Academic Enrichment Fund

The purpose of the Academic Enrichment Fund (AEF) Program is to cultivate and support the scholarship and research of clinicians who devote the majority of their effort to clinical service.

The AEF Program is supported by Seattle Children’s Hospital with the goal of providing Seattle Children’s based services to investigators – thus supporting investigations taking place at Seattle Children’s sites and using Seattle Children’s Core Services (e.g., BEAR Core).  The program is administered by the Center Business Office. Applicants can be a member of any Seattle Children’s Research Institute research center.

The fund supports a wide range of clinical and basic science investigations including hypothesis-driven projects and research related to patient safety and quality improvement (that follow the SQUIRE guidelines).

Applications for the AEF Program FY26 Winter Cycle are due Friday, January 30, 2026 (5 p.m. Pacific time).

Examples of recently funded projects include:

  • Impact of pre-existing pulmonary hypertension on outcome after pediatric heart transplantation
  • Neonatal CMV infection: a comparative effectiveness study of transfusion safety
  • Advanced MR cartilage mapping in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
  • Effect of active utilization management on the value and cost of genetic testing

Key Dates

  • Program announcement: September 2025
  • Application deadline: January 30, 2026 (5 p.m. Pacific time)
  • Awards announced: April 2026
  • Earliest funding begins: June 1, 2026

Applicant may delay start of funding to September 1, 2026, to allow sufficient time for IRB or IACUC.

Award Details

The fund will be administered by the Chief Academic Officer based on recommendations from the Academic Enrichment Fund Committee. The committee, comprised of Seattle Children’s clinicians from varied hospital departments, will review and rank the applications.

Funding

  • Amount awarded will be a maximum of $25,000 for studies with a single Principal Investigator (PI). Projects that involve more than one PI from different divisions or departments can apply for up to $40,000. Projects are two years in length.
  • Payment of indirect costs, PI salary, and membership dues are not allowed.
  • Department/Division Chair must support the awarded recipient in helping to retain and protect adequate non-clinical time to complete the awarded AEF project.

Allowable costs

  • Non-PI Personnel (PI salary not allowed)
  • Travel (lodging, meals, transport, airfare, etc.) for the PI to present findings related to the awarded project (limited to $2,500 per individual; limited to $5,000 for dual PIs). Travel must abide by the SCH travel and reimbursement policies, including any COVID-related restrictions. You must attach your abstract to your travel request to demonstrate that you are using travel monies for the purpose of presenting your work.
  • Supplies and research equipment
  • Other expenses, such as fees for core services* 
    • * Seattle Children’s/University of Washington core services must be used when available. Detailed justification is required for core service requests outside of Seattle Children’s or the University of Washington.

Learn more about application preparation, as well as award terms and conditions. 

Download application materials.

Eligibility

All of the following criteria must be met by the PI/Co-PI to be eligible for an award.

  • Total FTE – must be a minimum of 0.6 FTE.
  • Clinical FTE - Must have 60% of total designated FTE dedicated to clinical service providing patient care at Seattle Children’s Hospital or a Seattle Children’s satellite.
    • **If not yet appointed as a faculty member, a letter from the division head/department chair should be supplied stating the date of appointment will commence at or before the time that AEF funding begins.
  • No active extramural research support as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI (includes federal, external non-profit, or industry funding) at the time of application submission.
  • Candidates who are not PI, but who are co-investigators on extramurally funded awards with less than 0.10 total combined FTE/salary support are eligible to apply.
  • Candidates with intramural support are eligible to apply.
  • Clinical faculty and staff (e.g., physicians, nurses, therapists, dietitians and other allied health professionals) are eligible. 
  • Postdocs or other trainees are not eligible.
  • Applicants may not have active AEF support at the time of application submission. Candidates who completed AEF supported projects on/before the application due date are eligible to apply as long as final progress reports have been submitted and approved.
  • Academic Enrichment Fund Committee members are not eligible to apply.

Note: The funds are not intended to support the research of established investigators. An individual who does not meet one or more of these criteria may serve as a project “mentor,” provided the independent nature of the principal investigator’s project are clearly delineated in a supporting letter to accompany the application.

Have questions? Review the Frequently Asked Questions section below or contact [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I do not understand the FTE criteria. Can you please provide an example?

    The FTE requirement is that a PI must be 0.6 to 1.0 FTE and have 60% of their FTE dedicated to providing direct patient care. See the examples provided below.

