Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 10 054
Apply for PA 10 054
- The National Institutes of Health in the education health income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies, Obesogenic Behaviors and Weight Outcomes (R03)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.135 Centers for Research and Demonstration for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research 93.399 Cancer Control 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 10, 2009 and posted on Dec 10, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 7, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts Private institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) City or township governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Small businesses County governments Special district governments Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments.
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) U.S. Territory or Possession.
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Opportunity Summary:
School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies, Obesogenic Behaviors and Weight Outcomes (R03) (Funding Opportunity Number PA-10-054) is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity designed to support small, focused research projects that look at how school-related nutrition and physical activity policies shape students behavior and weight-related outcomes. The announcement was issued by a group of major federal health agencies, led by the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with participation from the CDCs National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. At its core, the opportunity is aimed at building practical, multidisciplinary evidence about what policy is doing in real school settings, how it is being put into practice, and how those policy changes connect to obesogenic behaviors like diet and physical activity patterns.
The FOA highlights three main research goals. First, it seeks studies that evaluate how policies at different levels (federal, state, and school district) influence the school environment for nutrition and physical activity, and how those environment changes relate to youth behaviors and weight outcomes. In other words, applicants are encouraged to connect the dots from policy language to on-the-ground conditions in schools (such as food offerings, opportunities for physical activity, and related supports) and then to measurable student outcomes. Second, it prioritizes research on implementation: how schools and districts are actually adopting and carrying out these policies, and what factors at multiple levels help or hinder that process. This includes examining influences that may come from federal or state requirements, district-level decisions, school leadership, staffing and resources, and other structural or contextual factors that affect whether policy is implemented as intended. Third, it encourages work that considers how school nutrition and physical activity policies interact with the home and community environment, including whether school policies reinforce healthy behaviors outside of school, conflict with what children experience at home or in their neighborhoods, or produce mixed effects when combined with community conditions. The emphasis on synergy or counteractive effects reflects a recognition that school policies do not operate in isolation, and that family and community contexts can amplify or undermine policy impact on body weight and related outcomes.
The funding mechanism is the NIH R03 Research Project Grant, which is specifically meant for short-duration, limited-budget projects that can answer targeted questions or generate early evidence to support larger future studies. The FOA explicitly notes that R03s can support pilot and feasibility studies, secondary analyses of existing datasets, small self-contained research projects, and projects focused on developing or refining research methods or technologies. That mix signals that applicants do not necessarily need to launch large new field trials; a strong application could, for example, test the feasibility of measuring policy implementation fidelity across districts, validate new tools for assessing school food and activity environments, or use existing surveillance or administrative data to examine associations between policy adoption and student outcomes.
This FOA was released on December 10, 2009, and it remained open through January 7, 2013, with an archive date of February 7, 2013. Awards were described as contingent on available funds and the receipt of enough high-quality applications, which is standard language indicating there is no guaranteed number of awards and that funding depends on both budget conditions and scientific merit. The announcement also notes it runs in parallel with two related opportunities of similar scientific scope, PA-10-052 and PA-10-053, which solicit applications under the R01 and R21 mechanisms. Practically speaking, the R03 track is best suited to smaller, quicker studies, while the parallel R01 and R21 announcements were intended for applicants whose proposed work requires larger scale, longer timelines, or more developmental exploration.
Eligibility for PA-10-054 is broad and includes many types of applicants across the public, private, nonprofit, and governmental sectors. Eligible entities include independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities, with the noted exceptions); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and multiple levels of government such as state, county, city or township, special district governments, and certain tribal governments and tribal organizations. The FOA also lists additional eligible applicants such as eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching.
In terms of subject area classification, the opportunity sits at the intersection of education and health policy, prevention research, and child health, which is reflected in the CFDA numbers linked to health promotion and disease prevention, cancer-related research and control, and child health and human development. Overall, the grant is aimed at producing actionable evidence on whether and how school nutrition and physical activity policies translate into meaningful environmental changes, healthier day-to-day behaviors among youth, and improved weight-related outcomes, while also explaining the real-world implementation dynamics that determine whether policy intentions are actually realized in schools.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the PA-10-054 funding opportunity?
PA-10-054, titled "School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies, Obesogenic Behaviors and Weight Outcomes (R03)," is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity that supports small, focused research projects examining how school-related nutrition and physical activity policies influence student behaviors and weight-related outcomes.
What grant mechanism is used for this opportunity?
This opportunity uses the NIH R03 Research Project Grant mechanism, which is intended for short-duration, limited-budget projects that address targeted research questions or generate early evidence that can support larger future studies.
What kinds of projects are a good fit for an R03 under this FOA?
