Grants

The Children’s Discovery Institute, a collaboration between St. Louis Children’s Hospital, its Foundation and WashU Medicine, is the result of a shared vision to change the way pediatric research is conducted and an intense commitment to bring about dramatic results in pediatric care to offer innovative, therapeutic treatments for patients who were previously considered untreatable.

With philanthropic gifts to the CDI, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation drives pediatric discoveries to uncover what may now seem unfindable — lifesaving treatments and cures for childhood medical conditions. Since CDI’s inception in 2006, our research award commitments for CDI investigator-led projects have generated more than 1,666 scientific papers and more than $655 million in external grant funding, including prestigious awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.

The CDI is an invaluable resource that allows us to turn promising research concepts into real-world strategies that can save lives and improve patient care.

CDI applications are now submitted through an online portal. To submit a request for funding, please contact the CDI Administrator at [email protected].

Pediatric Research (CDI)

• Approval is required when submitting a request for funding that exceeds the amount of donor restricted/designated funds available to your department/program.
• Only St. Louis Children’s Hospital Vice Presidents/senior leaders, hospital President or WashU Medicine pediatric division cheifs/Pediatrician-in-Chief can be listed as the grant approver on your application.
• If there is more than one option below, please select the senior leader or division chief the grant recipient reports to.
• If you do not see the approver in the list below, please contact Desiree’ White at [email protected].

Please find the granting workflow for requests

For requests which require less than $15,000 of general Foundation/unrestricted funds the application is reviewed by a committee made up of Foundation and hospital representatives. The committee makes recommendations to fund, not fund or request clarification before a decision is made. Those recommended for funding are presented to the Foundation CDO for a final decision.

For requests which require $15,000 or more of general Foundation/unrestricted funds the application is reviewed and scored by the senior leadership team and the WashU Medicine Pediatrician-in-Chief. Those recommended for consideration are presented to the Resource Allocations Committee (RAC). RAC is a subcommittee of the Foundation Board of Trustees and committee members ensure responsible stewardship of dollars raised by the Foundation and maximize the impact of these funds in support of hospital programs and services. Upon RAC review, those recommended for funding are presented to the Foundation Board of Trustees for a vote.

Direct award/Donor restricted requests are initiated by our donors who have expressed an interest in funding a program/initiative. The intended use of the funds is determined prior to the application being submitted. Upon signed agreement and/or receipt of the restricted gift, the Foundation will reach out to the appropriate hospital leader to confirm next steps. Because the determination of need is approved prior to the application submission, this funding does not require committee review and voting by the Foundation Board of Trustees. Our goal is a four week turn around, however there may be instances when the process takes longer. 

Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI) requests are limited to pediatric research requests and established priorities. Please contact the CDI Administrative Contact, Liz Bayer at [email protected], for access to the online application portal.

Established CDI Center Requests Preference for application submission is the fall of each year. (See deadlines in “application deadline” section above). Following receipt of the submitted application, the document is reviewed by the CDI Executive Director and Foundation leadership for thoroughness and approval to move forward to the CDI Board of Managers for final review and vote. Center Directors are expected to present their requests to the CDI Board of Managers.

Child Health Discovery (Unrestricted) Requests These requests begin with a LOI (Letter of Intent). The CDI Scientific Director and established adhoc reviewers will determine who will be approved to apply. Upon invitation, the completed application will go to an established scientific review board (including the CDI Executive Director). All requests recommended for funding are presented to the CDI Board of Managers for final review and vote. Note: we are not currently accepting CHD/Unrestricted CDI requests at this time.
 

The non-CDI published deadlines are based on the amount of unrestricted funds required. For requests which will require $15,000 or more of unrestricted funds, the application will be included in the fall review cycle. Requests utilizing less than $15,000 of unrestricted funds will be reviewed at the Under $15K committee. Leaders are welcome to contact the Foundation before submission to verify funds' availability and confirmation of process and deadlines. Go to Granting Deadlines.

Applications are accepted:
Are you requesting less than $15K of unrestricted funds?

• Cycle 1: January 15–April 3, 2026
• Cycle 2: July 15–August 28, 2026

Are you requesting $15K or more of unrestricted funds?

• (Limited to fall cycle only) July 15–August 28, 2026

Applications submitted in the spring (cycle 1) which require more than $15K of unrestricted funds may be included in the fall (cycle 2) process. We ask you to work with your senior leader/division chief if more immediate funding is required.

Absolutely! The login that you have used in the past is still active. You are welcome to submit a request by the published deadlines above. If you cannot remember your login credentials, please contact our Grant Coordinator for assistance at [email protected].

Yes! We ask that you verify with your finance business partner and senior leader to determine if your program or initiative can/should be operationalized and/or is revenue-generating, prior to submitting a funding request. Your application and budget should provide a complete overview of the program including total expenses and a sustainability plan to fund in future years if applicable, etc.

Absolutely! We strongly encourage you to submit any stories and highlights at any time. Please note: the Foundation no longer requires reports from all awards. You will be contacted by November if a report is required. At that time you'll receive confirmation on questions and format as this may vary from award to award. To verify if a complete report is required, please contact our Grant Coordinator for assistance at [email protected].

All extensions require completion of a one-page document and are to be submitted to the Foundation via email at least 30 days before the end date of the award period, no later than November 30. Please contact our Grants Coordinator at [email protected] to confirm if an extension is possible.

Supplements will be considered by the Foundation based on funds available. Please ensure you have reviewed your awarded budget to determine if there are under or unspent budget line items you could modify to cover expenses. The Foundation allows budget modifications up to 25% of the total approved budget without prior authorization. Supplements are requested in the same manner as your original funding request and may require Board approval.

It is advised that conference expenses such as registration, travel, lodging, and meals be included in the department's operating budget. Exceptions are limited to approval by Hospital/WashU Medicine leadership and in instances where donor restricted funds are available for use.

A request to cover the cost of hosting a conference and/or to cover the cost of an event may be limited to donor restricted funds available for use. Exceptions are limited to approval by Hospital/Wash U Medicine leadership.

The Foundation does not accept requests for sponsorships. Sponsorship requests should be submitted to BJC HealthCare's Community Health request portal.

The Foundation would like to remain aligned with set guardrails around funding for fellowships. You are invited to submit your request and justification whenever there is a need, however, the Foundation will limit the award, if approved, to restricted and/or endowment funds established specifically for this purpose. Please note that for endowed funds, the total amount available to grant may be lower than in previous years due to market performance.

*For programs that do not participate in reimbursement and/or revenue income, prior approval from Foundation and Hospital/WashU Medicine leadership will be required for salary/FTE requests after three years.

The Foundation would like to remain aligned and consistent with set guardrails around funding FTEs. This best supports our ability to request funds from donors who are looking for the Hospital/WashU Medicine to have a plan for sustainability, meaning they will not be asked to fund positions long-term. Foundation funds may be requested for a pilot phase intended to demonstrate the need for the role and/or impact on patient outcomes and experience. After the pilot phase, salary/benefits must be built into the department's operating budget. Within the three-year period, FTEs will be evaluated to move to an operating budget based on set outcomes. An FTE may not continue if the pilot does not demonstrate intended outcomes. The only exceptions to this policy are specific FTEs supported by existing restricted and/or endowment funds. Please note for endowed funds, the total amount available to grant may be lower than in previous years due to market performance.

*For programs that do not participate in reimbursement and/or revenue income, prior approval from Foundation and Hospital/WashU Medicine leadership will be required for salary/FTE requests after three years.

If you anticipate small requests throughout the year and will request use of unrestricted funds, we ask you to combine them into one comprehensive request and provide a detailed budget justification for each project. You are welcome to attach separate documents to your online request as needed. See grant deadlines above to determine when you should submit the request.

If you are requesting donor restricted funds specific to the project, you are invited to submit individual donor restricted applications via the online portal. These applications can be submitted at any time and we suggest allowing 45 days for the review/approval process.

Beginning January 1, 2026, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation will make the following changes to how awards may be processed.

• Direct awards may be made without the receipt of an online application. The Foundation will make every effort to confirm award details in advance of issuing a notice of award (NOA). These awards will be issued each fall, unless otherwise agreed upon. These funds may be endowed or spendable.

How will the Foundation communicate this decision

• Each August, the Foundation provides a fund balance report to hospital and WashU division chiefs and division administrators (DA), via email. Fund balances include the new spendable balance available for all endowed (and spendable) funds restricted to their division, as of July 1. Within the email, the Foundation will include a list of anticipated direct awards—indicating if the award will be a continuation to an existing project number or a new direct award, the grantee/PI assigned to the award, and the amount to be awarded.
• In the event a spendable gift is received at another time during the year and must be spent within the current allocation period, the Foundation will alert the grantee/PI of the occurrence, and the Foundation will issue a supplemental award.

Requests are not funded for a variety of reasons and the Foundation in partnership with hospital and WashU leaders will provide feedback and guidance when this happens. Please do not be discouraged from submitting future funding requests. As stewards of donor dollars, the Foundation and the Foundation Board of Trustees must abide by the intent of our donors while also aligning with the Hospital/WashU Medicine mission, vision and goals.

Reasons could include:

• Insufficient funds available at the time of request.
• The request may not be well suited for the use of donor dollars and/or falls outside of established guardrails and policies outlined. We advise you to work closely with your finance business partner to consider operationalizing or using other accounts within your cost center.
• The application does not provide necessary answers to the questions including clear and concise goals, metrics, sustainability plan, and/or a budget that is appropriate to the ask.
• Prior awards were not fully utilized or a budget balance remains, and additional funding will not be provided at this time.
• The annual Use of Funds Report was requested by the Foundation but not provided by the grantee on or before the January 31 deadline.

The Foundation makes every effort to provide feedback and guidance within the decision letter. Should you have additional questions, you are encouraged to speak with your senior leader/WashU Medicine Chief. You may also reach out to the Foundation director who oversees the granting process at [email protected].

Hospital awards:

For awards granted less than $5,000 and will be spent in full prior to December 31, the Foundation will transfer to your department cost center. Funds must be used by the end of the calendar year in which they are awarded and will not be subject to an extension. All unused funds as of December 31 will no longer be available for use.

For awards granted in the amount of $5,000 or higher or will accrue multiple expenses over 12+ months, you will receive a project number with the Foundation Finance Office (Shared Services), formerly the GMO. As expenses occur, you will apply them against the award number provided. Please ensure all expenses are submitted/expensed against the project number regularly and no later than 30 days after the end date of an award or no later than November 30.

For Capital equipment awards, you will be given a Project ID, known as the Expense Authorization (EA#). As charges occur, they will be charged to the EA#. We ask that the PI or grant contact reach out to Brian Hannel at [email protected] when your project is complete, and all items have been purchased and/or installed. The Foundation will then perform a reimbursement to the provided EA#.

WashU Medicine

For awards granted to WashU Medicine, quarterly invoices are provided by WashU Medicine Sponsored Projects Accounting, [email protected], and processed by the Foundation. Final expenses are due to WashU SPA within 90 days of the project end date. Track your WashU award and sponsored projects requests (WashU login required) here.

It depends on which entity is awarded the funding. BJC and WashU Medicine are separate legal entities. If the Foundation made an award to a BJC entity, BJC policies, including any applicable IRB, would apply. If the Foundation made an award to WashU Medicine, WashU Medicine policies, including the WashU Medicine IRB, would apply.

To verify policies, please reach out to your respective Corporate Compliance Department:

BJC/SLCH
Karen James – Manager, BJC Compliance [email protected]
Sammie Fechter – Senior Counsel [email protected]

WashU Medicine
General inquiries – [email protected]
https://hrpo.wustl.edu/