Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 13 288
Apply for PA 13 288
- The National Institutes of Health in the education environment health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113 Environmental Health 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research 93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs 93.279 Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs 93.361 Nursing Research 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.394 Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research 93.396 Cancer Biology Research 93.399 Cancer Control 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research 93.866 Aging Research 93.867 Vision Research 93.879 Medical Library Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 5, 2013 and posted on Aug 5, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 7, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses County governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Independent school districts Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) Regional Organizations Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) U.S. Territory or Possession Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NIH funding opportunity titled "Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-13-288) supported exploratory, early-stage research aimed at understanding why health and disability disparities persist in the United States and what can be done to reduce them. The core idea behind this announcement was to move beyond simply documenting differences in health outcomes and instead generate practical, evidence-based insights about causes, mechanisms, and interventions that can close health gaps. NIH framed these disparities as major public health concerns, especially those affecting racial and ethnic minority populations, people with lower socioeconomic status, and rural residents when compared to the overall U.S. population.
The announcement emphasized behavioral and social science approaches, meaning it was designed for studies that examine how individual behavior, social relationships, community conditions, institutional practices, and broader societal forces shape unequal health outcomes. It also explicitly included disabilities disparities, signaling interest not only in disease outcomes but in unequal burdens of disability, functional limitations, access to supportive services, and quality of life. While biomedical factors can be part of a project, the focus here was on the behavioral and social drivers that create or maintain unequal risk, unequal access, and unequal outcomes.
NIH highlighted three broad areas where applicants were encouraged to develop research questions and interventions. First was public policy, which could include studying how laws, regulations, and public programs influence disparities, as well as evaluating policy changes for their intended and unintended effects on different groups. Second was health care, including access to care, quality of care, communication, provider behavior, health system organization, insurance coverage, and the ways health services are delivered across different communities. Third was disease and disability prevention, with a focus on preventing the onset or worsening of conditions and reducing risk factors in populations that experience disproportionate burden. Across all three areas, the priority was not just understanding differences but generating knowledge that can actually reduce gaps among groups.
The FOA strongly encouraged applications that brought together multiple disciplines and examined disparities at more than one level of influence. In practice, that could mean integrating perspectives from public health, sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology, education, communications, health services research, implementation science, and related fields. It also encouraged multi-level research designs that connect factors such as individual behaviors and stressors with family dynamics, neighborhood conditions, institutional policies, and larger structural forces. Another explicit preference was for a life course perspective, meaning studies that consider how early-life conditions, cumulative exposures, and transitions across childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and aging contribute to disparities later in life.
In terms of methods, NIH signaled openness to innovative and nontraditional approaches that can capture complex real-world systems. Examples named in the announcement included systems science approaches (which may involve modeling feedback loops, dynamic interactions, or network effects) and community-based participatory research, which emphasizes working in partnership with communities to shape research questions, methods, interpretation, and dissemination. The intent was to encourage studies that are better grounded in lived experience and real contexts, and that can generate findings communities and decision-makers can actually use.
This was an R21 mechanism, which generally supports exploratory or developmental work, such as piloting new measures, testing novel intervention components, exploring emerging hypotheses, or generating preliminary data that could lead to larger-scale projects later. The listed award ceiling for this opportunity was $200,000, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was categorized as a discretionary grant and aligned with a broad set of NIH program areas, reflected in the multiple CFDA numbers listed (spanning environmental health, oral health, communication disorders, mental health, substance use, nursing research, cancer research, child health and development, aging, vision research, and medical library assistance). That breadth signals that NIH viewed health disparities research as cross-cutting and relevant to many diseases and conditions rather than confined to a single institute or topic area.
Eligibility was notably broad. In addition to typical academic and nonprofit applicants, eligible organizations included state, county, city, township, and special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; small businesses and other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); independent school districts; public housing authorities; tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized) and tribally controlled colleges and universities; and nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (with the standard caveats for nonprofits outside higher education). The FOA also explicitly allowed faith-based and community-based organizations and a range of minority-serving institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISISs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and TCCUs. Importantly, foreign organizations and foreign institutions were eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were eligible, and foreign components were allowed consistent with NIH policy, which opened the door for projects with international expertise or comparative perspectives as long as the work aligned with the FOA goals.
Key dates show this was a time-limited announcement: it was posted and created on August 5, 2013, had an original and current closing date of September 7, 2016, and was archived on October 8, 2016. The sponsoring agency was the National Institutes of Health, and the full announcement was hosted through NIH’s grants guide under PA-13-288. For technical access issues, NIH directed applicants to contact the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster.
Overall, this opportunity was designed for teams that wanted to test bold, well-justified ideas about what drives health disparities and what could realistically reduce them, especially through policy levers, health care delivery improvements, and prevention strategies. The projects NIH tried to attract were ones that treat disparities as multi-causal and context-dependent, use strong behavioral and social science theory, and produce actionable knowledge that can narrow the distance between underserved groups and the broader population in measurable ways.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this NIH grant?
The opportunity is titled "Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (R21)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is PA-13-288.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
This announcement supported exploratory, early-stage behavioral and social science research aimed at understanding why health and disability disparities persist in the United States and identifying practical, evidence-based approaches to reduce those disparities. The emphasis was on moving beyond documenting gaps and instead producing actionable insights about causes, mechanisms, and interventions that can close health gaps.
What kinds of disparities were prioritized?
