Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 12 159
Apply for HRSA 12 159
- The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.615 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Research Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 15, 2012 and posted on Jan 17, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 16, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $600,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- As cited in 42 CFR Part 51a.3(b), only public or nonprofit institutions of higher learning and public or private nonprofit agencies engaged in research or in programs relating to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special health care needs are eligible.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Research Program (HRSA-12-159) was a discretionary grant opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designed to fund applied, policy-relevant research on home visiting services for pregnant people, parents, infants, and young children. In FY 2012, HRSA planned to support about two extramural, multi-year research projects with an estimated total funding amount of $600,000, with the intent that results would be practical and usable for improving real-world home visiting programs and the outcomes they target.
The central purpose of the program was to strengthen knowledge about both implementation and effectiveness: not only whether home visiting works, but how to implement it well in diverse communities and systems. HRSA emphasized research that could inform program improvement at scale, meaning findings should be transferable to state and local agencies and service providers who operate home visiting models in everyday settings. The opportunity encouraged studies that directly address critical questions in the field, including what program components drive change, which strategies work best for specific populations, and how communities can coordinate services so families can actually access and benefit from them.
Several requirements, rooted in authorizing legislation, shaped how projects had to be designed. Proposals were expected to use random assignment designs to the maximum extent feasible, signaling a strong preference for rigorous causal evaluation when possible. Evaluations of a specific program or project had to be conducted by individuals not directly involved in operating that program, reinforcing independence and reducing conflicts of interest. In addition, applicants were expected to consult with independent researchers, state officials, and home visiting model developers and providers, particularly on research design choices and administrative data matching, reflecting HRSA's focus on both methodological quality and practical feasibility (for example, linking program records with health, education, or child welfare data).
The scope of encouraged research topics was broad, but consistently focused on improving outcomes and strengthening delivery systems. Examples included testing effective ways to implement evidence-based home visiting models within communities; evaluating enhancements to existing models such as culturally appropriate adaptations, additions that address intimate partner violence, substance use, and parental health and well-being, or improvements aligned with the legislated benchmark domains. Those benchmark domains included improving maternal and newborn health; preventing injuries, abuse, neglect, or maltreatment and reducing emergency department use; improving school readiness and achievement; reducing crime or domestic violence; improving family economic self-sufficiency; and improving coordination and referrals to community resources and supports.
Beyond impact testing, the announcement highlighted a strong interest in understanding mechanisms and systems. That included studies on "what works for whom under what circumstances" by identifying active ingredients within program models or implementation supports. It also invited work on measurement and infrastructure, such as developing and testing community-level measures of service availability, accessibility, and coordination, and designing enhancements that strengthen coordination across sectors relevant to families served by home visiting (early childhood education, early intervention, prenatal and adult health care, mental health services, child health care, infant mental health, substance use treatment, and services for survivors of intimate partner violence). Other priorities included research on recruitment and retention strategies, including father engagement; improved screening approaches for key risk factors; and community partnership models that make programs more responsive to local needs.
The funding opportunity also explicitly called for economic and workforce-focused research. Applicants were encouraged to conduct cost-benefit analyses, particularly using data from models implemented at scale rather than relying only on small efficacy trials. Workforce development topics were also highlighted, such as reflective supervision practices, effective training and continuing education for home visitors, recruitment and retention of high-performing staff, and supports that address home visitor mental health. Additional areas of interest included evaluating jurisdiction-wide integration strategies (like centralized intake systems or universal screening and referral processes), strengthening linkages between home visiting and early intervention programs (including Part C/Child Find), and studying how home visiting can be effectively integrated with other early childhood programs like child care, education, and medical homes.
Quality measurement and continuous improvement were another thread. HRSA signaled interest in assessing how widely standardized performance measures across the benchmark areas were being adopted in the home visiting field, and how continuous quality improvement (CQI) tools and practices were being used at program site and state levels. The announcement also invited research on which state or local early childhood service infrastructure characteristics best support effective home visiting and better family outcomes, as well as studies tailored to contexts that are often underrepresented in research, including rural communities and American Indian and tribal settings.
Eligibility was limited by regulation (42 CFR Part 51a.3(b)) to public or nonprofit institutions of higher learning and to public or private nonprofit agencies engaged in research or in programs related to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special health care needs. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. Key dates for this archived opportunity included a posted date of January 17, 2012, and an application closing date of March 16, 2012 (with archive date May 15, 2012). The CFDA number associated with the program was 93.615. For access issues, HRSA directed applicants to the HRSA Call Center (877-464-4772) or CallCenter@HRSA.GOV, and the announcement referenced an additional information link hosted on the HRSA grants site.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Research Program (HRSA-12-159)?
