A.P. Giannini Foundation

2026 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Leadership Award

Overview of the Award

The A.P. Giannini Foundation has played an important role in science philanthropy since its inception in 1945. The Foundation has distributed nearly $50 million to fund innovative research that advances the translation of biomedical sciences into treatments, preventions and cures for human diseases.  Recent fellowship awards have supported research into heart disease, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, cystic fibrosis, melanoma, Hepatitis B, kidney disease and more.

A.P. Giannini Fellows are among the most highly respected medical and scientific investigators in their respective fields and have served as mentors to succeeding generations of young scientists.  Fellows have held leadership positions at schools of medicine, in the public sector and in industry, including at Roche, Gilead, the National Institutes of Health, the White House, UCSF, Harvard University, and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to name a few.

The Foundation is governed by an 8-member board of Directors, including representatives from the A.P. Giannini family, Bank of America, and the biotechnology and health care industries.  The Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee advises the Board of Directors on the quality and competitiveness of fellowship candidates, their research projects and the overall postgraduate research fellowship program. Committee members also identify candidates at their medical schools, review and evaluate fellowship applications, and select new fellows each year.

Objectives of the Award

The A.P. Giannini Foundation invites physician-scientists and junior researchers with 3 to 36 months of total postdoctoral research experience to apply to the 2026 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship & Leadership Award.

The Fellowship and Leadership Award supports innovative research in the basic sciences and applied fields and trains fellows to become established investigators and to pursue scientific leadership positions in academia, industry, public, and non-traditional career pathways.  Research projects should advance the translation of biomedical science into preventions, treatments, and cures for human diseases.

The Foundation expects to fund 7 new fellowships in 2026 on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis for a maximum of three years based on satisfactory performance.

Eligibility and Qualifications

Postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply to the 2026 program if they have completed no less than 3 months and no more than 3 years in their mentor’s laboratory as of December 31, 2025. The starting date of postdoctoral studies should be well documented and easily verifiable. Applicants with tenure-track research positions or faculty appointments are ineligible.

  • Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent alien residents. They must hold or complete an MD; MD/PhD; PhD or equivalent degree before they activate the fellowship.
  • Applicants must arrange their research training before they apply to the 2026 program. The research program must be sponsored by an accredited California medical school and performed under the mentorship of a principal investigator who holds a full-time faculty or primary appointment at the applicant’s sponsoring medical school.

Fellowship Stipends

Fellows receive a competitive stipend for their research training.  Stipend payments are sent directly to the sponsoring medical school and can be used only for salary support. No deductions are allowed for benefits, departmental or institutional overhead. The current stipend is $70,000 for each of the three years.

Candidates may be eligible to obtain additional salary support from their sponsoring institution. Fellows cannot concurrently hold a full fellowship from another source or a federally funded career development award. Other income will not preclude favorable consideration.

Leadership Program

In addition to supporting research, the A.P. Giannini Foundation provides an integrated communications and leadership training program.  Fellows form a cohort in the first year of the fellowship to create a learning community and to support one another’s professional development.  In Year 1, fellows receive individualized and group communications training and learn the essential components of delivering engaging scientific presentations.  The culmination of this training is the production of a video in which each fellow provides an overview of his or her research; these videos are part of the Foundation’s video series, “Crossroads: At the Intersection of Research and Medicine.”

In Year 2, fellows participate in leadership workshops, including a weekend leadership retreat, and receive one-on-one coaching to learn how to enhance their effectiveness.  The leadership training begins with fellows completing the Enneagram, a tool that is used to identify different personality types and behavioral patterns.  Fellows learn how to use the Enneagram to improve communication and understanding between people and to improve team dynamics and leadership effectiveness.  After completing the leadership training, fellows are better equipped to manage conflict and to motivate and manage teams.

In Year 3, fellows meet with members of the Scientific Advisory Committee and alumni to assist with their career transition.  Sample discussion topics include starting a lab, hiring and managing a team, and obtaining feedback on chalk talks.  In awarding a fellowship, the Foundation commits to the professional development of its awardees, who are positioned to emerge as the next generation of leaders in their respective fields.  As such, the Foundation requires that fellows participate in the Leadership Program.

Timeline for Application Submission, Evaluation and Funding

The Foundation must receive the candidate’s completed application and letters of reference before 3:00 pm (PST) on November 6, 2025.

Please note the Foundation will not accept applications received after November 6th nor consider e-mailed or mailed applications.

The Foundation will notify candidates of the status of their application by January 26, 2026.  Finalists will be interviewed in person on March 5, 2026, in Pebble Beach, CA.

Application Procedures

Applicants must use the online portal to apply to the 2026 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship & Leadership Award and should work with their mentor and grants officer to prepare the application in advance of the deadline to avoid errors and omissions.

Notification to Candidates

The Foundation will notify candidates when their application is complete.  Candidates must notify the Foundation if they accept another fellowship at any time during the application and review process (November 6, 2025 – March 5, 2026).

The A.P. Giannini Postdoctoral Research Fellowship & Leadership Award is a competitive program. In recent years, less than 20 percent of candidates who apply receive awards. The Foundation does not provide candidates with critiques of their applications or their rankings in the review process.

The Scientific Advisory Committee places strong and equal emphasis on evaluating the academic record and potential of the candidate, the scientific innovation and medical significance of the research, the quality and nature of the proposed mentorship, and the candidate’s plan to develop skills and experience to achieve career advancement.

The Committee emphasizes the following criteria in selecting candidates to interview:

  • The originality and the scientific and medical importance of the proposed research.
  • The relevance of the research into the treatment, prevention and cure for human diseases.
  • The accomplishments of the candidate as demonstrated in peer-reviewed publications and letters of recommendation.
  • The commitment of the candidate to a career in biomedical research.
  • The commitment of the principal investigator to provide significant and personalized leadership to mentor the candidate and support his/her career development.
  • The accomplishments of the principal investigator in the candidate’s field of inquiry.

Conditions of Fellowship Award

Fellows must comply with the following conditions of the fellowship award:

  • Activate the fellowship between July 1 and December 1, 2026.
  • Attend the Foundation’s communications and leadership trainings.
  • Notify the Foundation promptly if plans change and the fellow is unable to continue the fellowship. The fellowship cannot be transferred to a different institution or mentor.
  • Devote at least 80% of time to research. Fellows may include time for clinical work.
  • Send the Foundation a brief report at the end of the first, second and third years of the fellowship summarizing the progress of the research project and fellowship experience.
  • Acknowledge the support of the A.P. Giannini Foundation in all published papers resulting from the research project and provide the Foundation with one reprint of each publication.
  • Include the title, “A.P. Giannini Postdoctoral Fellow,” in curriculum vitae, online profiles such as LinkedIn, and on department and lab websites.