Multi-sectoral preventive interventions that address social determinants of health in populations that experience health disparities (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 24 053

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 053

This NIH funding opportunity (PAR-24-053) supports research projects that test preventive, multi-sector interventions aimed at social determinants of health (SDOH) in populations that experience health disparities. The focus is on real-world, prospective interventions that bring together multiple sectors outside of traditional health care alone (for example, partnerships spanning public health, education, housing, social services, community organizations, and other local systems) to prevent disease or reduce risk by changing upstream conditions that shape health. A key expectation is that projects will generate actionable evidence about whether and how these multi-sector strategies improve health outcomes and reduce disparities, rather than simply describing needs or associations.

The awards will operate as part of a larger Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions (MSPI) Research Network. Funded projects will not work in isolation; instead, they will coordinate closely with one another, with a dedicated Network Coordinating Center (funded under a separate NOFO), and with multiple NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. This cooperative agreement structure means NIH will have substantial involvement during the life of the award, and awardees will be expected to collaborate across the network, share methods and approaches, and contribute to common data and learning activities. Applicants are encouraged to review the Coordinating Center announcement as well, because the network structure, shared expectations, and cross-project activities will shape how individual projects are designed and carried out.

The mechanism is a UG3/UH3 Phased Innovation Award under a cooperative agreement, and the opportunity explicitly requires a clinical trial. The project is bi-phasic. The UG3 phase (Phase I) is essentially a supported start-up and readiness period focused on demonstrating that the team, partnerships, procedures, and study infrastructure are truly prepared to execute the proposed intervention study. UG3 funds are used to establish feasibility, finalize protocols, demonstrate recruitment and retention capacity, confirm intervention implementation capability across sectors, and meet other foundational milestones that are specific to the proposed work. Transition to the UH3 phase (Phase II) is not automatic; NIH will review whether the UG3 milestones have been met, and projects that meet them can be administratively prioritized to transition into UH3. The UH3 phase is the implementation and testing phase where the full clinical trial activities occur, with the goal of producing rigorous evidence on intervention effects and practical lessons for scaling or replication.

Because the UG3-to-UH3 transition depends on performance against milestones, applications must lay out clear, measurable aims and milestones for both phases. In practice, that means applicants need to be very explicit about what will be completed in UG3 (for example, partnership agreements, intervention refinement, pilot testing of recruitment workflows, fidelity monitoring plans, data systems readiness) and what will be tested and analyzed in UH3 (for example, finalized outcomes, analytic plan, implementation measures, and how impact on disparities will be assessed). The design should reflect that this is prevention-oriented, multi-sector, and SDOH-focused, rather than a single-sector clinical service delivery project.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and federally recognized Native American tribal governments, as well as Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The opportunity also highlights additional eligible applicant types 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 Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign organizations are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant may include certain international elements in the project when justified and permitted under NIH policy, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity from the National Institutes of Health using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. It sits within education and health funding activity categories and is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.121, 93.213, 93.233, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840), reflecting participation across NIH components. The original closing date listed is 2024-08-05, and the NOFO was created on 2023-11-06. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO text and any linked NIH budget guidance for details on allowable budgets, project period limits, and network-level expectations.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Multi-sectoral preventive interventions that address social determinants of health in populations that experience health disparities (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.213, 93.233, 93.273, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-05. (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 PAR 24 053

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