Research to Support the Reduction and Elimination of Mental Health Disparities (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 621

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 621

The funding opportunity titled "Research to Support the Reduction and Elimination of Mental Health Disparities (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)" (PA 18-621) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program administered through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). It is designed specifically to provide administrative supplement funding to organizations that already hold active NIMH grants. Rather than supporting entirely new, standalone projects, this mechanism is meant to extend or enhance existing NIMH-funded work in ways that directly address mental health disparities in the United States. The overarching emphasis is on disparities tied to race and ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status, with the goal of producing actionable research that helps reduce and ultimately eliminate unequal mental health outcomes and unequal access to effective care.

The core purpose of the supplement is to stimulate research that fits within the scientific scope of the parent NIMH award while sharpening the project focus on disparities. This can include studies that identify mechanisms underlying disparities or differences in mental health status across groups, such as social determinants, structural and contextual factors, and barriers that shape risk, diagnosis, treatment engagement, retention, and outcomes. It can also include work that improves the delivery of mental health interventions among diverse populations, which may involve adapting evidence-based practices, testing strategies to improve implementation in real-world settings, or strengthening methods for reaching underserved or marginalized communities. The "clinical trial optional" language indicates that proposed supplement activities may include clinical trial elements if appropriate, but a clinical trial is not required.

This opportunity falls under the grant funding instrument category and the health funding activity category, with CFDA number 93.242. A wide range of applicants are listed as eligible, reflecting NIMH's interest in supporting disparity-focused research across many types of institutions and community contexts. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. Tribal entities are included, such as federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. Additional eligible organizational types include public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The listing also explicitly highlights certain community-anchored and minority-serving institutions and organizations as eligible, such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. In practice, that means the funded supplement activities must be carried out within allowable U.S.-based organizational structures and settings, consistent with NIH policy and the FOA's eligibility constraints.

The FOA was created on February 1, 2018, and the listed original closing date is June 1, 2020. While those dates describe the posting and an original deadline, anyone considering this opportunity in the present should confirm the current status, availability, and any successor announcements or updated deadlines through NIH/NIMH sources, since NIH funding opportunities are sometimes reissued, modified, or closed over time.

In summary, PA 18-621 is best understood as a targeted add-on funding mechanism for current NIMH awardees who can meaningfully extend their ongoing research to address U.S. mental health disparities. It encourages projects that either explain why disparities exist (mechanisms and contributing factors) or improve how mental health interventions are delivered, accessed, and sustained in diverse and underserved populations, while keeping the work aligned with the aims and scope of the existing NIMH-funded parent grant.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research to Support the Reduction and Elimination of Mental Health Disparities (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-06-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PA 18 621

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