Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 14 321
Apply for PAR 14 321
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing Interventions for Health Enhancing Physical Activity (R21/R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs 93.313 NIH Office of Research on Womens Health 93.399 Cancer Control 93.866 Aging Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 13, 2014 and posted on Aug 13, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 7, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: County governments Small businesses Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Private institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Independent school districts Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education State governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Special district governments For profit organizations other than small businesses City or township governments.
- 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 not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The funding opportunity titled "Developing Interventions for Health Enhancing Physical Activity (R21/R33)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 14-321) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program designed to push forward highly innovative research that can measurably increase health-enhancing physical activity. The core emphasis is on building and refining multi-level interventions, meaning approaches that work across more than one layer of influence on behavior, such as individual factors (motivation, skills, health status), interpersonal supports (family, peers), organizational settings (schools, workplaces, healthcare systems), community environments (built environment, transportation), and policy or systems-level conditions. The FOA is aimed at people or groups who stand to benefit meaningfully from increased physical activity, while also insisting that the resulting interventions be realistically scalable and sustainable so they can be implemented broadly across the United States rather than staying limited to small, highly controlled research settings.
The mechanism used is the Phased Innovation award (R21/R33), which is structured to support early-stage development and then, if progress is strong, a transition into larger-scale testing and expansion. The first phase, the R21, can provide up to two years of support focused on planning activities and feasibility work. In practical terms, this is the stage where applicants are expected to do the foundational development needed to make an intervention workable: refining the intervention concept, tailoring it for specific populations or settings, building partnerships with delivery sites, developing implementation protocols, establishing recruitment and retention strategies, testing acceptability, and generating preliminary signals that the approach can be delivered as intended. The second phase, the R33, offers expanded support for research that builds directly on the R21 results, typically to conduct more robust testing, refinement, and preparation for broader adoption. Importantly, moving from R21 to R33 is not automatic; it depends on the applicant meeting pre-specified milestones that they propose in advance, along with NIH program priorities and the availability of funds at the time of transition.
A defining feature of this FOA is that it is not simply looking for another physical activity program; it is looking for intervention ideas that are both creative and practical, with a clear path to real-world use. Scalability and sustainability are not treated as afterthoughts but as central requirements, meaning applicants need to consider costs, staffing demands, training burden, compatibility with existing systems, and the likelihood that organizations and communities could maintain the intervention once research support ends. The focus on multi-level interventions also signals an interest in approaches that can shift the conditions around physical activity, not just educate individuals. That could include interventions delivered through healthcare systems, schools, community organizations, housing authorities, or other settings that shape daily routines and opportunities for movement, as long as the work is grounded in the goal of increasing health-enhancing physical activity and can be disseminated widely.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide variety of public, private, and nonprofit entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city, township, special district governments, and Native American tribal governments (both federally recognized and other tribal organizations). Academic institutions are eligible, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, as well as minority-serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status may apply (with the exception rules noted in the announcement), and certain for-profit organizations are eligible, including small businesses. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are also included, as are faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. The FOA clearly restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed under this announcement.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under NIH and spans multiple health-related program areas as reflected by its CFDA numbers: 93.213 (Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health), 93.273 (Alcohol Research Programs), 93.313 (NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health), 93.399 (Cancer Control), and 93.866 (Aging Research). This mix suggests NIH’s interest in physical activity as a cross-cutting health behavior relevant to chronic disease prevention and management, healthy aging, women’s health, cancer control, and related research domains. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching funds. It was posted and created on August 13, 2014, with an original and current closing date of September 7, 2017, and an archive date of October 8, 2017, indicating that the specific FOA is no longer active but remains useful as a reference point for similar NIH opportunities.
For those seeking the full official details, the FOA points to the NIH grants guide page at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-321.html (as formatted in NIH listings). Contact information included in the source focuses on technical access issues through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster (FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV), which is relevant if applicants have trouble retrieving the announcement or navigating the posting.
FAQs: Developing Interventions for Health Enhancing Physical Activity (R21/R33) - PAR 14-321
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Developing Interventions for Health Enhancing Physical Activity (R21/R33)" and the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) is PAR 14-321.
Which agency is offering this funding opportunity?
This is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant program.
What is the main purpose of this FOA?
The FOA is designed to support highly innovative research that can measurably increase health-enhancing physical activity, with a strong emphasis on interventions that can realistically be scaled and sustained for broad implementation across the United States.
What does NIH mean by "health-enhancing physical activity" in the context of this opportunity?
Based on the FOA description, the target is physical activity that improves health outcomes, with interventions intended to increase meaningful physical activity levels in ways that can be measured and delivered in real-world settings.
