Advance the science, technology and clinical practice of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging by supporting research, education, workforce development, advocacy and patient-centered care.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging channels most of its grantmaking into research that advances nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and radiopharmaceutical therapy, with a strong emphasis on prostate cancer and early-career scientific development. Its Mars Shot Research Fund is the clearest example: awards of $598,830 to the University of Wisconsin, $500,000 to Stanford University, $498,757 to the University of California, and $485,091 to Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research show a scale that extends well beyond small pilot support. The foundation also pairs research support with named lectures and career-stage awards, including grants tied to Steven Mark Larson, MD and Dr. Sanjiv “Sam” Gambhir. Those awards point to a funder that uses research funding and recognition together, not as separate activities. A second pattern is the mix of institutional research support and smaller development-oriented grants. Alongside large multi-year awards, the foundation funds student research, junior faculty work, and pilot studies, indicating a pipeline that reaches from training into more advanced investigation. The recent grants also include outreach and laboratory support, which suggests the organization funds both scientific inquiry and the infrastructure around it. Across the grants listed here, recipients are U.S.-based institutions, reinforcing a national funding footprint centered on academic medical and research environments.
In prostate cancer research, the foundation gave $100,000 to Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research for a 2024-2025 SNMMI Mars Shot Prostate Cancer Research Grant. It also awarded $75,000 through the SNMMI–Prostate Cancer Foundation Grant to support innovative research addressing unmet medical needs in diagnosis and treatment. For molecular imaging research and faculty development, Johns Hopkins University received $58,238 through the ERF-SNMMI Molecular Imaging Research Grant for Junior Academic Faculty. That program sits alongside named lecture-and-grant awards for early-to-mid career researchers in nuclear medicine, radiochemistry, and medical physics. The foundation also funds training and pilot work. University of Texas at Austin received $20,000 under the ERF-SNMMI Mitzi and William Blahd, MD Pilot Research Grant, while Washington University in Saint Louis received student research support through Discovering Molecular Imaging awards in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
$829K
$24.3M
$16.7M
$16.5M
Most grants fall between $20K and $485K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$485K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
VIRGINIA PAPPAS
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Typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $99,999 at the median, and $485,091 at the 75th percentile, showing a spread from trainee-level awards to substantial research funding. The recent record includes repeated support for the same institutions across multiple years, including Stanford University and Washington University in Saint Louis, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation is an operating grantmaker tied to a professional society, not a donor-advised or private family foundation, and it funds institutions rather than individuals. Several active programs accept unsolicited proposals, including the Mars Shot Research Fund and named research grants.
Giving is national, and the recent grants in the file are entirely U.S.-based. The highest volumes in the recent list appear in California, Wisconsin, and New York, with additional grants to Utah, Maryland, Texas, Missouri, and Alabama. Recipient cities include Madison, Stanford, Oakland, New York, Salt Lake City, Baltimore, Austin, Saint Louis, and Birmingham. None of the recent grants go to recipients in Virginia, despite the foundation’s Reston headquarters.
It funds nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, radiopharmaceutical therapy, theranostics, radiochemistry, medical physics, prostate cancer imaging, clinical translation, education, and outreach. Recent grants include large Mars Shot research awards, junior faculty support, student research grants, and community-based outreach.
The geographic scope is national, and every recent grant in the file went to a U.S. recipient. The recipient-country distribution shows 13 grants, all to the United States.
The grant-size distribution is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $99,999 at the median, and $485,091 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $6,000 laboratory support to several awards near or above $500,000.
Yes. The foundation supports junior academic faculty, early-to-mid career researchers, and students/trainees. Recent examples include a $58,238 junior faculty molecular imaging research grant and student research awards of $17,000 and $9,000.
