Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 12 291
Apply for PA 12 291
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 28, 2012 and posted on Sep 28, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 7, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Special district governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Independent school districts State governments County governments Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Nonprofits that do not have 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 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.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), released the grant opportunity "Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-12-291) to fund research that looks beyond the immediate and childhood effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and focuses on what happens decades later. The core idea behind the announcement is the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) framework, which holds that conditions in the womb can shape how organs and biological systems develop, and that these early-life adaptations can raise the risk of chronic disease later on. In this context, the FOA is centered on the possibility that maternal alcohol use during pregnancy may create lasting biological changes in offspring that increase vulnerability to adult health problems.
The scientific purpose of the FOA is to stimulate new, rigorous studies that clarify whether and how prenatal alcohol exposure contributes to the origins of chronic diseases and long-term health conditions. It encourages research that can connect prenatal exposure histories with later outcomes such as cardiometabolic disease, immune or inflammatory disorders, neurological or behavioral conditions, and other chronic health issues that may not be fully apparent until adulthood. The announcement emphasizes that this is not limited to describing associations; it also seeks mechanistic insight into the pathways that might link fetal alcohol exposure to later disease susceptibility.
The FOA highlights three main research directions. First, it encourages investigators to take advantage of existing prospective birth cohorts to define the role of maternal alcohol consumption in DOHaD-related disease risk. This reflects an interest in well-characterized populations where prenatal exposures were captured earlier in life (ideally during pregnancy or near birth), and where participants can be followed into adolescence and adulthood for medical, behavioral, and biological outcomes. Second, it calls for studies that dig into biological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms, meaning projects that move from observation to explanation and test how prenatal alcohol exposure might program long-term changes in organs, endocrine systems, metabolism, brain development, epigenetic regulation, stress response, or other physiological systems that influence adult disease. Third, it seeks the identification and validation of biomarkers of gestational alcohol exposure that could help predict later disease risk in exposed offspring, including markers that may be detectable in biological samples and that could eventually support earlier identification of at-risk individuals.
Mechanistically oriented projects under this FOA would be expected to address plausible pathways that fit the DOHaD concept, such as altered fetal growth patterns, persistent changes in gene regulation, impacts on placental function, long-term shifts in metabolic set points, or dysregulation of stress and immune pathways. Biomarker-focused work is positioned as a bridge between exposure and outcome: the FOA is looking for measurable indicators tied to prenatal alcohol exposure that are also meaningfully linked to later health trajectories, with the longer-term goal of improving risk stratification and informing prevention or early intervention approaches.
In terms of the funding mechanism, this is an R01 research project grant, which typically supports discrete, hypothesis-driven or well-justified research programs with clearly defined aims. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and falls under the NIH health research activity area, listed under CFDA 93.273 (Alcohol Research Programs). It does not require cost sharing or matching, which reduces barriers for applicants who may not have non-federal funds to contribute.
Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across the public, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and various levels of government (state, county, city/township), along with special district governments and independent school districts. The FOA also explicitly includes a wide range of mission-focused institutions and communities, 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 tribal organizations. Faith-based and community-based organizations are also listed among eligible applicants. Importantly, non-U.S. entities are eligible: foreign organizations and foreign institutions can apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are allowed; foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are permitted, signaling an openness to international cohorts, collaborations, and global health perspectives where scientifically justified.
The opportunity was posted and created on September 28, 2012, with an original and current closing date of May 7, 2016, and an archive date of June 7, 2016, meaning it is no longer active as a current application route but remains an important reference point for the kinds of projects NIAAA sought to stimulate. The full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants website, and NIH provided standard technical contact support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
Overall, the FOA is designed to push the field toward a life-course understanding of prenatal alcohol exposure, treating it not only as a cause of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and early neurodevelopmental effects, but also as a potential upstream factor in adult chronic disease risk. By encouraging cohort-based analyses, mechanistic studies, and biomarker discovery, NIAAA aimed to build a stronger evidence base for how alcohol exposure during gestation may leave a long biological footprint that influences health well into adulthood.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease (R01)", Funding Opportunity Number PA-12-291.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The grant was released by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to stimulate rigorous research on whether and how prenatal (in utero) alcohol exposure contributes to adult health conditions and chronic disease, potentially decades after the exposure occurred.
What core scientific framework does the FOA emphasize?
The FOA is grounded in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework, which proposes that conditions in the womb can shape organ and system development, and that early-life adaptations may increase the risk of later-life chronic disease.
What types of outcomes or diseases are of interest under this FOA?
The FOA encourages connecting prenatal exposure histories to later outcomes such as cardiometabolic disease, immune or inflammatory disorders, neurological or behavioral conditions, and other chronic health issues that may not be fully apparent until adulthood.
Is the FOA focused only on associations, or does it also seek mechanisms?
It explicitly goes beyond describing associations and encourages studies that provide mechanistic insight into pathways linking prenatal alcohol exposure to later disease susceptibility.
What are the main research directions highlighted in the announcement?
The FOA highlights three directions: (1) leveraging existing prospective birth cohorts to examine long-term disease risk; (2) conducting biological, cellular, and molecular mechanistic studies; and (3) identifying and validating biomarkers of gestational alcohol exposure that may help predict later disease risk.
How does the FOA suggest using prospective birth cohorts?
It encourages using well-characterized cohorts where prenatal exposures were captured earlier (ideally during pregnancy or near birth) and participants can be followed into adolescence and adulthood for medical, behavioral, and biological outcomes.
What kinds of mechanistic topics does the FOA mention?
