Promoting Caregiver Health Using Self-Management (R01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Promoting Caregiver Health Using Self-Management (R01) funding opportunity?

Promoting Caregiver Health Using Self-Management (R01) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding opportunity designed to stimulate new research focused on improving the health and well-being of caregivers through self-management approaches. The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is RFA-NR-16-003, and it is administered under HHS-NIH11.

What problem is this opportunity trying to address?

The opportunity is based on the idea that caregiving is an urgent public health and healthcare delivery issue. As people live longer and manage chronic illnesses over extended periods, caregivers often take on sustained day-to-day responsibilities. This initiative treats caregiver health as a primary research concern, not a secondary issue.

Who is the main population of interest for this program?

This initiative specifically emphasizes informal caregivers (also called lay caregivers). Informal caregivers are unpaid individuals such as spouses, partners, relatives, friends, or neighbors who support someone with daily living activities and/or more complex medical or health-related tasks.

How does the opportunity define an informal caregiver?

In this context, an informal caregiver is an unpaid person who helps someone with activities of daily living (for example, bathing, eating, mobility, and basic household tasks) and/or with more complex medical or health-related responsibilities.

How are informal caregivers different from formal caregivers in this announcement?

Informal caregivers are unpaid and often lack the training, resources, or institutional support available to professionals. Formal caregivers are paid providers delivering care in the home or in structured settings such as adult day care programs or residential care facilities. This R01 opportunity is specifically centered on informal caregivers.

What type of funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?

The mechanism is the NIH R01 research project grant, typically used for hypothesis-driven, investigator-initiated research. It can support intervention development or testing at a meaningful scale.

What research focus does the program encourage?

The program encourages research that advances the science of caregiver self-management. This can include designing, adapting, implementing, and evaluating interventions that help informal caregivers take active, structured steps to manage their own physical and mental health while continuing in caregiving roles.

What is meant by "self-management" in the context of caregiver health?

Self-management refers to strategies and skills that help caregivers manage their own health needs while caregiving. The announcement describes examples such as stress management, symptom monitoring, health behaviors, coping skills, resource navigation, and sustaining day-to-day functioning under prolonged demands.

What kinds of outcomes or benefits is the research intended to support?

The research is intended to generate evidence on strategies that help caregivers maintain or improve their health and well-being. It may address reducing caregiver strain and burnout, preventing declines in caregiver health, and promoting resilience and long-term well-being.

Does the opportunity prioritize interventions that are practical for daily life?

Yes. The description notes that caregiving often involves complex schedules, emotional load, and competing responsibilities, so self-management approaches in this space commonly emphasize skills and tools that caregivers can realistically use day to day, rather than approaches requiring intensive clinical infrastructure.

Is this opportunity limited to a particular research setting?

No specific setting limitation is stated in the provided information. The broad eligibility and emphasis on interventions that can fit into daily life suggest proposals could involve a variety of settings, as long as the work aligns with improving informal caregiver health through self-management.

What activity areas does this grant fall under?

The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant within broad activity areas of education and health.

What CFDA number(s) are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 93.361 (listed in the source data as 93.361).

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions where specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the full eligibility guidance.

Are both nonprofit and for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. Nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, with noted exclusions where specified) and for-profit organizations other than small businesses are listed as eligible. Small businesses are also listed as eligible.

Are government entities eligible to apply?

Yes. The eligible applicant types include multiple levels of government, including state, county, city or township, and special district governments.

Are tribal entities eligible to apply?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations are included in the eligibility list.

Are educational institutions eligible to apply?

Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and independent school districts are listed as eligible.

When was this funding opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on October 20, 2015.

What was the application closing date?

The original and current closing date listed is March 3, 2016.

What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The announcement listed an award ceiling of $350,000.

How many awards were expected to be made?

The announcement anticipated approximately four awards.

What does the combination of a $350,000 ceiling and about four awards suggest?

Based on the provided description, these parameters suggest a targeted, competitive research initiative supporting a limited number of projects with enough resources to conduct rigorous studies, such as intervention development and/or controlled evaluation, data collection, and analysis focused on caregiver health outcomes.

Is this opportunity specifically about caregiver health, or also about patient outcomes?

The provided information frames the scientific purpose around improving the health and well-being of informal caregivers through self-management approaches. While caregiving occurs in the context of supporting someone with chronic illness, the emphasis described here is caregiver health as the core area of study.

What is the overarching goal of funding caregiver self-management research?

The goal is to build a stronger evidence base for interventions that empower informal caregivers to manage stressors, maintain healthier routines, and sustain their caregiving roles without sacrificing their own physical and psychological well-being.