The Cleveland VA Medical Research & Education Foundation

The Cleveland VA Medical Research & Education Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Cleveland, Ohio, acts as a prime recipient and subrecipient on federal medical research grants, delivering biomedical research and clinical development services focused on neurological disorders, prosthetics, infectious disease, and cardiovascular health. The Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) entity supporting research infrastructure and clinical expertise at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The Foundation's federal funding comes almost entirely from grants rather than contracts. Recent prime grant awards include a $572,132 Project Grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, CFDA 93.853) awarded August 22, 2026, to design and test a prototype noninvasive genital nerve stimulation device for bladder control in women with spinal cord injury, running through July 31, 2028; a $330,000 NINDS Project Grant awarded August 7, 2026, investigating subthalamic deep brain stimulation for resolving visuo-vestibular conflict in Parkinson's disease patients, running through July 31, 2031; and a $1,493,220 Project Grant from the Defense Health Agency (DHA, CFDA 12.420) awarded September 1, 2023, supporting development of a neurally integrated lower limb prosthesis for wounded veterans' home and community use, running through August 31, 2027. Additional prime awards fund nonendoscopic screening for Barrett's esophagus in at-risk veterans (DHA, awarded September 1, 2024, completing August 31, 2027), metabolic therapy for atrial fibrillation (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, awarded September 1, 2024, completing August 31, 2027), and patient-specific requirements of upper limb prosthetic technology (DHA, awarded September 15, 2023, extended through September 14, 2027).

The Foundation's customer base spans 13 federal agencies, with concentration heavily weighted to research and health agencies. The Defense Health Agency accounts for 13 awards across the portfolio; the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has funded 4 prime awards; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pittsburgh office has funded 4 awards totaling $1.1 million in combined potential value; and the National Cancer Institute has funded 3 awards. The Foundation holds a 50/50 split between prime and subrecipient roles, reflecting deep integration into multisite research networks. As a subrecipient, the Foundation supports research led by Case Western Reserve University (multiple subawards in neuroprosthetics, Alzheimer's disease research, and infectious disease modeling), The Johns Hopkins University (knee osteoarthritis outcomes), the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (lung tissue biorepository for immunotherapy studies), University of Pittsburgh (mobile health for spinal cord injury and veteran caregivers), and the Veterans Medical Research Foundation of San Diego (PTSD and substance use disorder studies). The Foundation also subcontracts with J. Craig Venter Institute on CDC-funded work investigating Candida auris colonization and antibiotic-resistant pathogen surveillance, and with Sanofi Vaccines US on antibiotic stewardship in long-term care facilities.

Activity has grown modestly — 2 awards in 2022, 6 in 2023, 8 in 2024, then declining to 4 in 2025 and 5 in 2026 — with four awards reaching completion within the next twenty-four months and therefore subject to recompete. Combined obligated dollars across all 38 awards total $14.9 million, reflecting mature, extended grant funding rather than a high-volume procurement footprint. The Foundation does not hold seats on government-wide acquisition vehicles; its federal work routes through direct grant mechanisms from NIH, DHA, CDC, and allied research agencies. The Foundation's research portfolio centers on neurotechnology, prosthetics innovation, infectious disease control in veterans' populations, and cardiovascular health — all anchored to Cleveland VA Medical Center clinical and laboratory capacity.