The MIECHV Research Program (HRSA-12-159) was a discretionary grant opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) intended to fund applied, policy-relevant research on home visiting services for pregnant people, parents, infants, and young children.
What was the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The central purpose was to strengthen knowledge about both implementation and effectiveness of home visiting. HRSA emphasized research that could be used in real-world settings to improve home visiting programs and the outcomes they target, including findings that are practical, usable, and transferable to state and local agencies and service providers operating programs at scale.
How much funding was available and how many projects were expected to be funded?
In FY 2012, HRSA planned to support about two extramural, multi-year research projects with an estimated total funding amount of $600,000.
What kinds of research designs did HRSA expect applicants to use?
Proposals were expected to use random assignment designs to the maximum extent feasible, reflecting a strong preference for rigorous causal evaluation where possible.
Were there independence requirements for evaluations of specific home visiting programs or projects?
Yes. Evaluations of a specific program or project had to be conducted by individuals not directly involved in operating that program, supporting independence and helping reduce conflicts of interest.
Who were applicants expected to consult with during project development?
Applicants were expected to consult with independent researchers, state officials, and home visiting model developers and providers, particularly on research design decisions and administrative data matching.
What types of research topics were encouraged?
The opportunity encouraged a broad range of topics focused on improving outcomes and strengthening delivery systems, including research on effective implementation of evidence-based home visiting models, evaluation of enhancements to existing models, and studies that answer "what works for whom under what circumstances" by identifying active ingredients and implementation supports.
What are examples of enhancements to existing home visiting models that were of interest?
Examples included culturally appropriate adaptations and additions addressing intimate partner violence, substance use, and parental health and well-being, as well as improvements aligned with the legislated benchmark domains.
What benchmark domains were referenced in the opportunity?
The benchmark domains included: improving maternal and newborn health; preventing injuries, abuse, neglect, or maltreatment and reducing emergency department use; improving school readiness and achievement; reducing crime or domestic violence; improving family economic self-sufficiency; and improving coordination and referrals to community resources and supports.
Did HRSA encourage research on how services are coordinated across community systems?
Yes. HRSA highlighted interest in research and measurement related to service availability, accessibility, and coordination, including enhancements that strengthen coordination across sectors relevant to families served by home visiting.
Which cross-sector linkages were specifically mentioned?
The announcement referenced coordination across early childhood education, early intervention, prenatal and adult health care, mental health services, child health care, infant mental health, substance use treatment, and services for survivors of intimate partner violence.
Were recruitment and retention topics included?
Yes. The opportunity invited research on recruitment and retention strategies, including father engagement, along with improved screening approaches for key risk factors and community partnership models that make programs more responsive to local needs.
Did the opportunity include economic evaluation topics like cost-benefit analysis?
Yes. Applicants were encouraged to conduct cost-benefit analyses, with an emphasis on using data from models implemented at scale rather than relying only on small efficacy trials.
What workforce development topics were of interest?
Highlighted workforce topics included reflective supervision practices, effective training and continuing education for home visitors, recruitment and retention of high-performing staff, and supports that address home visitor mental health.
Were jurisdiction-wide integration strategies part of the research scope?
Yes. The opportunity mentioned evaluating jurisdiction-wide integration strategies such as centralized intake systems and universal screening and referral processes.
Did HRSA encourage research connecting home visiting with early intervention programs?
Yes. The announcement included strengthening linkages between home visiting and early intervention programs, including Part C/Child Find.
Was integration with other early childhood programs mentioned?
Yes. The opportunity referenced studying how home visiting can be effectively integrated with other early childhood programs such as child care, education, and medical homes.
Did the grant emphasize performance measurement and continuous quality improvement (CQI)?
Yes. HRSA signaled interest in assessing adoption of standardized performance measures across benchmark areas and how CQI tools and practices were used at program site and state levels.
Were state or local infrastructure characteristics part of the research interests?
Yes. The opportunity invited research on which state or local early childhood service infrastructure characteristics best support effective home visiting and better family outcomes.
Were rural communities and tribal settings specifically mentioned?
Yes. HRSA noted interest in studies tailored to contexts often underrepresented in research, including rural communities and American Indian and tribal settings.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited by regulation (42 CFR Part 51a.3(b)) to public or nonprofit institutions of higher learning, and to public or private nonprofit agencies engaged in research or in programs related to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special health care needs.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What were the key dates for this opportunity?
The posted date was January 17, 2012. The application closing date was March 16, 2012. The archive date was May 15, 2012.
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The CFDA number associated with the program was 93.615.
Where could applicants get help if they had access issues?
HRSA directed applicants to the HRSA Call Center at 877-464-4772 or CallCenter@HRSA.GOV for access issues. The announcement also referenced an additional information link hosted on the HRSA grants site.
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