Leukemia Society Grants: Blood Cancer United

“Leukemia Society grants” now means the research grant programs of Blood Cancer United, the organization formerly known as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), which itself grew out of the Leukemia Society of America. This guide sorts the programs by who can apply, what each one excludes and how the money is structured, as described on the official Blood Cancer United pages on 2026-10-29. Programs are opened and closed in annual cycles, so always confirm the current cycle on the official page before planning an application.

What it is and who runs it

Is the Leukemia Society the same as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and is it now called Blood Cancer United? Yes to both, as far as the funder’s own pages show. The official site states that “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is now Blood Cancer United,” and a December 2025 press release describes the organization as “Blood Cancer United, formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.” Searches for “Leukemia Society grants” therefore land on the Blood Cancer United research grant programs.

Do not confuse it with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, which is a separate organization; nothing on this page describes its programs. The Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation (HCLF) is likewise a distinct organization that partners with Blood Cancer United on one initiative (HCL2030, below).

Blood Cancer United describes its inception as 1949 and states in its own research-funding explainer (dated 2 July 2026) that “We are not funded by the US government.” It funds “through grants to both institutions and individual scientists, as well as through investments and partnerships with leading biotech companies.” Its December 2025 release says cumulative research funding “tops $2 billion,” with “more than $269 million committed to multi-year grants supporting more than 250 academic research projects.” The organization calls itself the world’s single largest nonprofit funder of blood cancer research; that is its own description, not an independent ranking. For how this kind of funder differs from federal sponsors, see the guide to disease charity research funding.

Eligibility (summary, with the official source)

Eligibility is set program by program. The summary below is taken from the official pages listed under Sources and reflects the 2026-2027 cycle wording, not a standing rule.

Discovery Grants Program (DGP): the principal investigator must be “an established investigator, defined as a researcher with more than 3 years in an independent faculty appointment at the time of submitting the Letter of Intent.” A current DGP awardee may not apply in the same cycle. A PI without a blood cancer track record needs a Co-PI with a significant hematology or blood cancer track record.
Career Development Program (CDP), Fellow level: “3 years or less of postdoctoral-level research training by the award start date.” Your graduate training need not have been in blood cancer.
CDP, Special Fellow level: between 3 and 5 years of postdoctoral training, and the applicant needs an additional 2-3 years of training to be competitive for an independent position.
Translational Research Program (TRP): projects must have “a clear path to clinical impact.” Early-stage or discovery work “may be better suited” to the DGP, according to the TRP page.

What it funds or requires

Discovery Grants Program

The DGP supports basic research, technological innovation and informatics pipeline development, including proof-of-concept studies by established investigators. The official page lists what it does not support: clinical trials or correlative studies; developing a drug that already has proof of concept; primarily confirmatory or minimally incremental research; research outside a blood cancer context; and studies of normal hematopoiesis.

The budget “cannot exceed $250,000 USD per year / $750,000 USD total for the three (3) years” of the grant. That ceiling includes indirect costs, which are capped at 10% of the total award. See the guide to private foundation research funding for how foundation caps differ from federal indirect cost recovery.

Career Development Program

The CDP provides salary support for trainees and early-career researchers, in four categories: Fellow, Special Fellow and Scholar (basic or translational research), and Scholar in Clinical Research. A Fellow award runs 3 years with a maximum of $70,000 per year; the minimum stipend or salary going directly to the awardee is $65,000 per year. Fellows may be eligible for a childcare stipend of up to $3,600 per year.

Translational Research Program

For the 2027 cycle the TRP page sets a readiness test before a Letter of Intent (LOI) is submitted. Small molecule projects must include in vivo proof of concept in appropriate animal models; in select cases strong in vitro proof of concept using patient-derived samples may be considered. For cellular and immunotherapies, in vivo proof of concept is strongly encouraged and in vitro may be acceptable. The page states that “Applications that do not meet these criteria should not submit a Letter of Intent (LOI).” The Snowdome Foundation (Australia) contributes funding for one TRP application with an Australian link.

