Instructions for the ULF Research Grant Program
Each year, the ULF welcomes researchers from around the world to submit their research project proposals for funding consideration.
Requirements for 2026:
The principal investigator must meet the following criteria:
- Completion of terminal degree or training (MD, PhD, residency or fellowship, etc.) within the previous 6 years (unless other mitigating circumstances such as parental leave or illness; please contact the ULF with questions);
- Not a current or previous recipient of an R01 or equivalent award;
- Has an independent position at their institution;
- At an academic or equivalent institution.
The application:
- Must use size 11 font (Times or Arial) or larger;
- Margins must be 0.5’ or larger.
Applications will be accepted from July 1, 2026 through August 12, 2026.
Applications involving leukodystrophy research with budgets up to $30,000 (plus up to 10% indirect costs) are welcome to apply. The ULF Medical and Scientific Advisory Board will review applications for scientific merit, feasibility, and likelihood to advance the field. Funding will be awarded by the end of December for utilization during the following calendar year.
To apply: Complete the Research Grant Application and submit it electronically to office@ulf.org by 11:59 pm on August 12th.
Funded investigators will be expected to present their research at a future ULF Scientific Symposium in the Chicago, Illinois area.
ULF-Funded Research Projects
$ 871,452
in grant money
awarded to date
34 Projects Supported
Global Impact, projects
are funded domestically & internationally
The ULF began funding research projects in 2010. So far, the ULF has funded over $871,000 in leukodystrophy research projects. Thanks to a generous donation from Hugo and Ann Moser, we were able to establish an endowment that generates the funds that we allocate for research every year.
If you make a donation to the foundation that is “research restricted,” this is where your funds go! Every year, we take a look at how much has been donated to the research endowment (general or specific leuko) to guide where the funds accurately.
*Project funds with an asterisk designate a project that was funded with donations specifically allocated for that type of leukodystrophy.
| YEAR | RESEARCHER | INSTITUTION | LD TYPE | AMOUNT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jun Xie | UMass Chan Medical School | Hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum (H‐ABC) | $33,000 |
| 2024 | Ann Moser | Kennedy Krieger Institute | Various | $20,000 |
| 2024 | Jamie L. Fraser | Children’s National Hospital | Leukoencephalopathy with Calcifications and Cysts (LCC) | $20,000 |
| 2024 | Assumpció Bosch | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | MLC | $33,000 |
| 2023 | Daniel Segal | Tel-Aviv University | Krabbe | $33,000 |
| 2023 | Marjo van der Knaap | Amsterdam UMC | VWM | $30,000* |
| 2023 | Ann Moser | Kennedy Krieger Institute | Various | $20,000 |
| 2022 | Cristina Cereda | ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, “V. Buzzi” Children’s Hospital | AGS | $33,000 |
| 2022 | Ann Moser | Kennedy Krieger Institute | Various | $20,000 |
| 2022 | Marjo van der Knaap | Amsterdam UMC | VWM | $31,940* |
| 2021 | Vivi Heine | Amsterdam UMC | Cerebral ALD (cALD) | $30,000* |
| 2021 | Marjo van der Knaap | Amsterdam UMC | VWM | $38,000* |
| 2020 | Akshata Almad | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome | $33,000 |
| 2020 | Thomas Durcan | McGill University | Vanishing White Matter | $16,500 |
| 2020 | Keith Van Haren | Stanford University Medical Center | Cerebral ALD (cALD) | $16,500 |
| 2019 | Amer Alam | University of Minnesota | ALD | $33,000 |
| 2019 | Joshua Bonkowsky | University of Utah | ALD | $13,000* |
| 2019 | Markus Hofer | University of Sydney, Australia | AGS | $33,000 |
| 2019 | Paul Watkins | Kennedy Krieger Institute | ALD | $8,671* |
| 2018 | Alessandro Michienzi | University of Rome, Italy | AGS | $33,000 |
| 2018 | Amy Waldman | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Alexander Disease | $33,000 |
| 2017 | Ernesto Bongarzone | University of IL at Chicago | Krabbe | $33,000 |
| 2017 | Reena Kartha | University of MN | ALD | $15,000* |
| 2017 | Mark Sands | Washington University (Kansas) | Various | $33,000 |
| 2017 | Natasha Snider | University of NC at Chapel Hill | Alexander Disease | $33,000 |
| 2016 | Tracy Hagemann | University of WI | Alexander Disease | $33,000 |
| 2016 | Quasar Padiath | University of Pittsburgh | ADLD | $33,000 |
| 2016 | Deborah Renaud | Mayo Clinic | AMN | $3,841 |
| 2015 | Adeline Vanderver | Children’s National Health System | Various | $20,000 |
| 2015 | Weston Mille | University of MN | ALD | $6,000 |
| 2015 | Ian Duncan | University of WI | PMD | $35,000 |
| 2014 | Ian Duncan | University of WI | PMD | $35,000 |
| 2014 | Fabrice Dabertrand | UVM College of Medicine | CADASIL | $25,000 |
| 2010 | Phyllis Faust | Columbia University | Zellweger | $5,000 |
| 2009 | Andrea DeBarber | Oregon Health & Science University | Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis (CTX) | $21,261 |
| 2009 | $8,018 | |||
| 2008 | Andrea DeBarber | Oregon Health & Science University | Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis (CTX) | $20,664 |
| 2006 | Hugo Moser | Kennedy Krieger Institute | Various | $10,100 |
| 2005 | Hugo Moser | Kennedy Krieger Institute | Various | $10,000 |
| 2004 | Reuben Matalon | University of Texas Medical | Various | $75,000 |
| 2002 | David Wenger | Jefferson Medical College | $8,319 | |
| 2002 | John Barranger | Molecular Genetics Laboratory University of Pittsburg | $2,600 | |
| 2001 | Anne Johnson | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | $5,100 | |
| 2001 | John Barranger | Molecular Genetics Laboratory University of Pittsburg | $16,200 | |
| 1996 | M.E. Hodes | Indiana University School of Medicine | $29,891 | |
| 1996 | Anne Johnson | Albert Einstein College of Medicine | $13,600 | |
| 1996 | John Barranger | Molecular Genetics Laboratory University of Pittsburg | $29,600 |