GFF Research Grant Program

The Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) is comprised of baking, milling, and allied companies who are dedicated to understanding the role of grain foods in a healthy lifestyle. GFF is committed to nutrition programming that is firmly rooted in sound science. Every day we engage with healthcare professionals, consumers, members, and other stakeholders to share evidence-based information about health outcomes associated with eating grain foods as part of a healthy lifestyle.

The 2024 Request for Proposals (RFP) is now open. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) is Wednesday, February 21, 2024 by 11:59p.m. EST. 

GFF will review LOIs and provide details about next steps for full proposals, by Wednesday, March 15, 2024. Full proposals would be due Wednesday, April 24, 2024, and we intend to finalize research plans by mid-July.

SUBMIT LETTER OF INTENT

GFF strictly adheres to Nutrition Research Integrity Principles, which are consistent with the Guiding Principles for Managing and Conducting Nutrition Research by Entities at Interest as developed by the American Society for Nutrition.

Grain Foods Foundation: 2024 Nutrition Research Request for Proposals

The Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) is seeking Letters of Intent (LOI) for clinical and observational studies that address the following topics related to all forms of grain foods.

Cardiometabolic Health

Assessing the role of grain food consumption on affecting measures of cardiometabolic health, specifically:

  • Diabetes (including pre-diabetes)
  • Metabolic syndrome

Emerging Science

Exploring how grain food consumption may affect outcomes in newer areas of nutrition research, such as:

  • Food processing, including the possible unique matrix of grain food components
  • Microbiome health, including the role of prebiotics
  • Inflammation
  • Cognition

Note: GFF appreciates that emerging science topics may be endpoints, not primary outcomes, within cardiometabolic health proposals.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

  • LOIs are due by 11:59 EST, Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
  • Please submit LOIs through Proposal Central.
  • GFF is planning to fund projects with a maximum budget of $150-200,000, though all projects will be considered and additional funding may be possible.
  • Proposals will be considered for single-year and multiyear projects.
  • Priority will be given to proposals that effectively address multiple topic areas described above (e.g., cardiometabolic health outcomes among aging adults, with inflammation markers).
  • GFF policy is to allow 10% of the budget (maximum of $20,000) to be allocated for indirect costs.
  • LOIs should include:
    • Title
    • Principal investigator
    • Institution
    • Brief introduction and rationale
    • Study hypotheses and goals
    • Experimental approach
    • Budget summary
    • Project timeline
  • Principal investigators may submit multiple LOIs.

Please send any questions to research@grainsfoundation.org and visit grainfoodsfoundation.org to learn more about GFF’s nutrition research commitment.

 

FAQs

Grain Foods Foundation members (comprised of baking, milling, and allied companies) provide the funding for the research program.

No. All research projects that align with our identified priorities and research integrity principles will be considered. 

The focus of the proposal does not need to be US-based. Yet, it is important that findings among international participants apply to the public health needs of the U.S. population, given GFF’s mission and programming focus.

The contract for a funded project will include timeline parameters that coincide with mid-term and final reports, including subsequent payments. We do not have a required timeline for completing and publishing research – though we do request that all research (regardless of outcome) be published in a timely manner.

No, a total cost estimate should be included, not a detailed budget. The full proposal should include a detailed budget.

No. We request that all findings be published, regardless of the outcome, and have no involvement in evidence analysis or manuscript development.

Postdoc fellows are eligible to apply with a co-investigator who has a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree and is a research staff or faculty member at a nonprofit academic or research institution. 

Yes, funding can be used to support PIs and other researchers working on the study.