Foundation Funds Research on Suicide Prevention
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

Opportunities: Distinguishes Investigator Grants; Standard Research Grants; Linked Standard Research Grants; Young Investigator Grants; Postdoctoral Research Fellowships; and Pilot Grants

Eligibility: Investigators from all academic disciplines
AFSP research grants support studies that aim to increase understanding of the causes of suicide and factors related to suicide risk, or to test treatments and other interventions designed to prevent suicide. Specifics on the six funding programs are:

1. Distinguished Investigator Grants go to investigators at the level of associate professor or higher with an established record of research and publication on suicide.
2. Standard Research Grants are awarded to individual investigators at any level.
3. Linked Standard Research Grants are awarded to investigators at any level.
4. Young Investigator Grants go to investigators at the level of assistant professor or lower.
5. Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are awarded to investigators who have received a Ph.D., M.D. or other doctoral degree within the preceding six years and have not had more than three years of fellowship support.
6. Pilot Grants are awarded to investigators at any level and provide seed money for new projects that have the potential to lead to subsequent larger investigations.

Insider's Tip: AFSP does not give priority to any particular research topics. All proposals, however, are judged for relevancy to existing needs in suicide research, which are spelled out in a 2002 Institute of Medicine report call Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative. For a copy of the report, please visit http://tinyurl.com/2bbq5gn.

Info: For more on the funding programs, please visit http://tinyurl.com/zy2hy.