    Examples:

    • I am a 1.0 FTE. 60% of that time or 0.6 FTE must be clinical time to be eligible.
    • I am a 0.6 FTE. I need to have a minimum of 60% or 0.36 FTE dedicated to clinical patient care to be eligible.
    • I am 0.5 FTE. I am not eligible regardless because my FTE is not 0.6 FTE.
  • Does the AEF grant provide funding for PI salary support?

    Payment of applicant salary (PI or Co-PI or of faculty Co-I) is not allowed for this award. Applicant(s) must discuss this application with their Department/Division Chair on how they will have protected non-clinical time to work on the project if awarded.

    Note: CRC time is an allowed and expected salary expense.

  • Why do I need the Division/Department Chair to sign off my application?

    We want to make sure your project is successful. Getting sign-off from your Division or Department Chair assures their commitment to provide the support you will need to be successful. We urge you to discuss what you will need and confirm that support prior to having them sign off on your application.

  • Do I need to get a quote from the BEAR Core?

    Yes. All applicants are required complete a biostats consultation for their project prior to application. These consultations need to be requested at a minimum of 6 weeks prior to your application submission.  See the BEAR site for submission information. Even if you do not plan to use biostats, you need to have biostats sign off that they still reviewed your application and project.

  • I want to do preparative activities prior to the award project period. Can I get an advance in my budget to pay for these expenses?

    No, advances are not allowed for this program. The program only funds activities that take place during the funding period.

  • How does billing work for this award?

    Any billing to your AEF award should be for work completed on the study. This includes CRC time, BEAR analysis, supplies, travel expenses, etc. If you have questions about what is appropriate to bill to your award, please contact your GCA or [email protected].

  • I plan to use the Research Coordinator Core or other services within the Clinical Research Cores. How can I get information on pricing?

    Be sure to budget appropriately for integrated cores and services.The Research Integration Hub provides a variety of core services to investigators and staff conducting clinical research. AEF applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the specific cores to learn about pricing and offered services.

  • Am I allowed to travel to present at a conference or meeting?

    Yes, AEF allows each awarded PI to use a maximum of $2,500 to fund travel costs to present findings related to your awarded project. The award may not be used to pay for society membership dues. You will be required to attach your abstract that you will be presenting to the travel authorization. Travel must abide by Seattle Children's travel and reimbursement policies.

  • Are multi-center projects funded?

    No. If there is a part of the project originating from Seattle Children’s funding may be considered. There must be an independent aspect to the work and a viable product for the applicant (e.g., authorship) must be described.  Letters of support from the collaborative sites must be included in the application to be considered. In addition, no AEF funds will be used to support or be sent to other institutions.

  • Are international projects funded?

    International projects involving recruitment of participants, prospective collection of data, or transfer of funds abroad are not allowed. If using data already collected and Seattle Children’s resources to evaluate that data, then that project is allowed.

  • I was awarded the AEF. How do I request a delayed start?

    All awardees are automatically given an award start date of October 1 for June submissions or June 1 for January submissions. If you would like a delayed start, you need to notify the AEF Committee Chair prior to signing your award document. You can email [email protected].

  • I am a current AEF recipient. Can I apply again for a new project?

    Applicants must not have active AEF support at the time of application submission. Candidates who completed AEF supported projects on/before the application due date are eligible to apply. Final progress reports must have been submitted and approved for any prior AEF projects to be considered complete.

  • I am a current AEF recipient. How do I submit my progress report and budget reallocation request?

    Progress report and budget allocation forms can be requested by emailing [email protected]. The program administrator will forward your progress report and completed budget reallocation request to the AEF Chair for review.

  • I am a previously awarded AEF recipient without an active AEF grant. Can I apply again?

    Yes, as long as you do not have an active AEF support at time of application.

  • Is there more than one application cycle per year?

    Beginning Fall 2022, the AEF program is piloting a 2x/year cycle, with submissions in January (June 1 start) and June (October 1 start). For more information, contact the AEF program administrator at [email protected].

  • I am a current CCTR Pediatric Pilots Fund or Clinical Research Scholar awardee. Can I apply to AEF?

    Yes. It is not common for investigators to be awarded for both programs as many investigators only meet the eligibility of one program. Your AEF project proposal should have a distinct scope of work from your other funded project. They should not be for the same scope of work.  

More Information

Katherine Weybright
AEF Program Administrator
206-884-3237

Eileen Klein, MD, MPH
AEF Committee Chair