Understanding the Supply of Professional Dementia Care Providers and Their Decisions (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AG 23 018

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 23 018

The NIH funding opportunity "Understanding the Supply of Professional Dementia Care Providers and Their Decisions" (RFA-AG-23-018) is a cooperative agreement (U54; clinical trial not allowed) designed to build a major national research resource focused on the professional dementia care workforce in the United States. The core purpose is to support a large, nationally representative survey of professional dementia care providers and to strengthen that survey by linking it, for respondents who consent, to administrative and institutional data sources. By combining survey information with real-world administrative records, the program aims to create a richer, more policy-relevant picture of who provides dementia care, where they work, what shapes their professional decisions, and how organizational contexts influence the care delivered to people living with Alzheimers disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD).

A central feature of the project is the creation of an integrated dataset that goes beyond self-reported survey responses. The resource is expected to link consenting survey respondents, including both individual providers and institutional representatives, to administrative sources such as electronic health records, insurance claims, payroll systems, and other institution-, state-, or system-level datasets. This linkage is intended to make it possible to study the dementia care labor supply and workforce dynamics with more precision than a survey alone can provide. For example, administrative data can help validate and extend what providers report about their workloads, job transitions, practice patterns, staffing levels, and the structural conditions of the settings in which they deliver care.

The survey itself is meant to cover a wide range of professional caregiving roles involved in dementia care. The description specifically notes physicians and other professional care providers such as licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and social workers, but the broader intent is to capture the multidisciplinary nature of dementia care across clinical and supportive service roles. The opportunity emphasizes learning not only about individual provider characteristics and choices, but also about the institutions employing them, since organizational policies, staffing models, compensation practices, and workplace culture can meaningfully shape dementia care quality and access.

Another major goal is to address persistent disparities in AD/ADRD care and in the evidence base used to understand the dementia workforce. To do that, the national survey will intentionally oversample individuals from populations that are underrepresented in AD/ADRD research, as well as oversample institutions that predominantly serve underrepresented populations. This design choice is meant to ensure the resulting dataset can support analyses that would otherwise be underpowered or impossible, such as how workforce experiences differ across communities, how provider and institutional characteristics relate to variation in care, and which organizational or individual behaviors might be realistically modified to improve care delivery and reduce inequities.

The research value of the resulting resource is framed in practical terms: it should allow investigators to examine how the mix of provider attributes (training, background, roles, motivations, career pathways) and institutional attributes (type of setting, staffing patterns, resource availability, policies, and administrative structures) contributes to differences in how dementia care is delivered. The expectation is that these insights will help identify modifiable drivers of workforce capacity and care practices, informing strategies to strengthen the supply of skilled labor in dementia care, improve overall healthcare delivery for people living with dementia, and reduce AD/ADRD disparities.

Administratively, this is a discretionary health funding opportunity under CFDA 93.866, issued by the National Institutes of Health. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial NIH involvement in the execution and oversight of the project compared to a standard research grant. The listed award ceiling is $16,200,000, and the original application closing date was 2022-12-23.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and governments, such as state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also highlights specific categories of eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and certain tribal governments that are not federally recognized.

Foreign eligibility is limited in a way that is typical for NIH workforce infrastructure efforts. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning an otherwise eligible U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign elements when justified and compliant with NIH policy.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Understanding the Supply of Professional Dementia Care Providers and Their Decisions (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-09-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $16,200,000.00 in funding.
• 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 RFA AG 23 018

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