21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot

Active

Assistance listing
93.353
Agency
Grant awards
203 $1,313,659,508 in federal obligations

Program facts

Also known as
moonshot
Assistance types
  • Cooperative Agreement
  • Project Grant
Treasury account
  • 75-0849-0-1-550
More information

Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.

About this program

The National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute (NCI) is funding cancer research and development of cancer vaccines, sensitive diagnostic tests, immunotherapy approaches, and combination therapies under CFDA 93.353 (21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot), with the most recent award on September 15, 2025.

The program funds applied cancer research across a broad spectrum of tumor types and mechanisms. Recent awards exemplify the actual scope: lung cancer screening implementation studies testing regional networks and quality improvement systems; myeloma precancer atlases characterizing genomic and microenvironmental alterations across disease evolution; pediatric solid tumor microenvironment atlases investigating therapy resistance mechanisms in rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and Wilms tumors; pre-cancer atlases of skin cancer and gastric cancer examining immune system interactions and progression pathways; spatial multi-omics profiling of ovarian, colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancers; lymphoma transformation studies; CAR T cell immunotherapy optimization for pediatric brain tumors and sarcomas; personalized neoantigen vaccines for neuroblastoma; bispecific antibody therapeutics for pediatric solid and brain tumors; and implementation science research on tobacco use treatment scale-up, cancer screening in rural and underserved populations, and survivorship care delivery models. The program also supports early-stage technology development including activatable fluorescent probes for intraoperative tumor detection, bioengineered probiotics for drug detoxification, and novel HPV vaccines targeting low- and middle-income countries.

The portfolio is predominantly Cooperative Agreements (131 awards, 65%) with a smaller share of Project Grants (72 awards, 35%). The National Cancer Institute is the sole funder across all 203 awards, obligating $1.31 billion in federal dollars (combined total obligated of $1.41 billion including non-federal cost-share). Recent award cadence shows 5 awards in 2025, 14 in 2024, 9 in 2023, 4 in 2022, and 8 in 2021. Individual award values range from approximately $287 thousand to $10.2 million, with many multi-year cooperative agreements in the $3–10 million range. Mega-awards supporting large atlas and network centers include the Myeloma Multidimensional Precancer Atlas at $10 million, Pediatric Solid Tumor Microenvironment Atlas at $10.2 million, and several pre-cancer atlas projects in the $9–9.5 million range.

No recent grant opportunities are currently open. Historical solicitations under this program and related Moonshot initiatives (RFA-CA-19-001 through RFA-CA-19-055, RFA-CA-20-006, RFA-CA-21-053, RFA-CA-22-014) closed in 2018–2022 and supported U01, U54, U2C, and U24 cooperative agreements as well as P50 and R01 project grants for cancer research, implementation science, patient engagement in genomic sequencing, and immunotherapy networks. The program remains active with recent awards but no open solicitation is advertised in the source material.

Objective and description

Objective

To provide support for initiatives funded under the 21st Century Cures Act to support cancer research, such as the development of cancer vaccines, the development of more sensitive diagnostic tests for cancer, immunotherapy and the development of com

Description

To provide support for initiatives funded under the 21st Century Cures Act to support cancer research, such as the development of cancer vaccines, the development of more sensitive diagnostic tests for cancer, immunotherapy and the development of combination therapies, and research that has the potential to transform the scientific field, that has inherently higher risk, and that seeks to address major challenges related to cancer.

Eligibility

Applicant eligibility

The awardee will be a university, college, hospital, public agency, nonprofit research institution or for-profit organization that applies and receives a grant for support of research by a named principal investigator. To be eligible for funding, a grant application must be approved for scientific merit and program relevance by a scientific review group and a national advisory council.

Beneficiary eligibility

Any nonprofit or for-profit organization, company, or institution engaged in biomedical research.

Uses of assistance

Grants and cooperative agreements may be made to eligible institutions for the support of cancer research projects. The grants and cooperative agreements may be used for personnel, consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel, patient costs, animals, alterations and renovations, miscellaneous items, and Facilities and Administrative Costs (formerly known as indirect costs).

Length and time phasing of assistance

Grants and Cooperative Agreements: Average 3 to 5 years, and a maximum of 5 years. Renewals may be awarded for additional periods of up to 5 years based on competitive peer review.

How to apply

Criteria for selecting proposals

Funding decisions are based on scientific merit (42 CFR 52h) and program relevance. Scientific merit review encompasses: the peer review criteria detailed in the specific funding announcement, as well as the significance, approach, and innovation of the proposed research; the competency of the principal investigator; the adequacy of the resources and environment; the proposed budget and requested period of support; and, where applicable, the adequacy of the measures for protecting against adverse effects upon humans, animals, or the environment.

Award procedure

All applications are evaluated by scientific authorities for scientific and technical merit. Applications must also be reviewed by the National Cancer Advisory Board. All competitive applications compete for available funds on the basis of scientific and technical merit, program relevance, and program balance, consistent with NCI and NIH priorities and strategic plans.

Time to approval or disapproval

Regular Grants: Approximately 10 months

Renewals

Applications submitted for renewal are reviewed and selected for funding on a competitive basis.

Appeals

A principal investigator may question the substantive or procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating with the staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH home page www.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not97-232.html .

