CICADA Request for Applications

Applicants must complete and submit the following required documents by 11:59pm ET on January 18, 2026. 

Proposal Requirements

1.    Cover page including Project Title, Principal Investigator, Mentor(s), and Abstract (not to exceed 250 words)

2.    Project Description (up to five pages, single-spaced, 11-point font minimum one-inch margins) which contains the following sections:

a. Specific aim(s) and significance (with specific hypotheses) (~1 page)

b. Research plan and methodology (~2.5 pages)

i. Should include a description of the data to be used or how the data will be collected; key variables and how they will be measured or defined; and a detailed analysis plan.

c. Timeline for project completion (e.g., Gantt chart) (~0.5 pages)

i. Milestones should be identified along the 1-year timeline. Milestones should be well described, quantifiable, and scientifically justified benchmarks at critical junctures. This section may also include alternative strategies should any component efforts fail to perform as expected

d. How this proposal is related to CICADA’s focus (~1 page)

i. How this project is related to CICADA’s research focus on focused on improving health care delivery for older adults

ii. How the proposed research project will inform the applicant’s future research and how it will lead to larger funding by the NIH/NIA or another agency

iii.  A description of the applicant including career objectives and how CICADA support would help achieve those objectives

iv. Proposed mentor(s) and a statement about their involvement and the role they will play in conducting the research project and supporting the applicant’s career objectives. Applicants without mentors who have a potential project should email CICADA at CICADA@pennmedicine.upenn.edu for assistance in identifying a mentor in advance of the application deadline

3.    Project Budget

a. Proposals must include an itemized budget of up to $50,000.

b. An accompanying budget justification should clearly describe and justify the specific items to be funded by the grant.

c. A budget template can be accessed here.

4.    Applicant’s current Curriculum Vitae (CV)

5.    Mentors’ abbreviated Biosketch(es) with selected relevant experience and publications (not to exceed 2 pages)

Demographic Data

If you feel comfortable doing so, please complete the following information. Responses are not required. Any information that is shared will be collected and stored separately from the application and will not be viewed or considered in the review of applications.

Were you or are you currently homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Definition: https://nche.ed.gov/mckinney-vento/)?

Were you or are you currently in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families (Definition: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/focus-areas/foster-care)?

Did you have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (see https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018009.pdf)?

Were you or are you currently eligible for Federal Pell grants?

Did you receive support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child (Definition: https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-requirements)?

Did you grow up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer (https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health), or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas?