The Rory Belle Foundation Grant Program

The Rory Belle Foundation is providing seed funding to support several critical components of basic, clinical and translational research on neurological disorders associated with genetic mutations in the NARS1 gene with a particular emphasis on the topics outlined below:

Scientific Topics

  • Basic understanding of canonical and noncanonical functions of NARS1

  • Development and characterization of NARS1 Disorder models including, but not limited to: 

    • Patient-derived cell models of NARS1 Disorder (ex. iPSCs, neurons, reporter lines)

    • Animal models

    • Other models (yeast, drosophila)

  • Identification of biomarkers for NARS1 Disorder using models and patient samples

  • Validation of preliminary therapeutic compounds able to restore or improve NARS1 Disorder

  • Development of novel therapeutic strategies for NARS1 Disorder

  • Design and implementation of a natural history study for NARS1 Disorder to validate or develop relevant clinical outcome measures

  • Novel proposals for NARS1 Disorder

The Application Process

Interested applicants should compete all portions of the application template, in the order specified. The completed template should be supplied as a single PDF to rachel@therorybellefoundation.org.

Applications will be reviewed by The Rory Belle Foundation Board and Advisors.

Applications for 2027 coming soon!

    • To best benefit our patient community, data generated as a result of Rory Belle Foundation seed funding must be made accessible to the Foundation. Data can be embargoed for a period of time to be defined in a Data Use Agreement and/or Material Transfer Agreement to provide time to publish, protect intellectual property, etc. 

    • Resources generated as a result of Rory Belle Foundation funding (development of cell or animal models) must be made available to other interested researchers and the Rory Belle Foundation Biorepository

    • Data and results generated will be expected to be submitted for publication in an open access journal with 12 months of grant completion, unless specified otherwise and justified in the original grant proposal

    • Any publications or presentations using data generated from Foundation funding must acknowledge support from the Rory Belle Foundation and the NARS1 Disorder community

    • Formal progress reports must be submitted every 6 months with presentation to the Foundation Board.

    • This opportunity is open to all investigators at established academic and research institutions worldwide. Researchers at start-up pharmaceutical or biotech companies are eligible if they can demonstrate a lack of necessary funding. 

    • We welcome applications from tenure-track faculty or equivalent, non-tenure track faculty, postdoctoral (PhD or MD) fellows and PhD students. Applications submitted by postdoctoral fellows and PhD students must include a statement of feasibility and letter of support from their faculty mentor.

    • Applicants may be from any country. Collaborative, multi-institution proposals are welcome.

  • Criteria used to evaluate and prioritize applications for seed funding will include, but are not necessarily limited to:

    • Experimental design and analytic plan

    • Relevance to NARS1 Disorder: successful applicants do not need a research history with NARS1, but rather, an expertise in basic research mechanisms or clinical symptoms similar to those observed in NARS1 Disorder.

    • Overall impact on the NARS1 community: priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate a clear impact on the development of treatments and/or cures for NARS1 Disorder based on priorities identified by The Rory Belle Foundation

    • Leveraging existing resources (cell models, rodent models, natural history data) and collaborative partnerships

    • Data and Resource Sharing Plan

    • Feasibility within the announced time frame

    • Expected duration is 12 months (Period length can vary depending on project and scope)

    • Maximum total costs of $50,000 per grant with no-cost extensions as necessary

    • The Rory Belle Foundation will pay up to 10% indirect costs, if required by the researcher’s institution

    • Eligible costs: 

      • Personnel (excluding PI salary, unless justified)

      • Consumables and reagents

      • Core facility fees

      • Patient recruitment and engagement costs

      • Travel for project-related activities and conferences (must acknowledge  RBF funding)

      • Project-related publication fees

Start your application today!

Application Template