NIH framed health and disability disparities as major public health concerns, particularly disparities affecting racial and ethnic minority populations, people with lower socioeconomic status, and rural residents compared to the overall U.S. population. The FOA also explicitly included disability disparities, such as unequal burdens of disability, functional limitations, access to supportive services, and quality of life.
Is this opportunity focused on biomedical research or behavioral and social science research?
The FOA emphasized behavioral and social science approaches. Biomedical factors could be included as part of a project, but the central focus was on behavioral and social drivers that create or maintain unequal risk, unequal access, and unequal health and disability outcomes.
What types of research topics or domains did NIH encourage?
NIH highlighted three broad areas for developing research questions and interventions: (1) public policy (laws, regulations, public programs, and policy change impacts), (2) health care (access, quality, communication, provider behavior, system organization, insurance coverage, and service delivery), and (3) disease and disability prevention (preventing onset or worsening of conditions and reducing risk factors in disproportionately burdened populations). Across these areas, the goal was to generate knowledge that can reduce gaps among groups.
What does "public policy" research mean in the context of this FOA?
In this FOA, public policy research could include studying how laws, regulations, and public programs influence disparities, as well as evaluating policy changes for intended and unintended effects on different groups.
What does "health care" research include under this announcement?
Health care-related topics included access to care, quality of care, communication, provider behavior, health system organization, insurance coverage, and differences in how health services are delivered across communities.
What does "disease and disability prevention" mean here?
The prevention domain focused on preventing the onset or worsening of conditions and reducing risk factors in populations that experience a disproportionate burden, with the broader aim of reducing health and disability gaps between groups.
Did NIH encourage interdisciplinary teams and approaches?
Yes. The FOA strongly encouraged multi-disciplinary efforts and projects that examine disparities at more than one level of influence. It specifically noted the value of integrating perspectives from fields such as public health, sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology, education, communications, health services research, and implementation science, among others.
What does it mean to examine disparities at "more than one level of influence"?
Multi-level research designs were encouraged, including studies that connect individual behaviors and stressors with family dynamics, neighborhood conditions, institutional practices and policies, and broader structural or societal forces.
Was a life course perspective encouraged?
Yes. The FOA explicitly preferred a life course perspective, meaning research that considers how early-life conditions, cumulative exposures, and key transitions across childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and aging contribute to disparities later in life.
What kinds of methods were encouraged?
NIH signaled openness to innovative and nontraditional approaches suitable for complex real-world systems. Examples included systems science approaches (such as modeling feedback loops, dynamic interactions, or network effects) and community-based participatory research (CBPR), which emphasizes partnering with communities throughout the research process.
What is community-based participatory research (CBPR) in this context?
CBPR was described as research conducted in partnership with communities to shape research questions, methods, interpretation, and dissemination. The intent was to produce findings grounded in lived experience and real contexts, with results that communities and decision-makers can use.
What is the R21 mechanism and what types of projects fit it?
This was an R21 mechanism, which generally supports exploratory or developmental work. Examples include piloting new measures, testing novel intervention components, exploring emerging hypotheses, or generating preliminary data that could support larger-scale projects later.
What was the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling for this opportunity was $200,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What type of grant was this categorized as?
The opportunity was categorized as a discretionary grant.
Was this opportunity limited to a single disease area or NIH institute?
No. The FOA was presented as cross-cutting, reflected by multiple CFDA numbers spanning many NIH program areas (including, for example, environmental health, oral health, communication disorders, mental health, substance use, nursing research, cancer research, child health and development, aging, vision research, and medical library assistance). This breadth indicated that NIH viewed health disparities research as relevant across many diseases and conditions.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included: state, county, city, township, and special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; public housing authorities; tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized) and tribally controlled colleges and universities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (with standard nonprofit caveats outside higher education); small businesses; and other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses). The FOA also explicitly allowed faith-based and community-based organizations and a range of minority-serving institutions (including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISISs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and TCCUs).
Were for-profit organizations allowed to apply?
Yes. The eligible applicant types included small businesses and other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses).
Were tribal entities and tribally controlled institutions eligible?
Yes. Eligible organizations included tribal governments (federally recognized and other than federally recognized) and tribally controlled colleges and universities.
Were faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly allowed faith-based and community-based organizations.
Were minority-serving institutions specifically encouraged or included?
Yes. The FOA explicitly included a variety of minority-serving institutions, such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISISs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and TCCUs.
Could foreign organizations apply?
Yes. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions were eligible to apply. The FOA also allowed non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations and foreign components consistent with NIH policy, supporting projects with international expertise or comparative perspectives when aligned with the FOA goals.
What were the key dates for this announcement?
The announcement was posted and created on August 5, 2013. The original and current closing date was September 7, 2016. It was archived on October 8, 2016.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. Based on the provided dates, the FOA closed on September 7, 2016 and was archived on October 8, 2016.
Which agency sponsored this funding opportunity?
The sponsoring agency was the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Where was the full announcement hosted?
The full announcement was hosted through NIH's grants guide under PA-13-288.
Who should be contacted for technical access issues related to the announcement?
For technical access issues, NIH directed applicants to contact the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster.
What kinds of projects was NIH trying to attract through this FOA?
NIH aimed to support bold, well-justified exploratory projects that treat disparities as multi-causal and context-dependent, use strong behavioral and social science theory, and produce actionable knowledge. Priority was placed on research likely to narrow measurable gaps between underserved groups and the broader population through policy levers, health care delivery improvements, and prevention strategies.
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