The American Heart Association (AHA) is now accepting letters of intent for the 2019 AHA Merit Award. The award supports individual scientists with a trajectory of success, who propose novel approaches to major research challenges in the areas of cardiovascular diseases and stroke that have the potential to produce unusually high impact. Letters of Intent must be submitted through Grants@Heart , the AHA’s online application and award system, on or before Tuesday, July 24, 2018.
Only Merit Award applicants who submit a LOI and are invited to apply may submit a full application; AHA will contact applicants in early September regarding their status after LOI review.
Please see below for a complete list of deadlines for all 2018-19 AHA programs.
2018-2019 AHA Funding Opportunities Timeline*
| Letter of Intent Deadline (If applicable) |
Application Deadline | Funding Notification | Award Start Date | |
| AHA Predoctoral Fellowship | Wed., July 11, 2018 | Nov. 2018 | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship | Thurs., July 12, 2018 | Nov. 2018 | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| Institutional Undergraduate Student Fellowship | Wed., July 18, 2018 | Dec. 2018 | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| AHA Institutional Research Enhancement Award | Thurs., July 19, 2018 | Dec. 2018 | Jan. 1, 2019 | |
| Merit Award | Tues., July 24, 2018 | Invited Applicants: Thurs., Oct. 11, 2018 |
Jan. 2019 | April 1, 2019 |
| Collaborative Sciences Award | Tues., Oct. 9, 2018 | Invited Applicants: Thurs., Jan. 31, 2019 |
May 2019 | July 1, 2019 |
| Career Development Award | Wed., Oct. 17, 2018 | March 2019 | July 1, 2019 | |
| Established Investigator Award | Tues., Oct. 23, 2018 | Tues., Jan. 15, 2019 | March 2019 | April 1, 2019 |
| Innovative Project Award | Mon., Oct. 29, 2018 | Invited Applicants: Thurs., Jan. 17, 2019 |
May 2019 | July 1, 2019 |
| Transformational Project Award | Wed., Jan. 23, 2019 | May 2019 | July 1, 2019 |
*Subject to change.
Monitor the AHA Application Information Web page for updates about subsequent programs. You can begin preparing your application, even if Grants@Heart is not yet open for the program to which you will apply. The Supporting Documents page lists the documents that will need to be uploaded as part of the application. Click on each document title for specific instructions.
Contact Us
AHA research staff is available Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 p.m. Central Time to assist with the application process and to answer questions. Contact us by emailing apply@heart.org or by calling 214-360-6107, option 1.