Research Grants

The Drummond Foundation invites Applications for Research Grants from investigators working in Canada who are interested in ageing-related research and in improving the quality of life of socially, mentally, or physically disadvantaged older adults, their families, and caregivers. As the Drummond Foundation reengages in its role as a funder in gerontology and geriatrics, it has adopted a new intervention-focused approach. The theme for 2026 is “Interventions on Healthy and Vulnerable Ageing Populations”.

Applicants are eligible if they are new to the Drummond Foundation (have not yet received a Grant from the Drummond Foundation) and are an early-career investigator (within 10 years of first appointment in a university or in a university-affiliated institute).

Applications will be evaluated on their clinical relevance (quality of the research approach, originality, feasibility), knowledge transfer, impact on the care of older adults, and the innovative character of the project. Given the new focus on intervention-based research, the breadth and range of knowledge transfer is of particular importance to the Drummond Foundation.

The individual Applicant may request a research grant of a maximum of $30,000 for a one-year period that may be extended, by request, to the final report deadline specified in the Grant conditions set out below.

NOTE: To receive a Grant from the Drummond Foundation, the Principal Investigator must:

• have a University and/or Research Institute Appointment to administer the funds via a Canadian university affiliated account or a Research Centre Account.
• have secured the Ethics Approval Certificate for the research project within 3 months of notice of award of Grant. The awarded Grant is conditional on ethics approval. Should ethics approval not be granted by 3 months after the award notice, the Grant will be awarded to another applicant.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

The Application process is composed of two phases:

Phase 1: A Letter of Intent, submitted by May 14, 2026. Letters of Intent will be evaluated, and successful Applicants will be notified by June 30, 2026 as to their eligibility to submit a Research Proposal.

Phase 2: A Research Proposal, submitted by September 3, 2026. Research Proposals will be evaluated by the Drummond Foundation’s Scientific Advisor and a panel of external reviewers. All Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their proposal on or before January 31, 2027.

PHASE 1 – LETTER OF INTENT:

Investigators interested in submitting an Application should submit a Letter of Intent comprising the following sections:

1. Page 1 - Project statement (on a separate, single page – see template):
   1. at top left corner of page: line 1: Full Name; line 2: Department, Faculty,University, City, Province
   2. title of project at top centre of page
   3. a concise 500-word summary of the project, including objectives, methods (design, sample strategy and size, method for data collection and analysis), expected impact and
   4. how it relates to Drummond Foundation objectives, that is, improving the quality of life of older adults, their families and caregivers (who will benefit and how?)
   5. duration of study

2. Page 2 and following pages:

   1. Name and university affiliation of Principal Investigator and, as an early career investigator, state year of first appointment
   2. Name and university affiliations of associates.
   3. Names of partner organizations, and name, title, and contact information of their representative
   4. When the Principal Investigator’s university appointment is not a tenured or tenure-track position, confirmation of Principal Investigator’s authorisation to administer funds via a Canadian university-affiliated account or a Research Centre Account.
   5. Condensed (5-page) curriculum vitae of Principal Investigator must be attached.

All successful Applicants will be notified by June 30, 2026 as to their eligibility to submit a Research Proposal.

PHASE 2- RESEARCH PROPOSAL:

Investigators invited by the Drummond Foundation to submit a full Research Proposal must follow the format below:

Presentation standards: minimum margins of 2.5 cm, text spaced at 1.5 and left-aligned. Font size must be 12, letter-quality type. The Research Project part of the proposal must not exceed 5 pages of text.

The Application must comprise the following sections, formatted as described:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / FORMAT:

1. On a separate, single page:

1. at top left corner of page: line 1: Full Name; line 2: University, City, Province
2. title of project at top centre of page
3. an Executive Summary of 250 to 300 words, suitable for a non-scientific audience

RESEARCH PROPOSAL / FORMAT:

