Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 13 140
Apply for RFA MH 13 140
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Leveraging Existing Natural Experiments to Advance the Health of People with Severe Mental Illness (R24)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242 Mental Health Research Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 7, 2013 and posted on Jan 7, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 11, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education State governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) County governments Special district governments Independent school districts.
- 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) 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 grant opportunity "Leveraging Existing Natural Experiments to Advance the Health of People with Severe Mental Illness (R24)" is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement focused on reducing the large and persistent health gap experienced by people with severe mental illness (SMI). While individuals with SMI commonly die from the same major medical conditions seen in the general population, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and pulmonary disease, these illnesses occur more often and tend to lead to earlier death in the SMI population. A central point of the opportunity is that many of the drivers of these outcomes are modifiable health risk factors that show up earlier and more frequently among people with SMI, including smoking, obesity, hypertension, metabolic disorders, substance use, low physical activity, poor physical fitness, and unhealthy diet. The announcement also highlights that some psychiatric medications can contribute iatrogenic harm, particularly through weight gain and metabolic changes, which can further elevate cardiometabolic risk. At the same time, it notes that effective interventions already exist in the general population to reduce many of these risks, creating an opening to learn how policies, programs, and real-world system changes might be used to improve physical health outcomes for people with SMI.
The emphasis on "leveraging existing natural experiments" signals that the program is interested in research that takes advantage of real-world changes that are not controlled by researchers but can be studied as if they were quasi-experiments. In practice, these natural experiments often include policy shifts, healthcare delivery reforms, benefit design changes, community-level initiatives, or other system-wide modifications that create measurable differences in exposure to services or interventions across time, settings, or populations. The goal is to use these naturally occurring variations to produce stronger evidence about what improves health risks and outcomes for people with SMI under everyday conditions, rather than only in tightly controlled clinical trials. As an R24 mechanism, this type of award commonly supports research infrastructure, planning, coordination, and other activities that strengthen the field's ability to carry out rigorous studies, particularly when the work involves complex systems, multi-site data, partnerships with service settings, or advanced analytic approaches suited to natural experiment designs.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the NIH mental health research grants program (CFDA 93.242), with no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The funding opportunity number is RFA-MH-13-140, and it was posted on January 7, 2013, with an original and current closing date of March 11, 2013; it was archived on April 11, 2013. The estimated total funding available was $1,000,000, and the award ceiling listed was $200,000, suggesting multiple awards could be made depending on the number and size of selected projects. Eligible applicants include a broad range of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, state and local governments, public housing authorities, independent school districts, special district governments, and tribal governments and tribal organizations. The eligibility section also explicitly includes various minority-serving institutions and community-based or faith-based organizations, along with U.S. territories or possessions and eligible federal agencies. Foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components are not allowed under NIH policy as referenced in the announcement.
In short, this opportunity is aimed at building actionable evidence on how to reduce preventable medical illness and premature mortality among people with SMI by studying real-world changes and interventions that already occur in health and social systems. It frames the public health need clearly: the same chronic diseases seen in everyone else are simply hitting people with SMI earlier and harder, largely through risk factors that can be addressed, including those worsened by medication side effects. The program’s practical aim is to support projects that can use existing natural experiments to identify which strategies, policies, or system-level changes meaningfully improve physical health risks and outcomes for this high-need population.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this NIH grant opportunity?
The funding announcement is titled "Leveraging Existing Natural Experiments to Advance the Health of People with Severe Mental Illness (R24)."
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The goal is to reduce the large and persistent health gap experienced by people with severe mental illness (SMI) by building actionable evidence about what improves physical health risks and outcomes in real-world settings.
Why is this program focused on people with severe mental illness (SMI)?
The announcement highlights that people with SMI commonly die from the same major medical conditions as the general population (for example, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and pulmonary disease), but these conditions occur more often and are linked to earlier death among people with SMI.
Which health conditions are emphasized in the announcement?
The opportunity points to major medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and pulmonary disease as key contributors to premature mortality among people with SMI.
What modifiable health risk factors does the announcement identify for people with SMI?
The announcement lists modifiable risk factors that tend to appear earlier and more frequently among people with SMI, including smoking, obesity, hypertension, metabolic disorders, substance use, low physical activity, poor physical fitness, and unhealthy diet.
Does the announcement mention medication-related health risks?
Yes. It notes that some psychiatric medications can contribute iatrogenic harm, particularly through weight gain and metabolic changes, which can elevate cardiometabolic risk.
What does "leveraging existing natural experiments" mean in this context?
It means studying real-world changes that are not controlled by researchers but can be analyzed as quasi-experiments. These natural experiments create measurable differences in exposure to services or interventions across time, settings, or populations.
What are examples of natural experiments mentioned or implied by the announcement?
The announcement describes natural experiments as including policy shifts, healthcare delivery reforms, benefit design changes, community-level initiatives, or other system-wide modifications that can be studied for their effects on physical health risks and outcomes for people with SMI.
How is this approach different from a traditional clinical trial?
The focus is on generating stronger evidence under everyday conditions by using naturally occurring variation (for example, differences created by policies or system changes), rather than relying only on tightly controlled clinical trials.
What is the NIH activity code or mechanism for this opportunity?
This opportunity uses the R24 mechanism. The announcement indicates that this type of award commonly supports research infrastructure, planning, coordination, and other activities that strengthen the field's ability to conduct rigorous studies, especially in complex systems and multi-site contexts.
What kinds of activities are typically supported under an R24 mechanism (as described here)?
Based on the announcement description, the R24 is associated with supporting research infrastructure, planning, coordination, and related activities that enable rigorous natural experiment studies, particularly when work involves complex systems, multi-site data, partnerships with service settings, or advanced analytic approaches.
What program or agency is offering this opportunity?
It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement under the NIH mental health research grants program.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number provided is 93.242.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is RFA-MH-13-140.
Is this a discretionary grant?
Yes. The announcement describes it as a discretionary grant opportunity.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
How much total funding was estimated to be available?
The estimated total funding available was $1,000,000.
What is the award ceiling for a single project?
The award ceiling listed was $200,000.
Does the announcement suggest multiple awards may be made?
Yes. With an estimated total of $1,000,000 and an award ceiling of $200,000, the announcement suggests multiple awards could be made depending on the number and size of selected projects.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
It was posted on January 7, 2013.
What were the closing dates for applications?
The original and current closing date listed is March 11, 2013.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The announcement states it was archived on April 11, 2013.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include a broad range of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including 501(c)(3) organizations), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, state and local governments, public housing authorities, independent school districts, special district governments, and tribal governments and tribal organizations.
Are minority-serving institutions included as eligible applicants?
Yes. The eligibility section explicitly includes various minority-serving institutions.
Are community-based or faith-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section explicitly includes community-based or faith-based organizations.
Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?
Yes. The eligibility section includes U.S. territories or possessions.
Are federal agencies eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility section indicates eligible federal agencies are included.
Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. The announcement states that foreign institutions and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
Are foreign components allowed under this opportunity?
No. The announcement states that foreign components are not allowed under NIH policy as referenced in the announcement.
What types of outcomes is this program trying to improve?
The announcement emphasizes improving physical health risks and outcomes for people with SMI and addressing preventable medical illness and premature mortality linked to common chronic diseases and modifiable risk factors.
Why does the announcement emphasize policies, programs, and system changes?
It notes that effective interventions already exist in the general population to reduce many relevant risks, and it frames an opportunity to learn how real-world policies, programs, and system-level modifications might improve physical health outcomes for people with SMI.
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