Apply Now to offer Programming for your Peds postdoc community!

The Department of Pediatrics Postdoc Team is excited to announce a new initiative to support postdoc wellness.

We are offering grants of up to $750 for postdocs to organize and offer events and initiatives to support postdoc fulfillment and engagement in our department. This can be a single event or a series of events, within the $750 per grant budget.

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to all postdocs with a primary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics.

Funding Amount: Up to $750 per grant

Application Cycle:

• Applications must be submitted at least 2 months before the proposed start date of the event/initiative.
• Funds are available starting January 1, 2026 and must be utilized by August 15, 2026.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and decisions will be communicated within two weeks.

Suggested Focus Area for Grants:

• Mental health, community building, professional growth, burnout prevention, and other activities that promote professional fulfillment, well-being, and engagement across the postdoc community. Click here to view some ideas generated by the Pediatrics Postdoc Council and Office of Pediatric Education or propose your own!
• Note on food: funds may be awarded for food and drink under the department’s exception process for competitive grants.
• Note on location: per University financial guidelines, well-being and team building events must be held on campus, either at Research Park or the School of Medicine campus.

Review Criteria:

• Proposals will be scored based on their relevance to professional fulfillment and engagement, potential impact across the entire postdoc community, innovation and creativity, feasibility, and detailed budget with appropriate justification.
• We encourage grants that are developed and led by more than 1 postdoc.
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The postdoc team (Margaret and Ting) will support these initiatives administratively, buying food, supplies, booking rooms, if needed, sending announcements and RSVP forms, etc.

We encourage you  to submit a grant proposal for a 2026 postdoc-led event. Let’s kick off the series in January with events to support you at Stanford!

Submit your application now for events throughout 2026!

The Department of Pediatrics is committed to supporting the professional development of postdoctoral scholars within the department in partnership with our principal investigators. The Postdoc Development Grant is a matching award designed to support postdocs' professional development needs by providing reimbursement for activities that directly enhance the individual's professional growth.

Eligibility

• Only valid for postdoctoral scholars appointed within the Stanford Department of Pediatrics.
• A postdoc may receive only one award during their postdoc tenure in the Department of Pediatrics.
• Applications must be submitted prior to the date of the meeting/activity.
• Meeting/activity must be attended and award funds must be expended while the postdoc is still appointed as Postdoctoral Scholar in the Stanford Department of Pediatrics.

Types of Grant Proposals

• Applications may be submitted for two types of proposals:
  • Attending a meeting/conference to present your research
  • Attending a meeting/conference/activity to support your professional development and career goals

Funding

• This is a one-time matching award of up to $2,000, with $1,000 from the department and $1,000 from the faculty mentor. 

• • Award cannot be used for computers or other personal electronic devices.

  • Award is not meant to supplement faculty mentors' budgets, nor should the award be treated as an opportunity to purchase miscellaneous items, such as lab supplies, that are not directly relevant to the proposal.

• The award money will be reimbursed to the postdoc after submission of receipts to the Office of Pediatric Education. An award is a reimbursement for expenditures, not a cash bonus, and will not be given as a lump sum to awardees.

• Awards will not be made retroactively, such as for travel completed prior to date of the application.

• Funds must be expended as outlined in the application and budget. Because award decisions are based upon the original application, the award may not be used for any purpose other than that originally proposed. If the postdoc is not accepted to a competitive program, decides that they would prefer to attend a different conference than originally proposed, the conference is cancelled/rescheduled, the postdoc receives additional funds that cover the cost, or otherwise changes their plans due to personal or professional reasons, the award will be rescinded.

• The award may be used to cover expenses of attending the event, including but not limited to registration fees, travel, room & board.

Funding Decisions

• Preference will be given to:
  • Postdocs who are further along in their postdoc tenure.
  • Postdocs who are able to demonstrate they have contributed to the community within their division, department, or the larger postdoc community at Stanford.
• The final decision is at the discretion of the Review Committee. While the program receives many applications, which would all deserve to be granted, we may not be able to fund all proposals due to budget constraints.

Application Process

Applications submitted by the following deadlines will be considered:

• Winter Quarter Deadline:  February 18, 2026.  
• Summer Quarter Deadline:  May 1, 2026.

Applications must be submitted using the following forms:

• Postdoc: Postdoc Development Grant webform
• Faculty: Faculty Support webform
• Required attachments include:
  • Attending a meeting/conference to present your research
    • A copy of abstract acceptance notification
  • Attending a meeting/conference/activity to support your professional development and career goals
    • A copy of the postdoc’s most recent IDP

• Applications will be reviewed by committee and applicants will be notified within 2-4 weeks if they received an award.