funded by the MGFA and the American Brain Foundation in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology, aims to recognize the importance of rigorous clinical and translational research and to encourage young investigators in clinical and translational studies related to myasthenia gravis.
This award will consist of a commitment of $75,000 per year for three years, plus a $5,000 per-year stipend to support education and research-related costs, for a total of $240,000. Supplementation of the award with other grants is permissible, but to be eligible to apply for this award, the other grant source(s) cannot exceed $80,000 annually.
Award criteria and full application information can be found via the PDF below.
Download Grant InformationHOW TO APPLY
Applications are no longer being accepted for the 2025 grant cycle. Visit AAN.com/view/ResearchProgram and go to “Clinician Scientist Development Award” for more information about this award.
Nancy Law Impact Award
This award was created in honor of Nancy Law, the former CEO and board chair of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. Her dedication to supporting people with MG inspired this research funding award opportunity.
The Nancy Law Impact Award supports high-impact clinical research or scientific investigations that are focused and innovative. High-impact clinical research proposals should focus on patient outcome measurements or alteration in clinical or research practices which improve present treatment paradigms. Scientific projects require a clear plan that will lead to new competitive federal or private foundation supported investigations.
In the 2024 grant cycle, MGFA funded this award at $300,000 over three years.
Jackie McSpadden Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award
The MGFA Jackie McSpadden Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award was established in 2022 to support a postdoctoral investigator conducting translational research related to myasthenia gravis. The fellowship grant is offered to promising recipients of MD, PhD or MD/PhD degrees when it appears that the program of training to be supported by the grant will enhance the likelihood that the trainee will perform meaningful and independent research relevant to MG in the future and obtain a suitable position that will enable them to do so. This award is named for Jackie McSpadden as a posthumous memorial to her fighting spirit in the face of her myasthenia gravis diagnosis.
Read about the inaugural McSpadden Fellow on the MGFA blog.
MGFA Global MG Patient Registry Publication Award
Through this grant, MGFA funds highly meritorious projects that enable academic investigators to use patient-reported data in the MGFA Global MG Patient Registry.
Investigators must provide a study synopsis to evaluate MGFA Global MG Patient Registry data, with the goal of generating a total of up to 6 tables, listings, and figures (TLFs). The researcher will work with MGFA Global MG Patient Registry host, who will perform the actual retrospective data extraction and generation of TLFs under the guidance of the researcher.
The pass-through cost of this data extraction and generation, up to $10,000, is covered via this grant. Results generated, including up to 6 populated TLFs, will be used by the researcher for the submission of abstracts to academic meetings, for selection as poster or oral presentation, with the ultimate goal of acceptance of manuscript(s) for publication.
Contacts for Questions
For inquiries related to research funded by the MGFA, High Impact Pilot Project funding, or other questions relevant to MGFA’s role in funding MG research, please contact the Director of Global Research Operations, Melissa Jenkins, MS.
For technical inquiries such as system access or site navigation related to ProposalCentral, please email pcsupport@altum.com or call 1-800-875-2562 (toll-free US and Canada) or +1-703-964.5840 (Direct Dial International).
More information about how to register and apply using ProposalCentral:
User FAQs.pdf (proposalcentral.com).
How to Register as a ProposalCentral user
How to Create an Application using ProposalCentral
External Research Grants
Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
The annual Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is an international prize which honors young scientists for outstanding neurobiological research based on methods of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology. Researchers who are not older than 35 years are invited to apply.
The Grand Prize Winner receives:
• Prize money of US$25,000
• Publication in Science of an essay by the winner about his/her research
• Full support to attend the Prize Ceremony held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in the USA
• 10-year AAAS membership and online subscription to Science
• Complimentary products worth US$1,000 from Eppendorf
• An invitation to visit Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany
Deadline for submission: June
Applications for the 2025 grant cycle are now closed. Information about next year’s grant availability will be shared when available.
More InformationMyasthenia Gravis Rare Disease Network
The Myasthenia Gravis Rare Disease Network, MGNet, part of the National Institutes of Health’s Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, has funding opportunities available for MG researchers. More information will be provided on the next grant cycle when available.
Myasthenia Gravis Network (MGNet) Scholar Program
Pilot Grant Program for Myasthenia Gravis
Scholar Program: $100,000
The Scholar Program provides one year of support for mentored research training to prepare Scholars for an independent research career in the field of myasthenia gravis. Selected Scholars receive up to $100,000 to support salary, research costs, and didactics, with potential for renewal. An additional $3,000 is provided to travel to MGNet sites for training and or to attend scientific meetings to present the results of research.
Pilot Program: $75,000
The Pilot Grant Program will provide up to two years of funding $75,000 per year to support clinical research dedicated to myasthenia gravis. We are seeking proposals for highly innovative investigations in early stages of development focused on clinical research, including fulfilling the definition of clinical research and exclusion of animal studies.
Pilot and Feasibility Grants | The Myasthenia Gravis Rare Disease Network (rarediseasesnetwork.org)