Apply For A Research Grant
Interim Research Grants
We award Interim Research Grants quarterly but accept applications year-long. The Aesthetic Foundation will consider budget requests for projects for any amount. To apply, you must complete the application form and include a compelling statement on the clinical relevance of your research.
Eligibility
To apply for a research grant, you must be at least one of the following:
An Aesthetic Foundation Member whose dues have been paid in full for the current year
An Aesthetic Society Active Member whose dues have been paid in full for the current year
An Aesthetic Society Associate Member whose dues have been paid in full for the current year
Sponsored Medical Professional - Residents, Fellows, and non-members require the sponsorship of a Member of The Aesthetic Society and The Aesthetic Foundation or an Associate Member of The Society whole dues have been paid in full for the current year. By signing the application as a sponsor, they agree to ensure that the Principal Investigator will be available to carry out the proposed research within the timeline outlined in the application.
The Aesthetic Foundation funds one project at a time per investigator. If you currently receive Aesthetic Foundation funding for a research study, you cannot apply for an additional grant until you have completed the initial study. Additionally, you can only submit one research grant application per quarter.
Application Form
To apply for an Interim Research Grant, download and complete the application (fillable PDF format). Please read and follow all instructions on the application. Incomplete submissions, or those that do not follow the stated requirements, will not be reviewed until you make the required revisions. Please be prepared to include the following:
Purpose: Provide a statement on the clinical relevance of the project as well as your hypothesis and specific aims.
Background / References: Provide a concise summary of previous work pertinent to your proposed study. State your understanding of the available knowledge pertaining to the subject and include your critical analysis of past deficiencies. If you have preliminary data of your own, please include it. Cite references sparingly and then only parenthetically within the text.
Methods: Describe with precision how you plan to carry out your study. Include a description of the experimental model, experimental design, patient selection, planned statistical methods, etc.
For studies involving human or animal subjects, explain the safeguards you have selected (patient permission forms, etc., or use guidelines established by nearby medical schools or those of your own hospital). It is your responsibility to submit the grant application for review by your animal utilization or human subjects review committee for experimental work and to ensure it complies with the institution’s regulations. All projects must receive a prior approval letter from your animal or human investigative review board. Applications without this letter of approval WILL NOT be processed.
Facilities: Provide details for the institution/laboratory where the study will be conducted. Describe the facilities that coincide with the location of the study.
Budget: Successful applicants have typically received Foundation grants ranging from $2000-$10,000. Exceptions to these limits have been made for studies vital to the specialty where applicants have delineated any excess costs. If the applicant receives funding for the study from other organizations, the applicant must notify the Foundation of these outside funds immediately. By accepting a Foundation grant, the applicant agrees that the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) will have the right of first refusal for publication of any work from the study.
A comprehensive budget must be submitted with the proposal. The ultimate decision on the funding will be determined by The Foundation’s Scientific Research Committee and Board of Directors. The Foundation is reluctant to fund capital equipment purchases unless satisfactory justification is provided. Most of the award should go to the execution of the project, not to the purchase of equipment. The Foundation does not pay for:
- Indirect, administrative, or travel costs.
- Salaries.
- Clinical research for products, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, devices, or biologics where the sponsor (manufacturer or owner of the IP) could potentially obtain outside investor funding for the research.
- Capital equipment that benefits the researcher/research facility after project completion and not The Aesthetic Foundation.
- The cost of AI credits, subscriptions, or fees.
The Aesthetic Foundation, being a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, requires universities to remove all indirect costs for sponsored research.
Intellectual Property: Should the research result in the development of intellectual property, The Aesthetic Foundation requires a statement regarding the rights of Aesthetic Society and Aesthetic Foundation members to access the product, service, or publication resulting from the research.
Timeline: Provide a timeline for the study from implementation to completion. You are likely to receive confirmation of Foundation approval or denial of funding within 2-3 months of submitting the application. Estimate the start and end dates of the study and provide a detailed timeline. Notify The Foundation should the projected timeline change, or principal investigators or research assistants get added or leave throughout the course of the study: hello@theaestheticfoundation.org.
Collaboration: List, if applicable, basic scientists, statisticians, or other consultants you have selected for collaborative assistance and describe their role(s). Attach a letter of support from each collaborator.
Other Financial Awards and Conflict of Interest: Provide all other sources of funds currently available or pending for the project or for closely related studies. Include both sources and amounts of funding. If other sources provide salaries, capital equipment, or supplies, please specify.
Disclose any potential conflicts of financial interest.
Previous Research Experience: Describe your prior research experience and indicate any grants received from The Aesthetic Foundation in the past.
Quarterly Deadlines
Submit completed applications to hello@theaestheticfoundation.org by the quarterly deadlines below:
March 1
June 1
September 1
December 1
All applications received each quarter will be reviewed within a month after the deadline. If you submit an application after a listed deadline, The Foundation will review it the following quarter.
Review Process
STEP 1: The Scientific Research Committee reviews each application and selects which will proceed to the next step. During this time, please be prepared to reply promptly to emails from the committee requesting additional information about your grant request.
STEP 2: The selected research grant applications move onto The Aesthetic Foundation’s Board of Directors for final approval.
STEP 3: The Committee will inform all applicants whether their grant proposal is approved.
Questions
If you have any questions about the research grant application process, you can seek guidance from the Aesthetic Research Community (ARC) by accessing AestheticConnect. You can also ask us direct questions at hello@theaestheticfoundation.org.
DOWNLOAD INTERIM RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATION
Directed Research Grants
There are no active Directed Research Grants at this time. Please check back later for updates.