Pediatric Fungal Network Study of Rare Invasive Fungal DisEases in Immunocompromised Pediatric Patients (PFN-STRIDE) Cycle 2 Pilot Grant Letter of Intent

 The PFN-STRIDE Pilot/Feasibility Grant uses a two-phase application process:
  • Pre-Application Deadline: December 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET
  • Full Application Deadline: March 19, 2027 at 5:00 PM ET. 
Full applications are by invitation only. Selected applicants will be notified by January 22, 2027. This page provides an overview of the pre-application requirements.

Applicants should review the Full RFA for complete information on the award, program requirements, review criteria, and current PFN-STRIDE research projects.
 
Program Overview
The Pediatric Fungal Network Study of Rare Invasive Fungal DisEases in Immunocompromised Pediatric Patients (PFN-STRIDE) is a Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (RDCRC) focused on advancing diagnostic, therapeutic, and supportive care strategies for rare pediatric invasive fungal diseases (IFDs).

The PFN-STRIDE Pilot/Feasibility (P&F) Core invites applications for one-year pilot research projects that address important gaps in rare pediatric IFD research and align with the goals of PFN-STRIDE. Awards will provide up to $30,000 in total (direct and indirect costs) for a one-year period.

Only proposals with NO scientific overlap to with current PFN-STRIDE research projects will be considered. Applicants should review current project descriptions and aims (see Full RFA, Appendix 1) to confirm that their proposal meets this requirement. 

RFA Scope and Priority Topics
Projects focused on rare IFD-causing pathogens under these categories will be considered (See full RFA, Appendix 2): 
  • Aspergillus species
  • Non-Aspergillus molds
  • Rare yeasts (generally non-Candida species)
  • Dimorphic fungi
Priority topics of research include, but are not limited to:  
  • Patient and caregiver knowledge studies related to rare pediatric IFD 
  • Studies that generate foundational data, methods, or infrastructure to enable larger future studies or help patients and clinicians make better-informed decisions 
  • Studies evaluating the feasibility or acceptability of antifungal therapies 
  • Development or early evaluation of novel diagnostic approaches; and 
  • Novel approaches to overcome challenges in study design, e.g., identification and collection of data that can serve as controls. 
Proposals outside these priority areas are welcome if they address a compelling gap in rare pediatric IFD research and align with PFN-STRIDE goals. Projects involving animal models will not be considered.

Eligibility 
This program is primarily intended to support full-time, early-career faculty. Any member of a PFN-STRIDE participating institution is eligible to apply. Investigators from institutions outside PFN-STRIDE may apply for an award but must agree to have their site join the PFN-STRIDE during the award period. 

Early-career is defined as:  
  • Junior faculty within 7 years of Assistant Professor appointment OR 
  • Medical, pharmacy, or post-doctoral fellows with anticipated faculty appointment at the time of award distribution OR 
  • A current Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) status with the NIH 
Senior or mid-career faculty initiating new lines of investigation may apply with justification for pilot funding. However, in the case of similar review scores, priority will be given to proposals from early-career faculty. 

Pre-Application Requirements
Pre-applications must be submitted directly on the RDCRN Grant portal by  December 4, 2026, 5 pm EST.  

Applicants must complete all required questions in the grant portal and submit the following materials separately (File size 15 mb MAX) :
 Letter of intent requirements (2-page limit, excluding references): 
  • Project title  
  • Expanded Specific Aims Page (see below) 
  • Need for PFN-STRIDE resources and description of current/proposed work with any partnering institutions or stakeholder groups, if applicable.
The Expanded Specific Aims Page should be organized as follows: 
INTRODUCTION  
  • Explain the importance of the problem 
  • Describe the knowledge gap or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project will address 
  • State project relationship to the Pilot/Feasibility scope 
  • Address how it can be completed within the 1-year project period and budget 
PROPOSED SOLUTION 
  • Describe objective(s) of the project 
SPECIFIC AIMS 
  • State 1-2 aims and corresponding hypothesis   
  • Provide concise description of anticipated methods to achieve aims  
 SIGNIFICANCE 
  • Explain the innovation of the project and the expected outcomes 
  • Describe how the pilot project will facilitate progression to larger-scale research project(s) 
REFERENCES CITED (NOTE: References do not count toward the page limit.) 
Provide a bibliography of all references cited. Each reference must include the names of all authors, the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication.

LOI must use a font size no smaller than 11 point and spacing of no more than 6 lines per vertical inch.  Figures can be smaller but must be legible at 100%. Margins should be no smaller than one-half inch.

All proposals should represent the ideas of the Principal Investigator directly; artificial intelligence programs cannot be used for grant development though may be used for editing text written by the investigator to improve clarity. 

For any inquiries, please contact:
Program Lead: Anna Huppler, MD| ahuppler@mcw.edu
Program Manager: Subhi Karthikeyan| karthikeys@chop.edu

PFN-STRIDE is supported through a U54 grant focused on rare diseases, defined under the Rare Diseases Act of 2002 as diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Most pediatric IFDs meet this definition.