Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 25 378

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 25 378

The NIH grant opportunity "Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" (PAR-25-378) supports early-stage, intervention-focused research aimed at improving health outcomes for Native American populations, defined here as Alaska Natives and American Indians whose ancestral lands fall at least partially within the U.S. mainland. The central goal is to reduce preventable illness and death by developing, adapting, testing, and ultimately helping communities sustain effective, culturally grounded approaches to health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, and recovery. This opportunity is built around the reality that Native American communities experience substantial inequities in both acute and chronic conditions, and that these inequities are shaped not only by clinical factors but also by distinct sociopolitical, historical, and environmental stressors. At the same time, the NOFO emphasizes that Native communities have strengths, protective factors, and resiliencies that should be treated as core assets in intervention design rather than afterthoughts.

The scope of projects is intentionally broad but clearly intervention-oriented, with four major categories of supported research. First, it allows etiologic research when there is a meaningful gap in knowledge and when filling that gap will directly inform the development of a new intervention or the adaptation of an existing one. Second, it supports research that develops, adapts, or tests health promotion and disease prevention interventions, including work that evaluates efficacy or real-world effectiveness. Third, it encourages studies that test culturally informed treatment or recovery interventions, recognizing that approaches developed for other populations may not translate well without careful cultural tailoring or community-led redesign. Fourth, when there is already a solid evidence base showing an intervention works, the NOFO invites dissemination and implementation research focused on practical strategies to overcome barriers to adoption, integration into routine practice, scale-up across settings, and long-term sustainability within communities. In other words, the program is not only about proving an intervention can work; it is also about making it usable, acceptable, durable, and transferable where appropriate.

A defining theme across the announcement is the expectation that research should build on community knowledge, local resources, and culturally specific protective factors. Projects are expected to test science-based and culturally appropriate solutions that address precursors to disease and disorders, and that support culturally informed pathways to treatment and recovery. The NOFO also signals that interventions should be designed with sustainability in mind from the start, including realistic considerations of who will deliver the program, how it will be financed or maintained, and how it can fit within community infrastructure. At the same time, funded interventions should be designed with enough flexibility that they can be adapted and potentially disseminated to other communities when culturally appropriate, rather than being so site-specific that they cannot be scaled.

The funding mechanism is an NIH R34 (Clinical Trial Optional), which is commonly used for developmental or pilot intervention work and for building a foundation for a later, larger-scale clinical trial or implementation study. The activity category is listed under education, environment, health, income security, and social services, reflecting the wide range of determinants that may be addressed through intervention research. The NOFO is issued by the National Institutes of Health, uses the grant funding instrument, and is categorized as discretionary funding. The original closing date provided is January 7, 2027.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types that could realistically partner with or represent Native communities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. Foreign organizations (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components as defined in NIH policy are allowed, which typically means certain project elements may occur abroad if justified and compliant with NIH rules.

Finally, the NOFO is tied to multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.310, 93.313, 93.361, 93.865, and 93.866), signaling participation across several NIH institutes or program areas. While an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided details, the emphasis is clear: applicants should propose rigorous intervention research that is grounded in Native community contexts, responsive to community-identified needs and strengths, and designed to produce solutions that can be sustained locally and, when appropriate, adapted and scaled to benefit other Native communities.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.310, 93.313, 93.361, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-01-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-01-07.
• 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.

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