Advancing Integrated Models (AIM) of Care to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes among Women Who Experience Persistent Disparities (R01 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA NR 22 002

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the AIM of Care funding opportunity?

The Advancing Integrated Models (AIM) of Care to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes among Women Who Experience Persistent Disparities opportunity (RFA-NR-22-002) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant initiative focused on reducing severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality disparities in the United States through intervention-focused research.

2) What problem is this funding opportunity trying to address?

The opportunity treats persistent and unequal maternal health outcomes as an urgent public health crisis. It prioritizes research that directly confronts disparities in severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality and aims to produce evidence for real-world solutions that reduce adverse outcomes in disproportionately impacted populations.

3) What is the main goal of the initiative?

The core aim is to generate new evidence on how integrated models of care can be developed, implemented, and evaluated in ways that address structural inequities and measurably reduce adverse maternal outcomes among populations experiencing persistent disparities.

4) What type of grant mechanism does this opportunity support?

This opportunity supports R01-level research projects.

5) Does this funding opportunity require a clinical trial?

Yes. The announcement explicitly requires a clinical trial, meaning applicants are expected to systematically study an intervention to generate actionable findings about what works, for whom, and under what conditions.

6) Is this opportunity focused on describing disparities or testing solutions?

The emphasis is on testing solutions. It calls for intervention-focused research that goes beyond describing the problem to evaluating real-world interventions.

7) What does "integrated models of care" mean in this context?

"Integrated models of care" refers to coordinated, multi-component approaches rather than isolated clinical services. These models may link medical care with behavioral health, social services, community-based supports, and systems-level changes across prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care.

8) What kinds of interventions might be responsive to the opportunity?

Responsive interventions may include approaches that connect clinical care with behavioral health, social services, and community supports, as well as interventions that involve systems-level changes. The opportunity is especially interested in models that can prevent adverse outcomes and reduce inequities by addressing upstream drivers such as structural barriers, fragmented care delivery, and institutional or policy-level factors.

9) Which stages of maternal care can the proposed model address?

The initiative highlights the prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum continuum, indicating that integrated models can be designed across one or more of these stages.

10) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses.

11) Are community-based or faith-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The announcement highlights faith-based or community-based organizations among additional eligible applicant types.

12) Are minority-serving institutions specifically included as eligible applicants?

Yes. The announcement specifically highlights 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 (AANAPISISs).

13) Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?

Yes. The announcement includes U.S. territories or possessions among additional eligible applicant types.

14) Can federal agencies apply?

Yes. The announcement notes eligible federal agencies among additional eligible applicant types.

15) Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible to apply as applicants?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as applicants.

16) Are foreign collaborations allowed in any form?

Yes, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In general terms, a U.S.-based applicant may include certain foreign collaborations or activities when well-justified and compliant with NIH policy, but the applicant organization must be U.S.-based and the project cannot be led by a non-U.S. institution.

17) What kinds of sectors does NIH appear to encourage for this initiative?

The eligibility list is intentionally inclusive and signals an interest in partnerships across healthcare, public health, education, and community settings, especially organizations closely connected to communities experiencing the greatest burden.

18) What are the administrative categories associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is categorized under education, health, income security, and social services.

19) What CFDA numbers are associated with this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, and 93.865.

20) When was the opportunity posted and what was the original closing date?

The posting was created on January 26, 2022, and the original closing date listed for the competition was April 7, 2022.

21) Is the award ceiling provided?

No. The award ceiling is not specified in the provided information.

22) Is the expected number of awards provided?

No. The expected number of awards is not specified in the provided information.

23) What level of evidence or rigor is implied for funded projects?

The structure suggests an NIH-style research grant emphasizing rigorous intervention testing, implementation in real-world settings, and evidence generation that can inform scalable strategies to reduce severe maternal morbidity and mortality disparities.

24) What does the initiative mean by addressing "structural inequities" or "upstream drivers"?

The description points to factors such as structural barriers to access, fragmented care delivery, and institutional or policy-level factors that shape risk and outcomes. The initiative is interested in integrated care models that take these drivers into account as part of preventing adverse outcomes and reducing inequities.