Yes. The Mars Shot Prostate Cancer Grant, the Steve Larson Grant and Lecture, the Steven Mark Larson MD Research Grant and Lecture in Advanced Nuclear Medicine, the Dr. Sanjiv "Sam" Gambhir Annual Lecture, and the SNMMI–Prostate Cancer Foundation Grant are listed as accepting unsolicited applications.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants should propose a research project focused on advancing invasive lobular carcinoma imaging and cultivating new lobular breast disease treatments.
Deadline: Application Deadline: August 14, 2026
Deadline: Deadline: December 1 (annual)
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | 2023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS | MADISON, WI | $100,000 | 2025 | 2024-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT |
| SLOAN KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | 2024-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH GRANT |
| IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $99,999 | 2025 | 2024-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT COMMUNITY BASED OUTREACH GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN | AUSTIN, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | 2024-2025 ERF-SNMMI MITZI AND WILLIAM BLAHD, MD PILOT RESEARCH GRANT |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN SAINT LOUIS | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $9,000 | 2025 | 2023-2024 SNMMI STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS: DISCOVERING MOLECULAR IMAGING |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN | MADISON, WI | $598,830 | 2024 | 2023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | OAKLAND, CA | $498,757 | 2024 | 2023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT |
| SLOAN KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH | NEW YORK, NY | $485,091 | 2024 | 2023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $58,238 | 2024 | 2023-2025 ERF-SNMMI MOLECULAR IMAGING RESEARCH GRANT FOR JUNIOR ACADEMIC FACULTY |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | 2023 ERF-SNMMI MITZI AND WILLIAM BLAHD, MD PILOT RESEARCH GRANT |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN SAINT LOUIS | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $17,000 | 2024 | 2022-2023 SNMMI STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS: DISCOVERING MOLECULAR IMAGING |
| UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM | BIRMINGHAM, AL | $6,000 | 2024 | SNMMI FUNDING FOR THE NORMAN E. BOLUS LABORATORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN BIRMINGHAM |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN SAINT LOUIS | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $60,000 | 2023 | 2022 SNMMI-VIIA RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL THERAPY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA REGENTS | OAKLAND, CA | $52,500 | 2023 | 2021 ERF-SNMMI MOLECULAR IMAGING JUNIOR ACADEMIC FACULTY RESEARCH GRANT |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $24,000 | 2023 | 2022 ERF-SNMMI MITZI AND WILLIAM BLAHD PILOT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH GRANT |
| SOCIETY OF RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES | FREDERICKSBURG, TX | $10,000 | 2023 | 2022 SRS-TERACHEM SUMMER SCHOOL TRAINING GRANT |
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS
$100,0002024-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT
SLOAN KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
$100,0002024-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH GRANT
2024-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT COMMUNITY BASED OUTREACH GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
$20,0002024-2025 ERF-SNMMI MITZI AND WILLIAM BLAHD, MD PILOT RESEARCH GRANT
2023-2024 SNMMI STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS: DISCOVERING MOLECULAR IMAGING
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
$598,8302023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
$498,7572023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT
SLOAN KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
$485,0912023-2025 SNMMI MARS SHOT RESEARCH FUND GRANT
2023-2025 ERF-SNMMI MOLECULAR IMAGING RESEARCH GRANT FOR JUNIOR ACADEMIC FACULTY
2023 ERF-SNMMI MITZI AND WILLIAM BLAHD, MD PILOT RESEARCH GRANT
2022-2023 SNMMI STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS: DISCOVERING MOLECULAR IMAGING
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
$6,000SNMMI FUNDING FOR THE NORMAN E. BOLUS LABORATORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN BIRMINGHAM
2022 SNMMI-VIIA RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL THERAPY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA REGENTS
$52,5002021 ERF-SNMMI MOLECULAR IMAGING JUNIOR ACADEMIC FACULTY RESEARCH GRANT
2022 ERF-SNMMI MITZI AND WILLIAM BLAHD PILOT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH GRANT
SOCIETY OF RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
$10,0002022 SRS-TERACHEM SUMMER SCHOOL TRAINING GRANT