Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grants

Following the event, a Request for Applications (RFA) is broadly distributed to the international scientific community requesting pilot grant proposals to study the diseases represented in the MDBR. The ODC secures philanthropic donations that are used to match, dollar‐for‐dollar, the funds raised by our cyclists. Scientific leadership of the ODC and its extramural advisors review the applications and grant awards to those of the highest scientific merit which address the specific topics outlined in the RFA. The ODC will disperse the money to grantees and manage progress of the science and spending on the award.

In 2023, the Orphan Disease Center offered 38 research opportunities focused on 31 different rare diseases. The program provides a one-year grant to support research related to a rare disease represented in the 2023 Million Dollar Bike Ride. With the efforts of our amazing MDBR community we raised over $2.4 Million for rare disease research!