Focused Ultrasound Foundation Grants Guide

Securing research funding for therapeutic ultrasound requires navigating specialized translational programs. The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is the premier philanthropic funder advancing non-invasive focused ultrasound across oncology and neurology. Winning an award requires milestone deliverables, a 0% indirect cost policy, and acceptance of IP recoupment terms.

This guide outlines organizational structure, eligibility, allowable budgets, two-stage application workflow, and compliance rules governing Foundation awards, as described on the official program pages on November 10, 2026.

What it is and who runs it

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt medical research organization founded in 2006 by neurosurgeon Dr. Neal F. Kassell, MD, former professor of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Foundation operates under a venture philanthropy model to shorten the interval between laboratory discovery and patient adoption of image-guided focused ultrasound (FUS).

Focused ultrasound concentrates acoustic beams deep within targeted tissue under real-time MRI or diagnostic ultrasound guidance. Depending on parameters, it achieves non-invasive thermal ablation, histotripsy, blood-brain barrier opening, or localized drug delivery without incisions or ionizing radiation. Professional societies such as the Biomedical Engineering Society feature these therapeutic acoustic systems across bioinstrumentation tracks.

The Foundation is governed by a board of directors and advised by scientific, clinical, and industrial councils. Beyond grantmaking, it coordinates symposia, designates Centers of Excellence, and assists commercial innovators via FUS Partners.

Eligibility (summary, with the official source)

Eligibility for research funding is established through official guidelines published by the Foundation. As described on the official page on November 10, 2026, the program maintains global scope across academic and commercial sectors:

Academic Investigators: MD, PhD, or equivalent doctoral-level researchers holding faculty appointments at accredited universities, hospitals, or non-profit research institutes worldwide are eligible. The Foundation currently funds projects across more than 30 nations.
Postdoctoral Fellows: Early-career researchers cannot apply as sole Principal Investigator (PI); they must apply as Co-PI alongside a tenured or tenure-track faculty PI.
Commercial Entities: Medical device startups and corporate developers are eligible through industry tracks. Unlike academic grants, industry support is dilutive and structured under equity or royalty terms.
Institutional Assurances: Approvals from animal welfare (IACUC) or human subject protection committees (IRB) must be documented prior to fund disbursement. Clinical trials require an approved FDA Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) or equivalent international clearance.

What it funds or requires

Projects must explicitly advance or deploy non-invasive image-guided focused ultrasound in human health or companion-animal veterinary medicine. As described on the official page on November 10, 2026, funding focuses on specific stages, biological mechanisms, and disease targets.

Priority mechanisms include immunomodulation, neuromodulation, blood-brain barrier opening for drug delivery, gene therapy delivery, and sonodynamic sensitization. High-priority clinical indications focus on neurodegenerative conditions (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, Huntington's) and intractable cancers (glioblastoma, DIPG/DMG, pancreatic cancer, metastatic lesions). These targets complement federal initiatives like the Cancer Moonshot and programs from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) grants portfolio.

Funding is administered through two core award mechanisms:

Preclinical Awards: Investigator-initiated translational proof-of-concept laboratory and veterinary studies, structured as one-year grants of approximately $100,000 paid in three or more milestone installments.
Clinical Awards: Funding for first-in-human and innovative clinical trials evaluating device performance and patient outcomes, with budgets determined case-by-case.

Key budgetary and contractual conditions include:

Strict 0% Indirect Cost Limit: The Foundation prohibits institutional overhead or F&A rates; 100% of award funds must cover direct project costs.
Allowable Direct Expenses: Direct personnel salaries and fringe benefits (capped at the federal executive salary cap), lab consumables, vivarium charges, patient procedure costs, and data curation fees.
Unallowable Expenses: Capital equipment, tuition reimbursement, indirect institutional expenses, and general commercial product development.
Academic IP Recoupment: Inventions developed during funded studies must be disclosed. If licensed for commercialization, the Foundation requires 20% of net annual licensing revenue, capped at 5 times the initial grant award.
Industry Terms: Pre-revenue firms receive financing via Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFE) with a valuation cap; later-stage firms negotiate royalty agreements.
Data Sharing: Grantees must include a Data Availability Statement in publications and deposit study datasets into public repositories or Foundation databases.

