Research Funding, Grant Awards, and Prizes

The Celiac Disease Foundation is committed to accelerating diagnosis, improving treatments, and advancing a cure for celiac disease. A vital part of this mission is supporting groundbreaking research that expands scientific understanding and improves the lives of people affected by celiac disease worldwide.

Research Grant Awards

The Foundation created its Research Grant Awards program to address the critical need for increased investment in celiac disease research and to support investigators pursuing innovative, high-impact studies across the research spectrum. Through competitive funding opportunities and strategic partnerships, the Foundation helps advance basic, clinical, and translational research focused on improving diagnosis, understanding disease mechanisms, developing treatments, and enhancing quality of life for people with celiac disease.

The Foundation currently collaborates with leading scientific and medical organizations, including the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (SSCD) and the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (ISSCD), to expand opportunities for high-impact celiac disease research and support investigators at every career stage.

These awards are designed to foster collaboration, encourage scientific innovation, and accelerate meaningful progress toward better diagnostics, treatments, and ultimately, a cure.

Research Prizes for Excellence

To further recognize transformative scientific achievement, the Foundation established its Research Prizes for Excellence to honor investigators whose work has significantly advanced the understanding and treatment of celiac disease.

Building on a longstanding tradition of recognizing excellence in the field, these international awards celebrate innovation, leadership, and impactful contributions across basic, clinical, and translational research.

The Research Prizes for Excellence are presented at the International Celiac Disease Symposium as the ISSCD–SSCD Research Prizes for Excellence. The awards are administered in partnership with the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease and the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease, which oversees the nomination and selection process.

• ISSCD–SSCD Prize for Excellence in Celiac Disease Research: Recognizes a senior investigator whose research has made a lasting and transformative impact on the understanding, diagnosis, or treatment of celiac disease.
• ISSCD–SSCD Young Investigator Prize: Honors an early-career researcher for outstanding contributions to celiac disease research in basic, clinical, or translational science.

Federal Research Funding Opportunities

In addition to Foundation-led funding opportunities, the Foundation supports efforts to expand federal investment in celiac disease research through agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).

Federal funding plays an important role in advancing research focused on improving diagnosis, understanding disease mechanisms, developing treatments beyond the gluten-free diet, and ultimately finding a cure for celiac disease.

The Foundation continues to work alongside researchers, advocates, and Congressional partners to help increase awareness of the need for sustained federal investment in celiac disease research and expanded funding opportunities for the scientific community.

Through its Research Grant Awards, Research Prizes for Excellence, and advocacy for federal research funding opportunities, the Foundation continues to champion scientific innovation and support the research community working toward faster diagnosis, better treatments, and a cure for celiac disease.