Founded in 1999, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to ending colorectal cancer within our lifetime. It honors the memory of Christine Sapienza and supports affected families through investments in research—totaling nearly $10 million, including nearly $3 million in early-stage grants to innovative researchers.
Pilot Awards are designed to support senior investigators who have transformative ideas with limited preliminary data but articulate a clear hypothesis and translational goals. These awards focus on "high-risk, high-reward" projects to establish proof-of-concept that can lead to further funding. Eligible applicants must be senior investigators beyond the first five years of their first academic faculty appointment, holding a full-time faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor level or higher.