2. TITLE PAGE, INCLUDING
   1. Title of proposal
   2. Principal Investigator’s name, affiliation, and contact information (telephone, e-mail, and postal address)
   3. Co-investigators’ names and affiliations
   4. Names of partner organizations, and name, title, and contact information of their representatives, if any
   5. Total funds requested
   6. Name and address of institution where research funds will be administered
   7. Name of Director of Research, and contact information (telephone, e-mail, and postal address)
   8. Name and title of Financial Officer, and contact information (telephone, e-mail, and postal address)
3. A TIMELINE: A schedule showing the sequence and duration of main phases for the entire project.
4. A BUDGET: The budget must include a clear start and end date and a declaration of any potential budgetary overlap with other sources of funding for this project. Budget requests may cover costs of small equipment, software, related travel, research assistants, and release time for the Principal Investigator to conduct this research. All costs must be directly attributable to the project. The budget also must include an acknowledgement of how the researcher intends to utilize 10% of the overall Grant amount for knowledge transfer.
5. THE RESEARCH PROJECT (maximum of 5 pages) to include:
   1. STUDY OBJECTIVES: Identify key research question(s) and hypotheses (where appropriate).
   2. PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE: provide theoretical and empirical rationale for the proposed study, citing relevant literature.
   3. METHODS: describe study design, site(s) where research will be conducted, sampling strategy and size, method for data collection and analysis. For quantitative studies, define independent and dependent variables, and state specifically how they will be measured; provide justification for sample size. For qualitative studies, methodology and analytic method must be adequately described.
   4. IMPACT OF RESEARCH: It is important to clearly address the gap(s) in research the proposal addresses, as well as the impact findings will have on the health and well-being of older adults, their families, caregivers, and on health and social policy/practice.
   5. DISSEMINATION AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: Describe how results will be communicated to relevant audiences and include a plan for knowledge transfer. Given the new focus on intervention-based research, the breadth and range of the knowledge transfer plan is of particular importance to the Drummond Foundation.
   6. DEMONSTRATION OF ETHICS APPROVAL PROCESS: It is highly recommended that investigators demonstrate that the ethics approval request has been submitted.
6. APPENDICES (beyond the 5-page Research Project text):
   1. SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES cited in text.
   2. LETTERS OF SUPPORT from agencies where work will be carried out.
   3. CONDENSED curriculum vitae describing the Principal Investigator's (5 pages) and each Co-investigator’s (2 pages) education, research training, academic positions held, and publications over the last 5 years.
   4. OTHER, if desired.

Qualifying Research Proposals will be reviewed by the Drummond Foundation’s Scientific Advisor and a panel of external reviewers. Please note that reviews of the Research Proposals will not be made available. All Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their proposal on or before January 31, 2027.

QUESTIONS:

For any questions, please contact Dr. Julia Chabot, Scientific Advisor, at: office@drummondfoundation.ca

GRANT CONDITIONS:

Successful Applicants who accept funding from the Drummond Foundation agree to the following conditions:

1. ETHICS APPROVAL: To obtain Ethics Approval from a Research Ethics Board within 3 months of notice of award. Should ethics approval not be granted by 3 months after the award notice, the Grant will be awarded to another applicant.
2. FINAL REPORT: A report of 2000 words must be submitted to the Drummond Foundation no later than August 31, 2028. The Final Report must include:
   1. A title page, including: title of project; name, affiliation, and contact information of Principal Investigator; names and affiliations of Co-investigators; names of Partner organizations.
   2. A one-page document, in two parts:
   1. a 250-word structured abstract
   2. a 250-word impact statement
   3. A Report with the following headings and information:
      1. Objectives
      2. Design
      3. Setting
      4. Participants
      5. Main Outcomes Measures
      6. Results
      7. Conclusions

   The Drummond Foundation will also accept a manuscript in development for publication as evidence of a final report. Applicants who accept funding but fail to adhere to grant conditions may be asked to return funds.

3. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: The Drummond Foundation retains 10% of the Grant amount. This will be paid upon the receipt of the Final Report by the specified deadline and the review of the execution of the knowledge transfer plan within two years of the completion of the project.
4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: A copy of all publications and all media coverage emerging from the funded project must be supplied to the Drummond Foundation. The Drummond Foundation must be acknowledged in all dissemination and knowledge transfer activities. The Drummond Foundation logo is available upon request for these purposes.
5. SITE VISITS: The Drummond Foundation retains the right to conduct a site visit during the course of the work.

TEMPLATE FOR PROJECT STATEMENT

SURNAME, Name

Department, Faculty, University, City, Province

Title of project

Duration: (Number) months, from (start date) to (end date)

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