Mathers Grant Program 

Number of university slots: Three (3) applications per grant cycle 

SLU (Saint Louis University)  Internal deadline: August 29, 2025 at 5pm  

Portal registration due date: September 19,2025 

LOI submission deadline: October 3. 2025  

Due date for invited proposals: December 12,2025 

The Award & Eligibility Criteria 

The aim of the Mathers Grant Program, awarded by the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, is to advance knowledge in the life sciences by sponsoring scientific research that will benefit mankind. Basic scientific research, ideally with potential translational application, is central to this goal, and fundamental to the operating principles of the Foundation. 

Examples of current research areas they support include immunology, microbiome, structural biology, cellular physiology, cancer biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology and infectious diseases, stem cell biology, and neuroscience. In general, the Mathers Foundation reviewers look for innovative, novel proposals, which have scientific merit with an established published proof of concept, and which may not be fundable at the federal level. The grant duration is three years, and grant budgets should not exceed $700K over three years. Indirect costs (included in the grant budget) cannot exceed 10%. The award cannot be used for purchasing capital equipment and is intended only to support the actual investigation. 

 
Guidance for the Nomination Process 
 

An internal competition will be held to assign the three slots. Interested PIs (Principal Investigator) should submit a 1-2 page proposed project summary that includes a description of the suitability of the project for this opportunity, and C.V. or NIH Biosketch, through SLU’s OpenWater portal by August 29, 2025 at 5pm.  A SLU faculty selection committee will review and select the 3 most suitable applicants. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by September 5,2025  barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Mathers Portal registration due date is September 19, 2025, and the LOI deadline is October 3, 2025. If selected, the full proposal is due December 12, 2025. Details on the application process, including a complete list of requirements, can be found here, and grant application guidance and expectations can be found here.  

For more information on the Mathers Foundation, please click here. For more information, please contact Christine Luebbert, OVPR, at christine.luebbert@slu.edu.