Impact Grants

Impact Grants fund research projects at the University of Michigan that have the potential to move depression research forward through innovation and collaboration.

Breakthroughs often occur when bold ideas are explored at the intersection of disciplines. Impact Grants support creative, forward-thinking U-M investigators – regardless of their field of study – who are interested in accelerating the prevention, treatment and understanding of depressive illness. We are looking for innovative research questions to expedite discoveries that lead to improved outcomes across our communities.

Impact Grants typically range from $10,000 to $100,000 per project, with at least one $50,000 award and up to $700,000 in total funding available for the 2026 cycle. During this cycle, we have up to $200,000 to fund projects focused on prevention using digital health and behavior change approaches, with a maximum of $100,000 available per project.

Projects that can be completed for significantly less than $100,000, such as smaller pilot projects from first-time investigators, are strongly encouraged. 

We encourage researchers to propose NEW, bold and innovative projects rather than incremental extensions of previous work. Researchers are encouraged to pursue high-risk, high-reward projects that offer the potential for high-impact breakthroughs.

The application window for the 2026 cycle is now closed.

Streamlined application process 

Administrative red tape is often a barrier for investigators looking to get their study off the ground. To empower researchers to pursue bold, out-of-the-box ideas, we’ve streamlined our process to minimize the burden on applicants. One intriguing idea and one compelling page are all you need to get started.

Letters of Intent are submitted using the InfoReady Competition Space platform.

The application includes: 

• Name of principal investigator and any co-investigators, with titles and home departments.
• Title of proposed project.
• Proposed project duration.
• Total funding amount needed. Please note, you do not need to submit a detailed budget at this stage.
• One-page abstract or description of your idea.
• The Principal Investigator’s NIH-formatted Other Support document. If the PI does not have an NIH-formatted Other Support document, a list of all current or pending funding from federal, foundation, or other external or internal (U-M) sources. 

Questions?

If you have questions, contact Karen Dugas, manager, Research Innovation Core, or Valerie Kahn, managing director, Eisenberg Family Depression Center. 

This funding program is made possible through the generous funding provided through the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar Award, the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Translational Research Award, the John F. Greden, M.D. Legacy Research Fund, the Oscar Stern Award for Depression Research, and the Rachel Upjohn Clinical Scholar Award.