Overview

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease that affects an estimated 350,000 individuals around the world at any given time. Despite common patterns of symptoms, ALS manifests differently from individual to individual. The mechanisms that govern ALS onset and progression in most people are either unknown or poorly understood. 

ALS doesn’t have a cure yet, but increased attention and investment from public and private funders over the last two decades have generated critical progress and momentum. In 2021, Tambourine partnered with Milken Institute Philanthropy SPARC to review the ALS scientific and funding landscapes and identify opportunities for strategic philanthropic investments. This analysis revealed that an incomplete understanding of the disease’s fundamental biology and mechanisms remains a central, underfunded scientific barrier.  

 

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund 

The ALS Breakthrough Research Fund builds on the findings of the Giving Smarter Guide by funding high-risk, high-reward, and innovative discovery-driven research proposals. This program is supported by Tambourine, the philanthropic initiative of Ben and Divya Silbermann. Drawing inspiration and drive from their family experience with ALS, their work includes funding research to enable breakthrough scientific discoveries.  

This initiative seeks to change scientific understanding and improve the treatment of ALS by supporting innovative basic and discovery-focused research around the world. It particularly focuses on soliciting and funding creative, high-risk, high-reward ideas that might not otherwise fit existing grant programs but hold the potential to generate breakthrough insights.

  • ALS Breakthrough Research Fund Awardees: Tambourine has committed more than $5 million to eight research teams selected to receive funding through the ALS Breakthrough Research Fund's 2023 RFP. Learn more about the investigators and their projects here. 

  • RFP Focus: The ALS Breakthrough Research Fund’s 2023 RFP received proposals that reflect exciting, foundational scientific directions that can shed light on ALS mechanisms, sporadic ALS, and non-inherited contributions to disease.

  • Review Process: All submitted proposals underwent rigorous scientific peer review by an external panel of ALS and related experts. Proposals were assessed across a number of criteria specified in the RFP. The ALS Breakthrough Research Fund’s scientific leadership – including the Scientific Advisory Board - utilized scientific review feedback in tandem with the Fund’s strategic direction in making funding recommendations to Tambourine.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Program Resources

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund RFP Webinar

On June 8, 2023, the Milken Institute hosted an informational session ahead of the program’s Letter of Intent deadline.

Watch Webinar

Scientific Advisory Board

A smiling light-skinned female-presenting person with dark brown hair pulled back wearing a navy blue shirt against a blurred background

Lucie Bruijn

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund Scientific Advisory Board Member
Therapeutic Area Biomarker Lead, ALS at Novartis UK
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Steve Finkbeiner

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund Scientific Advisory Board Member
Director, Center for Systems and Therapeutics and the Taube/Koret Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at Gladstone Institutes
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Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund Scientific Advisory Board Member
Associate Professor of Neurology, Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegeneration
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Shane Liddelow

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund Scientific Advisory Board Member
Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine
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Diane Re

ALS Breakthrough Research Fund Scientific Advisory Board Member
Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia University School of Public Health

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need preliminary data to qualify for this opportunity?  
We do not require preliminary data for this application, as we want to encourage those with novel ideas to apply. 
 
Are fellows and postdocs eligible to apply? 
All applications must be led by an independent investigator who holds a doctorate (e.g. PhD, MD, etc.) and independently manages a research program. However, fellows and postdocs may be included alongside the independent investigator. 
 
I am not in the ALS field. Can I be a lead principal investigator?  
You need not be an ALS researcher to apply for this grant as a single principal investigator (PI). However, we do recommend informally or formally collaborating with someone who does have expertise in the field to ensure that your research aims are relevant to the field. 
 
I am based in a non-US institution. Can I apply? 
Yes, individuals from institutions around the world are welcome to apply for this grant program. 
 
I will be applying with a collaborator from another country. Are we eligible? How would we be funded? 
Yes, teams consisting of individuals from different countries are welcome to apply. We will fund one institution, and the partner organizations will be subgrantees of the funded institution. You will need to designate which of your organizations will be receiving the funds and which of your organizations would be the subgrantee. Tambourine and the Milken Institute are not responsible for the conversion of dollars into other forms of currency. 

Is there a limit to the number of collaborators that can be engaged in one proposal? 
There is no limit to how many collaborators may be engaged in a single proposal. 
 
The request for proposals (RFP) calls for basic, mechanistic, and discovery-driven research. If my proposed study involves humans, will it be considered “too clinical” to be considered for funding? 
This opportunity welcomes applications that apply mechanistic inquiry across species (e.g., mouse to human), as long as the inquiry itself is basic in nature. 
 
Can multiple investigators from an institution apply separately? 
Yes. An institution may support multiple proposals, but each proposal must be led by a unique PI (e.g., an investigator may only submit one proposal as the designated PI). 

If I am a PI on one proposal, does this disqualify me from serving as a coinvestigator on another? 
Not at all. While you may only submit one proposal as the designated PI, you may serve as a “co-I” on other proposals submitted in the same round. 
 
Can a proposal have multiple PIs? 
No. For administrative purposes, there must be one designated PI attached to each proposal. 

Where can I find the request for proposals? 
The request for proposals is available for download on our website. Please click the “Download RFP” button. 
 
How many grants do you intend to fund? 
Tambourine intends to fund up to 10 research grants this cycle, depending on how many applications meet both the scientific and strategic goals of the ALS Breakthrough Research Fund. 
 
Where can I apply for this opportunity? 
This funding opportunity operates through the Milken Institute’s online grant portal. Submit a letter of intent (LOI).
 
My question isn’t on this FAQ document. Who can I reach out to for more information? 
Please contact us at [email protected] for any questions not answered in the request for proposals, in the informational webinar recording, or in this FAQ document.