Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust

Quick Stats

Total Assets: $146.2 million
Annual Giving: $8.5 million
Success Rate: Not publicly available (37 awards made in 2024)
Decision Time: Not publicly specified
Grant Range: $350,000 - $1,000,000
Geographic Focus: Midwestern United States (with select historical exceptions)

Contact Details

Grant Management:
Health Resources in Action
Email: FalkAwards@hria.org
Website: https://hria.org/grants/falkcap/ (Catalyst Awards)
Website: https://hria.org/grants/falktap/ (Transformational Awards)

Trustee:
Bank of America, N.A.

Overview

The Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust was created by Marian Falk in 1979 to support biomedical research. With total assets of $146.2 million and annual giving of approximately $8.5 million, the trust serves as a significant funder of translational medical research. Mrs. Falk's founding vision was to fund "medical research to improve treatments of the past and eventually find cures for diseases for which no definite cure is known." Bank of America, N.A. serves as Trustee, while Health Resources in Action manages the grantmaking operations. The trust operates a distinctive two-stage funding pathway designed to support high-risk, high-reward translational research from initial discovery through to commercial development, with a focus on diseases lacking definitive cures.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. Catalyst Research Award Program
Amount: Up to $350,000 (inclusive of 10% indirect costs)
Duration: 12-24 months
Application Method: Institutional nomination (fixed deadline, June 3, 2025)

The Catalyst program provides seed funding to support high-risk, high-reward translational research that addresses critical scientific and therapeutic roadblocks and can be transferred to clinical practice in the near term. Applications must be responsive to one of three principal research focus areas:

Identification of biological markers of disease activity and progression
Identification of targets for therapeutic interventions
Development of therapeutic agents that will disrupt, arrest, or prevent the disease process

Eligible institutions may nominate up to two applications per grant cycle. Select research institutions in the Midwestern United States are invited to participate, with a few exceptions for historical reasons (e.g., Yale University, Brown University).

2. Transformational Research Award
Amount: Up to $1,000,000
Duration: 2-3 years
Application Method: Limited to Catalyst Awardees only

The Transformational program provides follow-on funding for successful Catalyst Award recipients. Only Catalyst Awardees are eligible to apply, and applications may be submitted during the final year of the Catalyst Award or the year following. Awards are granted based on both scientific merit and having successfully attained the proposed milestones and benchmarks of the Catalyst Award. This program aims to advance promising research toward commercial development and broader clinical impact.

Priority Areas

The trust focuses on translational biomedical research addressing diseases for which no definite cure is known. Recent awards (2024) have supported research in:

Cancer research: Neuroblastoma (Andre Bachmann, Michigan State University), Glioblastoma (Milan G. Chheda, Washington University)
Infectious diseases: MRSA infections (Mark Mitton-Fry, Ohio State University), Malaria vaccines (Sara Hamilton Hart)
Neurodegenerative diseases: Huntington's disease (Case Western Reserve University)
Pediatric conditions: Cerebral palsy muscle contractures (Andrea Domenighetti, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago)
Transplant medicine: Pediatric heart transplant tolerance (James Mathew, Northwestern University)

The trust emphasizes translational potential—research must demonstrate a clear pathway from laboratory discovery to clinical application.

What They Don't Fund

Basic research without clear translational potential or pathway to clinical application
Projects from investigators currently holding an active Catalyst or Transformational award
Re-applications from former awardees with projects related to their previous Falk award (former awardees may apply only with completely new, unrelated projects)
Applications from institutions not on the eligible institutions list
Applications from individual researchers (must be institutionally nominated)

Governance and Leadership

Trustee:
Bank of America, N.A. serves as the sole trustee of the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust. In the most recent fiscal year (ending November 2024), Bank of America, N.A. received $786,745 in compensation for trustee services.

Grant Administration:
Health Resources in Action (HRiA) manages the grantmaking for both the Catalyst and Transformational Programs on behalf of Bank of America. HRiA handles application processes, review coordination, and awardee communications.

Founding Vision:
The trust was established by Marian Falk with the mission to support medical research to improve treatments and find cures for diseases for which no definite cure is known.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Catalyst Awards:
Applications are submitted through an institutional nomination process. Individual researchers cannot apply directly—they must be nominated by their eligible institution. The process works as follows:

Internal Institutional Competition: Most eligible institutions run internal selection processes, as they may only submit up to two applications per cycle. Researchers should contact their institution's research development or limited submissions office for internal deadlines.
Application Submission: Once selected by their institution, applicants submit materials through the formal application process managed by HRiA. Application materials include:
- Cover page with researcher information and project title
- Research project summary (no more than 4 pages)
- Description of how the project meets solicitation goals
- Budget and supporting forms
- Specific milestones and benchmarks that would enable progression to Transformational Award
Application Deadline: June 3, 2025 (for 2025 cycle)
Contact for Questions: FalkAwards@hria.org

Transformational Awards:
Only Catalyst Awardees are eligible. Applications may be submitted during the final year of the Catalyst Award or the year immediately following. Detailed application guidelines are available on the HRiA website.

Application Materials Available:

Application Guidelines (updated annually)
Application Forms (Word document)
Budget & Supporting Forms (Excel)
FAQ document
Past awardees list
Office Hours presentations and recordings

Eligible Institutions

The trust invites select research institutions in the Midwestern United States to participate, with a few exceptions for historical reasons. Confirmed eligible institutions include:

Case Western Reserve University (Ohio)
Cleveland Clinic (Ohio)
Mayo Clinic
Medical College of Wisconsin
Michigan State University
Northwestern University (Illinois)
Ohio State University
University of Cincinnati
University of Illinois
University of Iowa
University of Michigan
University of Nebraska Medical Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Washington University in St. Louis (Missouri)
Wayne State University (Michigan)

Historical exceptions (non-Midwest):

Brown University (Rhode Island)
Yale University (Connecticut)

The complete list of eligible institutions is published in the annual Application Guidelines available through HRiA.