Application or compliance steps

Applications follow a standardized two-stage review managed through ProposalCentral:

LOI Drafting: The PI drafts a Letter of Intent (LOI) defining the hypothesis, acoustic mechanisms, and translation plan. Applicants may optionally evaluate their draft using the Foundation's AI pre-submission tool to check alignment with research priorities.
LOI Submission: The LOI is submitted via ProposalCentral on a rolling basis. Foundation scientific staff conduct triage, typically responding within two weeks.
Full Proposal Submission: Upon invitation, the PI has 90 calendar days to submit a complete proposal detailing specific aims, experimental design, milestone timetables, and an itemized direct budget.
External Peer Review: Independent experts in acoustics, bioengineering, and clinical medicine evaluate scientific merit, feasibility, and translational potential.
Committee Determination: The Research Funding Committee convenes bi-weekly to render funding determinations: fund, request revisions, or reject.
Contract Execution: Selected awardees execute a Research Funding Agreement (RFA) or Clinical Research Funding Agreement (CRFA) and submit verified IRB, IDE, or IACUC documentation.
Milestone Reporting: An initial startup payment is issued at contract signing, followed by milestone disbursements upon approval of technical progress reports.

Typical timeline phases (no calendar dates as facts)

Rather than using fixed annual calendar deadlines, the Foundation conducts rolling application and review cycles:

Phase 1: LOI Submission: Rolling submission via ProposalCentral at any point in the year.
Phase 2: Administrative Screening: Programmatic triage completed within approximately two weeks.
Phase 3: Proposal Development: 90-day window for invited applicants to prepare full proposals.
Phase 4: Peer Review & Adjudication: Expert review evaluated at bi-weekly committee meetings.
Phase 5: Agreement Execution: Finalization of RFA contracts and institutional compliance approvals.
Phase 6: Project Execution: 12-month performance period for preclinical awards, disbursing on milestones.

Common mistakes

Common pitfalls that delay or invalidate grant applications include:

Budgeting Institutional Overhead: Including university indirect costs (F&A) violates the non-negotiable 0% overhead policy.
Unresolved IP Terms: Delaying institutional review of the 20% licensing recoupment clause (capped at 5x the grant) stalls contract execution.
Unfocused Engineering Objectives: Iterative device refinement lacking defined clinical endpoints scores poorly in peer review.
Lacking Clinical Trial Clearance: Applying without documented progress toward FDA IDE or IRB approvals creates contracting barriers.
Exceeding Federal Salary Caps: Budgeting academic personnel above statutory executive salary caps requires administrative correction.
Ignoring Data Sharing Obligations: Omitting required data curation and open repository deposition creates compliance issues.

Related programs (table)

Researchers evaluating focused ultrasound grants frequently compare Foundation mechanisms with other federal and philanthropic programs:

Program / Funder	Target Scope	Typical Budget & Term	Indirect Costs Policy	Application Mechanism
FUS Foundation Preclinical Awards	Translational acoustic studies & veterinary trials	~$100,000 / 1 year (3+ milestone tranches)	0% (strictly disallowed)	Two-stage rolling LOI & ProposalCentral
FUS Foundation Clinical Awards	First-in-human & innovative clinical device trials	Variable by protocol & patient accrual	0% (strictly disallowed)	Two-stage rolling LOI & ProposalCentral
NIH NIBIB R01 / R21 Programs	Bioimaging, transducer physics & therapeutic ultrasound, comparing to NIH R01 project grants	$275,000 (R21) to $500,000+/yr (R01); 2-5 years	Negotiated institutional F&A rate	Tri-annual parent cycles via Grants.gov
CPRIT Research & Device Grants	Translational cancer devices and oncology interventions in Texas	$1M to $3M+; multi-year	Capped at 5% indirects	Structured request for proposals cycles
FUS Foundation FUS Partners (Industry)	Early-stage medical device commercialization & startups	Dilutive seed financing (SAFE / Royalties)	N/A (commercial investment)	Direct partnership engagement via FUS Partners

FAQ

Can individual patients apply directly to the Foundation for personal treatment funding?
No. The Foundation does not provide direct financial grants, patient assistance funds, or clinical subsidies to individuals. All research support is awarded to accredited institutions and clinical trial sites.

Does the Foundation support research institutions outside the United States?
Yes. The Foundation maintains a global funding remit and currently finances research projects and Centers of Excellence across more than 30 countries worldwide.

What is the maximum award amount for an investigator-initiated preclinical grant?
Standard preclinical research awards provide approximately $100,000 for a one-year performance period, disbursed across three or more milestone-contingent installments.

Can a postdoctoral fellow submit an application as Principal Investigator?
Postdoctoral fellows can lead project design but must apply as Co-Principal Investigator alongside a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who serves as the institutional PI.

Are university indirect costs or overhead charges allowable on Foundation grants?
No. The Foundation maintains a strict 0% indirect cost policy. Awards cannot cover institutional overhead, facilities and administrative (F&A) expenses, or capital equipment purchases.

How does the Foundation handle intellectual property and commercial licensing revenue?
For academic institutions, if patented intellectual property resulting from the study is licensed for commercialization, the Foundation requires 20% of net annual licensing revenue, capped at 5 times the initial award amount. Commercial startups receive dilutive financing structured via SAFE notes or royalty agreements.