Application or compliance steps

Pick the program whose purpose and exclusions match the work; the DGP page, for example, rules out clinical trials outright.
Create an account in the Blood Cancer United Research Portal, through which applications are submitted.
Read the three documents the DGP page provides: the Guidelines and Instructions PDF, the Policies and Procedures PDF and the Funding Agreement Template PDF.
Submit a Letter of Intent. The DGP and TRP use two phases, an LOI and then a full application; the CDP adds an eligibility phase and blind letters of reference.
If invited, submit the full application through the same portal.

Review is described in the funder’s explainer: staff scientists led by the Chief Scientific Officer evaluate proposals annually, and “a panel of independent experts” volunteers to review. Stated criteria are innovative ideas and scientific rigor, relevance to every blood cancer type, and the likelihood of securing continued funding.

Typical timeline phases

In the 2026-2027 cycle the DGP page described these phases, in order: Letter of Intent, notification of the invitation to submit a full application, full application, award notification, and award start. The TRP page describes the same two phases with a July 2027 award notification, and both the TRP and CDP pages give an October 1, 2027 award start. Treat these as the shape of a cycle, not as current deadlines; each program page shows “Closed” between cycles, and the DGP, CDP and TRP 2026-2027 cycles were shown as closed on the date above. The practical consequence is that preparation, such as collecting proof-of-concept data for a TRP readiness test or finding a Co-PI for a DGP, has to happen before a cycle opens.

Common mistakes

Applying to the wrong program. A clinical or correlative study does not fit the DGP; early discovery work does not fit the TRP.
Submitting a TRP letter without the required proof of concept. The page tells such applicants not to submit.
Counting years from the wrong point. The DGP counts years in an independent faculty appointment at the time of the LOI; the CDP Fellow level counts postdoctoral years by the award start date.
Budgeting with a federal indirect rate. The DGP ceiling includes indirect costs capped at 10% of the total award.
Assuming a federal sponsor’s rules apply. The funder states it is not funded by the US government, so its own policies and funding agreement govern.

Related programs

The research grants page of Blood Cancer United listed the programs below on 2026-10-29. Status is the one shown that day.

Program	Status shown on 2026-10-29	Detail from the official pages
Discovery Grants Program (DGP)	2026-2027 cycle closed	Up to $250,000 per year and $750,000 over 3 years, indirect costs capped at 10% of the total award
Career Development Program (CDP)	2026-2027 cycle closed	Salary support; Fellow, Special Fellow, Scholar and Scholar in Clinical Research categories
Translational Research Program (TRP)	2026-2027 cycle closed	Clear path to clinical impact; proof-of-concept readiness criteria before an LOI
HCL2030	Closed	HCLF and LLS invest $5 to 7 million over approximately five years in hairy cell leukemia research, including the HCLF Patient Data Registry
Equity in Access Research Grant	Closed	Listed on the research grants page
Specialized Center of Research Program (SCOR)	Listed without a closed label	Has its own page under the research grants section
Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP)	Partnership program	Aimed at biotech collaborations; academic investigators who know a suitable company can learn about becoming a TAP partner

For the wider field, see the cancer research funding overview. Background on the two disciplines the funder spans is in the guides to hematology and oncology, and the oncology vs hematology comparison explains where they differ.

FAQ

Is the Leukemia Society the same as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?

Yes. The Leukemia Society of America later became The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (per the organization name history on Wikipedia), and the organization now uses the name Blood Cancer United. The Canadian society of a similar name is a separate organization.

Does the funder take federal money?

No. Its July 2026 research-funding explainer says “We are not funded by the US government.”

Who can apply for a Discovery Grant?

Established investigators with more than 3 years in an independent faculty appointment at the time of the Letter of Intent, with a Co-PI who has a blood cancer track record if the PI does not.

Can a postdoctoral researcher apply?

The Career Development Program’s Fellow level is for those with 3 years or less of postdoctoral training by the award start date; the Special Fellow level covers 3 to 5 years.

Are clinical trials funded?

Not by the Discovery Grants Program, which lists clinical trials and correlative studies as unsupported. The funder does describe other programs and partnerships, including its Translational Research Program and Therapy Acceleration Program.