Grant opportunities

Opportunity Status Posted Applications due
Successor-in-Interest (Type 6 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) PA-24-253 Open
Change of Recipient Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) PA-24-254 Open
Data, Evaluation and Coordinating Center for: A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials (CUSP2CT) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-22-014 Closed
Data, Evaluation and Coordinating Center for: A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials (CUSP2CT) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-21-058 Closed
Coordinating and Data Management Center for Acquired Resistance to Therapy Network (ARTNet; U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-21-053 Closed
Communication and Decision Making for Individuals with Inherited Cancer Syndromes (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-CA-20-006 Closed
Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing (PE-CGS): Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-046 Closed
Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing (PE-CGS): Research Centers (U2C Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-CA-19-045 Closed
Novel Technology Tools to Facilitate Research Using Next Generation Patient-derived Cancer Models (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-055 Closed
Optimizing the Management and Outcomes for Cancer Survivors Transitioning to Follow-up Care (R01 Clinical Trial Required) RFA-CA-19-035 Closed
Advancing Cancer Immunotherapy by Mitigating Immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs) (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-044 Closed
Improving Outcomes for Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors (U01 Clinical Trial Required) RFA-CA-19-033 Closed
Implementation Science for Cancer Control: Advanced Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-CA-19-006 Closed
Implementation Science for Cancer Control: Developing Centers (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-CA-19-005 Closed
Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and follow-up through Implementation Science (ACCSIS)(UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required) RFA-CA-19-018 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cancer Immunotherapy Research Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-015 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cancer Immunoprevention Research Projects (UG3/UH3) RFA-CA-19-012 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Immuno-engineering to Improve Immunotherapy (i3) Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-013 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cancer Immunoprevention Research Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-014 Closed
Fusion Oncoproteins in Childhood Cancers (FusOnC2) Consortium (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-016 Closed
Communication and Decision Making for Individuals with Inherited Cancer Syndromes (U01 Clinical Trial Optional). RFA-CA-19-001 Closed
Pediatric Immunotherapy Discovery and Development Network (PI-DDN)(U54 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-CA-19-003 Closed
Pediatric Immunotherapy Discovery and Development Network (PI-DDN)(U01 - No Clinical Trial Allowed) RFA-CA-19-004 Closed
Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and follow-up through Implementation Science (ACCSIS): Coordinating Center (U24) RFA-CA-17-039 Closed
Mechanisms of Cancer Drug Resistance and Sensitivity: Coordinating Center (U24) RFA-CA-17-044 Closed
Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and follow-up through Implementation Science (ACCSIS)(UG3/UH3) RFA-CA-17-038 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cancer Immunoprevention Research Projects (U01) RFA-CA-17-046 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Data Management and Resource-Sharing Center (DMRC) (U24) RFA-CA-17-047 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cellular Immunotherapy Data Resource (CIDR) (U24) RFA-CA-17-048 Closed
Immuno-Oncology Translational Network (IOTN): Cancer Immunotherapy Research Projects (U01) RFA-CA-17-045 Closed
Show all 30

Grant awards

Award Recipient Federal obligations Awarded
Increasing lung cancer screening effectiveness and access through regional networks (i-learn) - the objective of the… UG3CA305780 The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania $1,593,217
Expanding lung cancer screening to achieve excellence (exhale) - annual low-dose computed tomography (ldct) has the… UG3CA305707 Kaiser Foundation Hospitals $1,684,165
Facilitating scale-up and sustainment of high-quality lung cancer screening using the quils system - despite… UG3CA305778 The Regents Of The University Of Colorado $1,549,462
Implementation science to scale and sustain tobacco treatment leveraging point of care paradigm and health… UG3CA305777 The Washington University $1,594,797
Determining barriers leading to inferior survival for black and hispanic patients with hodgkin lymphoma: a… R37CA288560 University Of Florida $573,987
Myeloma multidimensional precancer atlas U01CA294507 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. $10,004,894
Disparities in immuno-oncology outcomes in detroit (diode) P20CA290450 Wayne State University $703,806
Pediatric solid tumor microenvironment atlas - overall summary/abstract the majority of solid tumors in children have a… U01CA294552 Children's Hospital LOS Angeles $10,206,830
Understanding the role of tumor microenvironment in low grade glioma progression to malignancy U01CA294551 California Institute Of Technology $9,482,692
An atlas of pancreatic tumorigenesis in the context of altered DNA repair occurring in high-risk individuals U01CA294548 Oregon Health & Science University $9,064,908

Latest 10 of 203 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.

Top recipients by federal obligations

10 of 97 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.

Federal obligations by fiscal year

Fiscal year Federal obligations
FY2026 $10,929,515
FY2025 $189,910,587
FY2024 $113,307,555
FY2023 $208,396,589
FY2022 $306,348,116
FY2021 $225,180,694
FY2020 $119,799,414
FY2019 $197,298,930
FY2018 $254,271,955
FY2017 $145,116,428

Quick answers

What is Assistance Listing 93.353?

Assistance Listing 93.353 is 21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot, a federal grant program run by National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services).

What is the CFDA number for 21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot?

Its CFDA number is 93.353: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.

How much funding has Assistance Listing 93.353 awarded?

203 grant awards under 93.353 have obligated $1,313,659,508 in federal funds to 97 recipients.

Who receives the most funding from 93.353?

The recipients obligated the most under 21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot are Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. ($187,202,157), University Of Southern California ($67,972,663) and The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania ($55,170,070).

How much did 93.353 obligate in fiscal year 2025?

Grants under 93.353 obligated $189,910,587 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.

Are there open grant opportunities under 93.353?

2 listed opportunities under 93.353 are open or forecasted. The latest, Successor-in-Interest (Type 6 Parent Clinical Trial Optional), was posted on July 11, 2024.

On GovTribe

See this program's full record

  • Every grant award and opportunity under it
  • Funding by recipient, agency and assistance type
  • Alerts for new opportunities
  • Ask GovTribe AI about this program