Pilot Grants

NDWS conducts an annual, national competition for pilot research projects to accelerate use of new survey data of the professional dementia care workforce and linked data sources.

Visit the Pilot Grant Awardees page to see the six Cycle 1 recipients.

Apply Now for Cycle 2 

Proposals are now being accepted for Cycle 2 pilot grants for high-impact research studies that propose innovative uses of Wave 1 NDWS data that will be released by July 1, 2025.

Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, April 28, 2025
Funding Amount: Up to $160,000 total costs per award (direct costs not to exceed $100,000)
Number of Awards: Up to 8, depending on funding requested and funding available
Award Notifications: Expected by Aug. 1, 2025
Expected Award Date: Oct. 1, 2025
Award Period: 12 months (or 18 months if using linked data)

Cycle 2 pilot awards are designed to contribute new research findings, generate pilot data to support larger studies, and inform the development of future surveys. Projects must advance at least one NIA AD+ADRD Research Implementation Milestone.

Studies can use survey data from any of three survey settings: community clinicians, nursing homes, and assisted living communities. You may propose using multiple surveys in your analysis, but it isn’t required.

The Wave 1 survey data release won’t contain data from the Home Care Staff survey. If you are interested in submitting a proposal specific to home care, we recommend waiting until Cycle 3 to apply.

Awardees will have access to additional support from NDWS, including biostatistical consultation, to promote successful completion and dissemination.

Read the full details including eligibility, evaluation criteria, and submission criteria. Proposals will be submitted through the University of Michigan-hosted Competition Space website.

Questions?

To learn more, review our Pilot Grant Q&A and our general FAQs about the NDWS data and linked data sources.

If your questions aren’t addressed there, email NDWSpilots@ucsf.edu with “Pilot RFP” in the subject line by April 21. Answers will be added to the Pilot Grant Q&A on a rolling (weekly) basis. Questions already answered in the existing Q&A won't receive a response. After April 21, we will only be able to answer technical questions about the application process.