Collaborative Hubs to Reduce the Burden of Suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth (U19) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the "Collaborative Hubs to Reduce the Burden of Suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth (U19)" opportunity?

It is a government grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11). The purpose is to support the creation of coordinated research centers ("Collaborative Hubs") focused on preventing youth suicide and strengthening resilience in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The main goal is to reduce the burden of suicide among AI/AN youth by developing, refining, and testing prevention-focused interventions that are both evidence-informed and culturally grounded, with an emphasis on approaches that can be sustained over time in real community settings.

What does "U19" mean in this announcement?

U19 refers to a cooperative agreement mechanism. This generally indicates a more collaborative relationship with the funding agency than a standard grant, including active involvement and coordination requirements that are typical for cooperative agreements.

How is a cooperative agreement (U19) different from a standard grant in this context?

Based on the description provided, applicants should expect active involvement and coordination requirements and a more collaborative relationship with NIH. The opportunity emphasizes building multi-partner hubs and coordinating efforts to expand the research base and increase the reach of effective prevention approaches.

How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?

The announcement anticipated a total of three awards.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is $600,000.

What is the structure of the program being funded?

A central feature is the establishment of three Collaborative Hubs. These hubs are intended to function as organized research partnerships capable of conducting rigorous, prevention-focused work across tribal or urban Indian settings.

What types of activities are the Collaborative Hubs expected to do?

The hubs are expected to conduct prevention-focused research that develops, refines, and tests culturally relevant interventions aimed at increasing resilience and reducing suicide burden among AI/AN youth, with a strong emphasis on sustained impact over time.

Is this opportunity focused on research, implementation, or both?

The emphasis is on prevention-focused research that is intended to lead to sustained real-world impact. The description highlights not simply studying the problem, but developing, refining, and testing preventive interventions that can be sustained and that fit the cultural and community realities of AI/AN youth and families.

What does the opportunity say about cultural relevance?

Cultural grounding is a core expectation. Prevention strategies are expected to be both evidence-informed and culturally grounded, and the hubs are expected to pursue culturally relevant preventive interventions that make sense within the cultural and community realities of AI/AN youth and families.

Why are community and tribal partnerships emphasized so strongly?

The opportunity states that meaningful, lasting reductions in suicide risk require prevention strategies built in close partnership with the tribal or urban Indian communities they intend to serve. Tribal and community partnerships are described as a core requirement rather than an optional add-on.

Does the program assume one intervention model will work for every AI/AN community?

No. The announcement recognizes that AI/AN communities are diverse and that there is no single intervention model that will fit every setting. It highlights that communities bring different strengths, challenges, cultural practices, and local approaches.

Which settings are included (tribal, urban, or both)?

The opportunity includes both tribal and urban Indian settings. The Collaborative Hubs are described as operating across tribal or urban Indian settings and partnering with tribal or urban Indian communities.

What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?

The opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The information provided lists CFDA number 93.242.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes: federal and non-federal governmental entities (state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts); public and private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public or Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions where specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and additional eligible entities as clarified in the FOA text.

Why is eligibility so broad for this opportunity?

The description explains that effective suicide prevention research in AI/AN communities may be led by universities, tribal health organizations, tribal governments, urban Indian organizations, or other community-rooted entities that can build trusted partnerships and carry out complex intervention research.

Is the opportunity still open?

No. The original and current application closing date listed for the published announcement was July 7, 2016, indicating that the specific competition referenced has closed.

When was the announcement posted?

The announcement was created and posted on March 22, 2016.

Even if it is closed, what can applicants learn from this FOA description?

The description is still useful for understanding the type of work NIH sought to support through this U19 hub model, including the expectations around coordinated research centers, cooperative agreement collaboration, culturally grounded prevention, and strong tribal or urban Indian community partnerships.

What is the overarching intent of NIH in this hub model?

The intent is to build a small number of well-resourced, collaborative research hubs dedicated to reducing AI/AN youth suicide through culturally relevant, preventive, resilience-promoting strategies, strengthening the evidence base for what works in real communities, and prioritizing sustainable impact.