The Grass Foundation is a not-for-profit, private foundation chartered to assist in advancing knowledge principally in the field of neurophysiology, and including allied fields of medicine and science. In pursuit of that goal, the Foundation acts to encourage and advance education, research and clinical investigation in these fields. All grants and expenditures of The Grass Foundation must be for charitable purposes as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of the United States.

The only program administered directly by The Grass Foundation, as approved by the Internal Revenue Service, is the Grass Fellowship Program in neuroscience at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. All other Foundation activities are supported via funds awarded to other not-for-profit organizations, who administer the relevant programs themselves. Organizations with whom The Grass Foundation currently partners are listed below.

Any inquiries regarding funding should be addressed to The Grass Foundation office.

Currently funded programs are:

PURPOSE: With these Fellowships, The Grass Foundation encourages independent research by investigators early in their careers and increases research opportunities for persons planning careers in neurobiological investigation. Supported approaches include neurophysiology, biophysics, integrative neurobiology, neuroethology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, systems neuroscience, cellular and developmental neurobiology, and computational approaches to neural systems. The Foundation also has a longstanding interest in epilepsy-related research.

Grass Fellowships at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA, support investigator-designed, independent research projects. While sharing space in the Grass Laboratory (Grass Lab), Fellows function as an intellectual and social group within the MBL community. In a weekly, private seminar series, eminent investigators at the MBL discuss their work with the Fellows. In addition, a yearly Forbes Lecturer (in 2012, Dr. Baldomero Olivera from the University of Utah) will spend a portion of the summer in the Grass Lab interacting with Fellows.

Grass Fellowships provide research support including laboratory space, animals, equipment and supplies for one summer at the MBL.  Additionally, the investigator, his/her spouse or legal domestic partner, and dependent children are provided housing, a daily meal allowance and round-trip travel to the MBL.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants may be in the late stages of predoctoral training or postdoctoral researchers. Applicants should not combine a Grass Fellowship with writing a Ph.D. thesis. Priority is given to applicants with a demonstrated commitment to a research career and no extensive research experience at the MBL (participation in an MBL course is not considered research experience; course alumni are encouraged to apply). Applications that fall outside these guidelines may be considered; please contact the Program Coordinator. IRS regulations require that international Fellows (i.e., not US citizens or resident aliens) hold a J-1 visa for the entire duration of the fellowship. The Grass Foundation values diversity in all of its programs.

DURATION: The duration of the program is 14 weeks, from 28 May to 1 September, 2012. Fellows are expected to be in residence at the MBL during the entire 14 weeks of the program (contact the Program Coordinator regarding potential exceptions).

APPLICATION: Application forms and instructions for the 2012 program will become available on The Grass Foundation website during September 2011.

DEADLINE: Applications for summer 2012 must be received by 5 December 2011. Applicants must ensure that the completed application and letters of recommendation are submitted by the deadline. Decisions will be announced by 20 January 2012.

SELECTION: The Selection Committee, consisting of the Trustees of The Grass Foundation, judges applicants’ ability to organize and present pertinent information, the scientific merit of the proposed research and evidence of applicants’ ability to work independently. Approximately 8-10 Grass Fellowships are awarded annually. Most Fellows share space in the Grass Lab; some arrange to work in the space of another MBL investigator.

Instructions for the 2012 Grass Fellowship Applicationare provided here in pdf format:2012 Grass Fellowship Program Application Instructions
The 2012 Grass Fellowship Application (Form FA-2012) is provided here as a MS Word document, which is to be completed and submitted by the applicant:2012 Grass Fellowship Program Application

Robert S. Morison Fellowship

This fellowship was created in honor of the contributions of Dr. Morison, one of the founding Trustees of The Grass Foundation. The Fellowship is administred by the American Epilepsy Society and is currently on hold. Please check AES Morrison for further information.