Decision Timeline

The trust does not publicly specify decision timelines. Based on typical grant cycles with a June application deadline, decisions are likely communicated in the fall or winter of the application year, though this is not confirmed.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. In 2024, the trust made 37 Catalyst Awards. In 2023, there were 46 awards, and in 2022, there were 20 awards. Without data on total applications received, a precise success rate cannot be calculated. Given the institutional nomination limit of two applications per institution, competition is managed at both the institutional and trust levels.

Reapplication Policy

Former Catalyst or Transformational Awardees may reapply, but only with a new project that is completely unrelated to their previous Falk award. Investigators currently holding an active Catalyst or Transformational Award are not eligible to apply.

For unsuccessful applicants, the policy on reapplication is not explicitly stated in available materials, though the annual cycle suggests reapplication in subsequent years is permitted.

Application Success Factors

Based on program requirements and guidance from the trust, the following factors are critical for competitive applications:

1. Translational Potential is Paramount
The trust emphasizes that projects must demonstrate "high translational potential." Applications should clearly articulate the pathway from laboratory discovery to clinical application. As stated in program materials, research must address critical scientific and therapeutic roadblocks "that can be transferred to clinical practice in the near term."

2. Alignment with Research Focus Areas
Applications must explicitly address one or more of the three principal research focus areas:

Identification of biological markers of disease activity and progression
Identification of targets for therapeutic interventions
Development of therapeutic agents that disrupt, arrest, or prevent disease

Projects should clearly state which focus area(s) they address and how they meet these criteria.

3. High-Risk, High-Reward Approach
The trust specifically seeks "high-risk, high-reward transformative biomedical research." Successful applications present innovative approaches that, if successful, could significantly advance the field—but may carry scientific uncertainty. Conservative, incremental research is less competitive.

4. Clear Milestones for Transformational Award Progression
Catalyst applications "must describe specific milestones and benchmarks that if successfully met, would then enable recipients to apply for additional funding through the two-year Transformational Awards program." Successful applicants like those from the University of Iowa have been quoted saying "If we can create a prototype device that can measure this biomarker quickly...then the next step is the Transformative Award." The progression pathway should be clearly defined.

5. Focus on Diseases Without Definitive Cures
Consistent with Mrs. Falk's founding vision, competitive projects address diseases "for which no definite cure is known." Recent successful awards have targeted cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases resistant to current treatments, and other conditions lacking effective therapies.

6. Institutional Support Matters
Given the two-application limit per institution, being selected as one of your institution's nominees signals strong institutional support. Universities run competitive internal review processes to select their nominees, often using senior faculty biomedical research councils. Strong institutional backing enhances credibility.

7. Examples of Recent Successful Projects

Developing new ODC inhibitors to treat neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer (Andre Bachmann, Michigan State University)
Preclinical development of OSUAB-0284 for MRSA infections (Mark Mitton-Fry, Ohio State University)
Genetic arming of Zika virus to treat glioblastoma (Milan G. Chheda, Washington University)
Novel therapies for Huntington's disease (Case Western Reserve University)

These examples demonstrate the types of innovative, translational approaches that succeed in this competition.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Institutional nomination is required – Contact your research development office early to understand internal deadlines and selection processes, as institutions can only submit two applications per cycle.
Translational pathway is non-negotiable – Applications must demonstrate clear potential for clinical application in the near term; basic research without translational goals is not competitive.
Think two-stage strategy – Catalyst applications should include well-defined milestones that would justify progression to the $1M Transformational Award; successful Catalyst recipients represent the pathway to larger funding.
High-risk is encouraged, not discouraged – The trust explicitly seeks "high-risk, high-reward" projects; don't shy away from ambitious, transformative ideas with scientific uncertainty.
Midwest focus with select exceptions – Verify your institution's eligibility in the annual Application Guidelines; the trust primarily supports Midwestern research institutions with a few historical exceptions like Yale and Brown.
Disease focus matters – Align your research with the founding mission of finding cures for diseases "for which no definite cure is known"; incremental improvements to existing therapies are less competitive than novel approaches to intractable diseases.
Resources and support available – HRiA offers FAQ documents, office hours presentations, and direct support via FalkAwards@hria.org; utilize these resources to strengthen your application.

References

Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust - ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Financial information from Form 990 filings
Falk Catalyst Awards - Health Resources in Action - Official Catalyst Awards program website
Falk Transformational Awards - Health Resources in Action - Official Transformational Awards program website
Falk Medical Research Trust - Candid Foundation Directory - Foundation profile and overview
Mark Mitton-Fry receives 2024 Falk Medical Research Trust Catalyst Award - Ohio State University - 2024 award recipient example
Chheda Receives Dr. Ralph & Marian Falk Medical Research Trust Catalyst Award - Washington University - 2024 award recipient example
Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust awards $1.35M to Case Western Reserve - Case Western Reserve University - Recent award announcement
Shukla receives Falk Trust Transformational Award - Brown University - Transformational Award progression example
MCW Investigators Awarded Two Falk Catalyst Grants - Medical College of Wisconsin - Institutional nomination example
Falk Medical Research Trust Catalyst Award 2025 - UW-Madison - Institutional application information

Accessed: December 23, 2025