Based on the FOA description, R03s under this announcement can support pilot and feasibility studies, secondary analyses of existing datasets, small self-contained research projects, and projects focused on developing or refining research methods or technologies related to school nutrition and physical activity policies and outcomes.
What is the overall purpose of this FOA?
The FOA aims to build practical, multidisciplinary evidence about what school nutrition and physical activity policy is doing in real school settings, how policies are implemented, and how policy-related changes connect to obesogenic behaviors such as diet and physical activity patterns, as well as weight-related outcomes.
Which agencies are involved in this announcement?
The announcement was issued by a group of major federal health agencies led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with participation from the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
What are the main research goals highlighted by the FOA?
The FOA highlights three main goals: (1) evaluating how policies at different levels affect school nutrition and physical activity environments and how those changes relate to youth behaviors and weight outcomes; (2) studying implementation, including how schools and districts adopt and carry out policies and what factors help or hinder implementation; and (3) examining how school policies interact with home and community environments, including whether they reinforce or counteract healthy behaviors outside school.
What policy levels are relevant for proposed research?
The FOA encourages research that considers policies at multiple levels, including federal, state, and school district levels, and connects those policies to on-the-ground conditions within schools and measurable student outcomes.
What does the FOA mean by connecting policy to "on-the-ground" school conditions?
It means linking policy language or requirements to practical changes in school settings, such as food offerings, opportunities for physical activity, and related supports, and then assessing how those changes relate to student behaviors and weight-related outcomes.
What does the FOA emphasize about implementation research?
The FOA prioritizes understanding how schools and districts actually adopt and carry out nutrition and physical activity policies and identifying multi-level factors that help or hinder implementation, such as federal or state requirements, district decisions, school leadership, staffing, resources, and other structural or contextual influences.
How does the FOA treat the role of home and community environments?
The FOA explicitly encourages research that examines how school nutrition and physical activity policies interact with home and community environments, including whether school policies reinforce healthy behaviors outside school, conflict with home or neighborhood conditions, or produce mixed effects when combined with community contexts.
Are applicants expected to run large new field trials?
Not necessarily. The FOA indicates that strong R03 applications could focus on feasibility and measurement, method or tool development/refinement, or secondary analysis of existing data, rather than launching large, new field trials.
Can secondary analyses of existing datasets be supported?
Yes. The FOA explicitly notes that R03 awards can support secondary analyses of existing datasets, consistent with the mechanism's emphasis on focused, limited-budget projects.
Can the grant support the development or validation of research tools or methods?
Yes. The FOA states that R03 projects may focus on developing or refining research methods or technologies, such as tools for assessing school food and activity environments or approaches to measuring policy implementation fidelity.
When was this FOA released and how long was it open?
The FOA was released on December 10, 2009, remained open through January 7, 2013, and has an archive date of February 7, 2013.
Is funding guaranteed under this FOA?
No. Awards were described as contingent on available funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications, meaning the number of awards depends on budget availability and scientific merit.
Are there related funding opportunities with similar scientific scope?
Yes. The FOA notes it runs in parallel with two related opportunities of similar scientific scope: PA-10-052 and PA-10-053, which solicit applications under the R01 and R21 mechanisms.
How does the R03 track compare to the parallel R01 and R21 opportunities mentioned?
As described in the FOA, the R03 track is best suited to smaller, quicker studies, while the parallel R01 and R21 announcements were intended for projects requiring larger scale, longer timelines, or more developmental exploration.
Who is eligible to apply for PA-10-054?
Eligibility is broad and includes many public, private, nonprofit, and governmental entities. Examples listed include independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities, with noted exceptions); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and multiple levels of government (state, county, city or township, special district governments), as well as certain tribal governments and tribal organizations.
Are federal agencies, U.S. territories, or foreign organizations eligible?
Yes. The FOA includes additional eligible applicants such as eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) organizations.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The FOA states that cost sharing or matching is not required.
What subject areas does this grant fall under?
The FOA sits at the intersection of education and health policy, prevention research, and child health. The description notes CFDA classifications linked to health promotion and disease prevention, cancer-related research and control, and child health and human development.
What outcomes and behaviors are central to this FOA?
The FOA focuses on obesogenic behaviors (including diet and physical activity patterns) and weight-related outcomes, with an emphasis on how policies change school environments and how those changes relate to measurable student outcomes.
What does the FOA mean by "practical, multidisciplinary evidence"?
Within the FOA framing, this refers to research that is grounded in real school settings, draws on multiple disciplines as needed (for example, policy, behavioral, and health research perspectives), and produces actionable findings about policy effects, implementation dynamics, and links to behaviors and weight outcomes.
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