Grass - AES Young Investigator Travel Award

To recognize and honor outstanding young investigators conducting research in basic or clinical neuroscience related to epilepsy, the Grass Foundation and the American Epilepsy Society have combined resources to present Grass Foundation-AES Young Investigator Travel Awards ($1,000, together with waiver of AES meeting registration fees) to up to 8 deserving candidates to help support travel costs to present their research at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society. This program is administered by the AES. Please see AES Travel for more information.

The Grass Foundation - ANA Award in Neuroscience

This award was established in 2007 to honor outstanding young investigators doing research in basic or clinical neuroscience. The award is administered by the American Neurological Association.

The Grass Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of a new fellowship program in advance imaging at the Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL): the Grass Fellowships in Advanced Imaging.

PURPOSE: The MBL is host to a wide range of microscopy systems each summer and is rapidly becoming a regional center for advanced imaging. During the summer of 2011, available systems included confocal, two-photon, structured illumination microscopy, PALM, STED as well as other non-commercial systems. The goal of the Grass Fellowships in Advanced Imaging is to make this remarkable resource available to the broader scientific community. The fellowships will support individuals working in any area of neuroscience, at any stage of their career ranging from graduate student to professor. This opportunity is intended to allow individuals to bring their preparations to the MBL for up to four weeks, learning and utilizing the available microscopy resources, gathering data and interacting with other imaging specialists. Grass Fellows in Advanced Imaging will be integrated into the traditional Grass Fellows program during the month of July, providing a rich intellectual environment and access to many activities at the MBL. As such, Imaging Fellows will receive bench space in the Grass Laboratory for sample preparation and will be expected to attend Grass Laboratory lab meetings. In addition, Imaging Fellows are encouraged to audit the many classes available including the Neurobiology Course, which offers lectures on the theory and practice of advanced microscopy during the month of July. Support will include research supplies, travel, housing and meals at the Marine Biological Laboratory for the individual fellow.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants at any stage in their academic career are eligible. Priority is given to applicants with an experimental need to use high-end state of the art imaging systems. Prior research experience at the MBL, including previous Grass Fellowships, is neither required nor disqualifying. IRS regulations require that international Fellows (i.e., not US citizens or resident aliens) hold a J-1 visa for the duration of the fellowship. Holders of H1-B visa cannot be accepted. The Grass Foundation values diversity in all of its programs.

DURATION: The duration of the program is 2-4 weeks during July of 2012. Fellows are expected to be in residence at the MBL during the entire time.

APPLICATION: Application forms and instructions for the 2012 program are available on The Grass Foundation website (links below).

DEADLINE: Applications for July 2012 must be received by 20 February 2012. Applicants must ensure that the completed application and letters of recommendation are submitted by the deadline. Decisions will be announced by April 2012.

SELECTION: The Selection Committee, consisting of the Trustees of The Grass Foundation, will judge the scientific merit of the proposed research and its suitability for this program. The Foundation anticipates accepting up to 3 Fellows in Advanced Imaging in this inaugural year.

INSTRUCTIONS for the 2012 Grass Fellowship in Advanced Imaging Application are provided here in pdf format: GFAI_Application_2012.doc101.5 K  GFAI_Instructions_2012.pdf46.84 KB

A flyer of this announcement can be downloaded here. GFAI_Flyer.pdf28.71 KB

Albert and Ellen Grass Lecture
This lecture, presented by a high-profile speaker selected by SfN, is given each year on Monday evening of the SfN Annual Meeting. The Albert and Ellen Grass Lecture is one of the featured scientific events of the conference.

Donald B. Lindsley Prize in Behavioral Neuroscience

This prize was established in 1979 in honor of Donald B. Lindsley Ph.D. for "meritorious research in the area of behavioral neuroscience." Dr. Lindsley was one of the early Trustees of The Grass Foundation. A selection committee of SfN members reviews Ph.D. theses that were approved in the prior year and nominated for the prize. The SfN Committee awards the prize.

The Ricardo Miledi Program for Neuroscience Training

The Foundation funds the SfN-sponsored Ricardo Miledi Program for Neuroscience Training that enhances the training and career development of Latin American and Caribbean neuroscientists. Dr. Miledi was an early Trustee of The Grass Foundation.