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The Foundation for AIDS Research, known as amfAR, funds HIV/AIDS and related biomedical research through grant programs announced as formal requests for proposals (RFPs). This guide explains how amfAR grants work, who the Target Grants RFP says may apply, how applications are scored, and how its Krim Fellowships differ. Everything below is as described on amfAR’s official pages on 2026-10-29; programs open and close per RFP, so read the current RFP before you plan.
What is amfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research) and who runs the grants?
amfAR is a nonprofit funder of HIV/AIDS research. On its research grants page, amfAR says it uses “formal requests for proposals to solicit grant applications for HIV/AIDS and other targeted scientific research,” and that proposals are peer reviewed by external scientific reviewers for relevance, scientific merit and promise. The same page states that amfAR has awarded more than 3,900 grants to research teams worldwide.
For a research administrator, the practical point is that amfAR is a private foundation funder with RFP-driven, staged programs, not a rolling open-application fund. It belongs in the same planning bucket as other private foundation research grant programs and the foundation funders described in terms such as Spencer Foundation: each runs its own cycle, forms and review rules.
How amfAR grants work: RFP, synopsis and review
amfAR grants follow a staged pipeline. On amfAR’s official RFP and review pages, the sequence is: a published RFP, an early-stage submission (a project synopsis for Target Grants, a letter of intent for Krim Fellowships), an eligibility and relevance screen by amfAR, an invitation to a limited number of applicants, a full application, external peer review, and a final decision. Only invited applicants submit full applications, and amfAR states that it cannot discuss every submission.
This is closer to a letter of intent workflow than to a single-step deadline: the first submission is a screen, not the proposal itself.
Eligibility (summary, with the official source)
Eligibility is set per RFP. The Target Grants RFP (amfar.org/research/target-grants-request-for-proposals/, checked 2026-10-29) says that any biomedical researcher holding a research or clinical doctoral degree may apply, provided they are affiliated with a nonprofit research institution, regardless of location. That RFP was marked closed for submissions on that date. The main research grants page (amfar.org/research/grants/) lists the programs but does not itself set out eligibility criteria, so check the RFP for the specific program before assuming you qualify.
What amfAR grants fund
Target Grants
The Target Grants RFP describes awards of up to $480,000, including up to 20% indirect costs, with a two-year performance period running from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2028 for the cycle listed. Because the indirect cost cap is stated inside the award figure, your budget for indirect cost recovery has to fit within that ceiling rather than sit on top of it.
Krim Fellowships in Biomedical Research
The research grants page lists the Krim Fellowships in Biomedical Research as an open RFP on 2026-10-29, alongside a closed Target Grants program on cancer immunology research. The fellowship follows the letter-of-intent route described above, with only invited applicants submitting a full application. The page lists the cycle’s dates, which are specific to that cycle and not repeated here as general facts.
How amfAR scores applications
amfAR’s grant application review process and guidelines page (amfar.org/grant-application-review-process-and-guidelines/, checked 2026-10-29) sets out the scoring system. Each application is scored on five criteria using a 1 to 9 scale, where 1 is exceptional and 9 does not meet the standard. Each application is evaluated by three external scientific reviewers and amfAR’s Vice President of Research, with conflict-of-interest screening. Top-ranked applications are presented to amfAR’s Board of Trustees for final funding approval.
| Criterion | Target and Horizon weight | Krim Fellowship weight |
|---|---|---|
| Investigator | 10% | 30% |
| Significance | 30% | 20% |
| Innovation | 30% | 20% |
| Approach | 20% | 20% |
| Environment (Krim: Mentorship and Environment) | 10% | 10% |
The weights show where each program puts its emphasis. For Target and Horizon applications, significance and innovation together carry 60% of the score. For Krim Fellowships, the investigator criterion carries the largest single weight at 30%. The guidelines page also says unfunded applications with a final score of 2 or lower may qualify for re-submission in the following RFP cycle. The peer review here is external, with the foundation’s own research leadership and Board adding stages on top.
Application steps
- Find the current RFP on the amfAR research grants page; amfAR offers an RFP alert sign-up there.
- Read the eligibility section of that specific RFP.
- Register on the amfAR Grants portal and submit the project synopsis (Target Grants) or letter of intent (Krim Fellowships) by the stated deadline.
- Wait for the screening outcome. amfAR’s Research Department checks eligibility and reviews relevance, potential impact and mission alignment; a limited number are invited.
- If invited, submit the full application by the stated deadline. Invited applications go to external peer review.
- Use the FAQ page and Grants portal that the RFP points to for questions; the RFP page lists no direct contact.
Typical timeline phases
As described in the RFPs, a cycle has these phases in order: RFP release, synopsis or letter of intent deadline, invitation notices, full application deadline, external review and Board approval, then the start of the performance period. Each RFP states its own dates, so take them from the current RFP rather than from earlier cycles.
Common mistakes
- Treating the first submission as a short version of the proposal. It is a screen against relevance, potential impact and mission alignment.
- Relying on a program’s eligibility from an earlier cycle or a third-party listing instead of the current RFP.
- Budgeting indirect costs above the cap. The Target Grants RFP states up to 20% indirect inside the maximum award.
- Writing a Krim application to Target weights. Krim scoring puts 30% on the investigator, against 10% for Target and Horizon.
- Assuming a declined application ends the matter. Applications with a final score of 2 or lower that are not funded may qualify for re-submission in the following RFP cycle.
Related programs
| Program | What the official pages say | Status on 2026-10-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Target Grants | Up to $480,000 including up to 20% indirect; doctoral-level biomedical researchers at nonprofit research institutions | Closed for submissions |
| amfAR Cancer Immunology Research Grants (Target Grants) | Listed under Target Grants on the research grants page | Closed |
| Krim Fellowships in Biomedical Research | Letter of intent, then invited full application; scored with an investigator-weighted rubric | Open RFP |
For other funder types, see discretionary grants and the Gates Foundation research grant programs guide.
FAQ
What is amfAR?
amfAR is the Foundation for AIDS Research, a nonprofit that funds HIV/AIDS and related biomedical research through RFP-based grant programs. Its research grants page says it has awarded more than 3,900 grants to research teams worldwide.
How do amfAR grants work?
amfAR publishes an RFP, accepts a synopsis or letter of intent, invites a limited number of applicants to submit full applications, sends those to external peer review, and presents top-ranked applications to its Board of Trustees for approval.
Who can apply for an amfAR Target Grant?
According to the Target Grants RFP, any biomedical researcher holding a research or clinical doctoral degree who is affiliated with a nonprofit research institution, regardless of location.
How much can an amfAR Target Grant be?
Up to $480,000, including up to 20% indirect costs, for the cycle described in the RFP on 2026-10-29.
Can I resubmit a declined amfAR application?
The review guidelines say unfunded applications with a final score of 2 or lower may qualify for re-submission in the following RFP cycle.
Sources
- amfAR, Research Grants, https://www.amfar.org/research/grants/ (checked 2026-10-29)
- amfAR, Target Grants Request for Proposals, https://www.amfar.org/research/target-grants-request-for-proposals/ (checked 2026-10-29)
- amfAR, Grant Application Review Process and Guidelines, https://www.amfar.org/grant-application-review-process-and-guidelines/ (checked 2026-10-29)
