Award and Grant Programs

The purpose of the Powell Center for Mature Women’s Health Seed Grant program is to provide funding for projects that advance research, education, or other activities directly related to the improvement of the health and well being of menopausal women.   The goal is for investigators to use these seed funds to obtain preliminary results that will enable them to compete successfully for larger national research grants. 

These seed grants are intended to support University of Medical School Faculty on any promotion track at the Assistant Professor level or those at the Associate Professor level who have not previously been the recipient of an R01 or equivalent grant. Up to two $20,000 grants will be awarded yearly.  Funds may not be used for faculty salary and no indirects will be provided. Up to $1000 may be applied toward travel for the recipient to present the work at a national conference. 

Application instructions

Deadline for Submission: July 1st, 2025

Number of awardees: Up to two per year

Award range: Up to $20,000 over one year

Application materials: Send via email in a single PDF document to [email protected] by the application deadline with “Powell Grant Application- ‘Last Name’” in the subject line.

• Application cover page
• Research/education plan and references
  
  • Describe the specific aims, hypothesis/es, background, and methods (research) or learning objectives, background, and methods (education)
  • A statement of significance regarding how the work aims to improve the health and well-being of menopausal women should be included. 
  • A paragraph focused on applicant career development and how the seed grant funds would help their career development plan
  • 2-page maximum, not including references; single spaced, 11-point type, Arial or Times New Roman font; ½-inch margin minimum)
• Biosketch (NIH format) for PI and any Co-I

Detailed budget (1 page) and justification (1 page)

Review criteria

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of investigators and clinicians with expertise in mature women’s health with attention to the following:

• Relevance and significance to mature women’s health
• Plan for future studies/grant applications/curriculum
• Innovation
• Approach/methodology
• Relevance of the project to investigator’s background and career development plan 

Key Dates

• Applications Due: July 1st, 2025
• Funding Decisions announced: August 2025
• Anticipated Funding Start Date: September 2025

Reporting Requirements

Principal investigators of funded projects are required to provide a final one-page report at the completion of the funding period.. The report must outline the project status and progress towards milestones. Additionally, this report must include an accounting of all funds expended to date and plans for securing ongoing funding. This is due to the CWIMS administrator ([email protected]) by December 15th, 2026.

The CWIMS Distinguished Women in Medicine and Science Visiting Scholar Award Program   is an initiative to support Medical School departments in prioritizing gender equity and promoting women as strong role models in the fields of academic medicine and science.  

Through this award program, we will provide UMN Medical School faculty greater opportunity to: 

1) Identify women as role models in their fields 

2) Normalize and outline a diversity of paths that women can take towards successful careers

3) Strengthen networks for distinguished visiting scholars to connect, collaborate on projects, and publish

Application Procedure:

1. Awards are reviewed and granted on a rolling basis via an online application.
2. Medical School departments must submit an application (link here) for a Distinguished Women in Medicine and Science Visiting Scholar Award within 120 days prior to the intended scholar visit. 
3. Typical evaluation and response time is within 2-3 weeks of submission.
4. If selected, the department will receive a $500 honorarium to be paid directly to the distinguished visiting scholar 

Award Details: 

1. $500 honorarium will be paid directly to the distinguished visiting scholar 
2. Eligibility 
   
   1. Award is available to University of Minnesota Medical School departments 
   2. Departments are eligible to receive an award once every 2 years 
   3. Visiting scholar is pre-identified and confirmed to be the primary speaker at a prestigious departmental speaking engagement (i.e. grand rounds or the equivalent) at the time of award application
   4. Visiting scholar is distinguished in their field and identifies as a woman
3. Requirements for Sponsoring Department
   
   1. The speaking engagement is open to all AHC faculty, staff and students to attend
   2. A CWIMS Career Development Reception will take place during the Distinguished Visiting Scholar’s campus visit in which the visiting scholar will be asked to share her career development and trajectory with medical school faculty. Department administrators must coordinate with CWIMS administrators to schedule and promote the reception 
4. Award Evaluation Criteria
   
   1. Typical event attendance 
   2. Prestige or value of the event within the Medical School and the applying department 
   3. Have not received a CWIMS visiting scholar award within the last two years