If you’re not familiar with Matt Might, look into his work on the rare genetic disease that his son has. His story is really quite inspiring, and maybe there will be a strategy that you can apply.

Here’s a good post, he’s a prolific blogger: https://matt.might.net/articles/rare-disease-internet-matchm...

(Edit: this is a bigger picture post detailing the whole process: https://matt.might.net/articles/my-sons-killer/)

Depending on the kind of research you are looking to get funding for, you might also look into an NIH SBIR grant or something. https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/tips/pages/124/