Mechanistic projects are expected to examine plausible DOHaD-related pathways such as altered fetal growth, persistent changes in gene regulation, placental function impacts, long-term metabolic set-point shifts, and dysregulation of stress and immune pathways. The FOA also mentions systems like organs, endocrine systems, metabolism, brain development, epigenetic regulation, and stress response.
What is the role of biomarker research in this FOA?
Biomarker work is presented as a bridge between exposure and outcome, aiming to find measurable indicators tied to prenatal alcohol exposure that are also meaningfully linked to later health trajectories, with a longer-term goal of improving risk stratification and informing prevention or early intervention approaches.
What funding mechanism is used?
This opportunity uses the R01 research project grant mechanism, which typically supports discrete, well-justified research programs with clearly defined aims.
What kind of funding category is this listed under?
It is categorized as discretionary funding under the NIH health research activity area.
What CFDA program is associated with this opportunity?
The FOA is listed under CFDA 93.273 (Alcohol Research Programs).
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and multiple levels of government (including state, county, city/township), as well as special district governments and independent school districts.
Are minority-serving institutions and tribal organizations included in eligibility?
Yes. The FOA explicitly lists a range of mission-focused institutions and communities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and tribal organizations.
Can faith-based or community-based organizations apply?
Yes. The FOA lists faith-based and community-based organizations among eligible applicants.
Are non-U.S. (foreign) organizations eligible?
Yes. Foreign organizations and foreign institutions can apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are allowed. The FOA also indicates that foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are permitted.
Is this funding opportunity still active?
No. It is no longer active. The FOA was posted/created on September 28, 2012, had an original and current closing date of May 7, 2016, and an archive date of June 7, 2016.
Where was the full announcement hosted?
The full announcement was hosted on the NIH grants website.
Who provided technical contact support for access or linking issues?
NIH provided standard technical contact support through the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.
What overall shift in perspective does this FOA aim to promote in the field?
It aims to push toward a life-course understanding of prenatal alcohol exposure, treating it not only as a cause of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and early neurodevelopmental effects, but also as a potential upstream contributor to adult chronic disease risk.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Health
Next opportunity: Strengthening Governing Institutions, Systems, and Processes Project (SGISP) in Bosnia Herzegovina (BiH)
Previous opportunity: Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease (R21)
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for PA 12 291
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (PA 12 291) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| HIV Care Grant Program Part B Apply for HRSA 13 158 Funding Number: HRSA 13 158 Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| NHLBI Clinical Trial Pilot Studies (R34) Apply for PAR 13 002 Funding Number: PAR 13 002 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $225,000 |
| Functional Assays to Screen Genomic Hits (R21/R33) Apply for RFA HL 13 027 Funding Number: RFA HL 13 027 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Paul B. Beeson Clinical Scientist Development Award in Aging (K08) Apply for RFA AG 13 011 Funding Number: RFA AG 13 011 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Paul B. Beeson Patient Oriented Research Career Development Award in Aging (K23) Apply for RFA AG 13 012 Funding Number: RFA AG 13 012 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Epigenetic Inheritance and Transgenerational Effects of Alcohol (R01) Apply for PA 13 003 Funding Number: PA 13 003 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Epigenetic Inheritance and Transgenerational Effects of Alcohol (R21) Apply for PA 13 004 Funding Number: PA 13 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Limited Competition Continuation of the National Institute on Aging Multicenter Clinical Trial The LIFE Study (U01) Apply for PAR 13 001 Funding Number: PAR 13 001 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT OF HIV PREVENTION, CARE TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES THAT IMPACT HIV INFECTED PATIENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDENTS EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF Apply for CDC RFA PS09 9040401SUPP13 Funding Number: CDC RFA PS09 9040401SUPP13 Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category: Health Funding Amount: $635,768 |
| Presidents Malaria Initiative Apply for USAID GUINEA RFA 675 13 000001 Funding Number: USAID GUINEA RFA 675 13 000001 Agency: Senegal USAID Dakar Category: Health Funding Amount: $18,428,129 |
| Interdisciplinary Approach to Identification and Validation of Novel Therapeutic Targets for Alzheimers Disease (R01) Apply for RFA AG 13 013 Funding Number: RFA AG 13 013 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Alzheimers Disease Prevention Trials (R01) Apply for RFA AG 13 015 Funding Number: RFA AG 13 015 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $4,500,000 |
| Alzheimers Disease Phase I Clinical Trials (R01) Apply for RFA AG 13 016 Funding Number: RFA AG 13 016 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| Shared Instrumentation Grant Program (S10) Apply for PAR 13 008 Funding Number: PAR 13 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Dynamics of Host Associated Microbial Communities (R01) Apply for RFA GM 14 001 Funding Number: RFA GM 14 001 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Secondary Dataset Analyses in Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Sleep Disorders (R21) Apply for PAR 13 009 Funding Number: PAR 13 009 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Mentored Research Scientist Development Award in Metabolomics (K01) Apply for RFA RM 12 025 Funding Number: RFA RM 12 025 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Health System Strengthening Project Apply for APS 391 13 000001 Funding Number: APS 391 13 000001 Agency: Pakistan USAID Islamabad Category: Health Funding Amount: $21,900,000 |
| Limited Competition Brain Tissue Resource Center for Alcohol Research (R28) Apply for PAR 13 011 Funding Number: PAR 13 011 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Initiative to Maximize Research Education in Genomics Courses (R25) Apply for PAR 13 012 Funding Number: PAR 13 012 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "PA 12 291", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.