What kinds of interventions is the FOA looking for?
The FOA prioritizes creative but practical intervention ideas that have a clear pathway to real-world use, rather than programs that only work in small, highly controlled research environments.
What is a "multi-level intervention" as described in this announcement?
A multi-level intervention works across more than one layer of influence on behavior. The FOA highlights levels such as:
- Individual factors (for example: motivation, skills, health status)
- Interpersonal supports (for example: family and peers)
- Organizational settings (for example: schools, workplaces, healthcare systems)
- Community environments (for example: built environment and transportation)
- Policy or systems-level conditions
Is this FOA focused only on educating individuals to be more active?
No. The FOA signals interest in interventions that can shift the conditions around physical activity, not only provide education to individuals.
Who is intended to benefit from interventions developed under this FOA?
The FOA is aimed at people or groups who stand to benefit meaningfully from increased physical activity.
What grant mechanism does this opportunity use?
The FOA uses the Phased Innovation award mechanism, R21/R33.
How does the R21/R33 phased structure work?
The mechanism supports early-stage development in the R21 phase and, if progress is strong, a potential transition to the R33 phase for expanded testing and refinement based on R21 results.
How long can the R21 phase last, and what is it intended to support?
The R21 phase can provide up to two years of support and is focused on planning and feasibility work to develop an intervention to the point where it is workable and ready for more robust testing.
What types of activities are expected during the R21 phase?
The FOA describes R21 activities such as refining the intervention concept, tailoring it for specific populations or settings, building partnerships with delivery sites, developing implementation protocols, establishing recruitment and retention strategies, testing acceptability, and generating preliminary signals that the approach can be delivered as intended.
What is the purpose of the R33 phase?
The R33 phase provides expanded support to build directly on R21 results, typically for more robust testing, refinement, and preparation for broader adoption.
Is transition from R21 to R33 automatic?
No. Transition is not automatic. It depends on meeting pre-specified milestones proposed in advance, as well as NIH program priorities and availability of funds at the time of transition.
What are "milestones" in the context of this R21/R33 FOA?
Milestones are the pre-specified progress targets the applicant proposes in advance that NIH will use (along with program priorities and funding availability) to determine whether the project may transition from the R21 phase to the R33 phase.
What does the FOA require regarding scalability and sustainability?
Scalability and sustainability are central requirements. Applicants are expected to consider practical factors like costs, staffing demands, training burden, compatibility with existing systems, and whether organizations and communities could maintain the intervention after research support ends.
What kinds of delivery settings are encouraged for interventions?
The FOA indicates interventions may be delivered through settings that shape daily routines and opportunities for movement, such as healthcare systems, schools, community organizations, housing authorities, or other relevant settings.
Does the FOA require cost sharing or matching funds?
No. The FOA states that it does not require cost sharing or matching funds.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many public, private, and nonprofit entities, as well as certain for-profit organizations (including small businesses) and eligible federal agencies.
Are state and local governments eligible applicants?
Yes. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city, township, special district governments, and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized and other tribal organizations).
Are colleges and universities eligible?
Yes. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.
Are minority-serving institutions eligible to apply?
Yes. The FOA includes eligibility for minority-serving institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).
Can nonprofit organizations apply?
Yes. Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status may apply (subject to the exception rules noted in the announcement).
Can for-profit organizations apply?
Yes. The FOA states that certain for-profit organizations are eligible, including small businesses.
Are public housing authorities eligible?
Yes. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are listed as eligible applicants.
Are faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA includes faith-based and community-based organizations as eligible applicants.
Are foreign organizations or non-U.S. institutions eligible to apply?
No. The FOA restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
Can a U.S. organization include non-U.S. components in the application?
No. The FOA states that non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
Are "foreign components" allowed under this announcement?
No. Foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed under this FOA.
Which CFDA program areas are associated with this FOA?
The opportunity spans multiple program areas reflected by CFDA numbers: 93.213, 93.273, 93.313, 93.399, and 93.866.
What do the listed CFDA numbers suggest about the focus of this FOA?
The mix suggests NIH views physical activity as a cross-cutting health behavior relevant to areas such as complementary and integrative health, alcohol research programs, women’s health, cancer control, and aging research.
Is this FOA still open?
No. The FOA shows an original and current closing date of September 7, 2017 and an archive date of October 8, 2017, indicating this specific opportunity is no longer active (though it can still serve as a reference for similar NIH opportunities).
When was this funding opportunity posted?
The FOA was posted (and created) on August 13, 2014.
Where can applicants find the full official announcement?
The FOA points to the NIH grants guide page: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-321.html
Who should be contacted for technical issues accessing the announcement?
For technical access issues, the contact listed is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
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