Strengthening the Impact of Community Health Workers on the HIV Care Continuum in the US (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA NR 20 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NR 20 002

Strengthening the Impact of Community Health Workers on the HIV Care Continuum in the US (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding opportunity (RFA NR 20 002; CFDA 93.361) focused on improving HIV outcomes in the United States by building stronger, more effective community health worker (CHW) approaches. The central goal is to fund studies that test how CHWs can better support people living with HIV (PLH) across key steps of the HIV care continuum. In practical terms, NIH is looking for research that evaluates scalable tools, training models, and implementation strategies that enhance CHWs ability to help patients get linked to care, stay engaged in care, take antiretroviral therapy consistently, and ultimately achieve or maintain viral suppression.

A defining requirement of this opportunity is that applications must include at least one patient outcome tied directly to the HIV care continuum. Examples highlighted in the announcement include care engagement, antiretroviral adherence, and viral suppression, but the overall intent is broader: proposed work should measure meaningful, patient-level progress in HIV care that can be attributed to strengthened CHW support. The funding announcement also encourages effectiveness research that goes beyond asking whether CHW interventions work and instead clarifies how and why they work. That means studies that identify mediators and mechanisms of impact (for instance, improved trust in care teams, reduced stigma, better navigation of social services, improved appointment attendance, or stronger self-management skills) are explicitly welcomed. Cost-effectiveness analyses are also encouraged, reflecting an interest in interventions that can be sustained and scaled in real-world settings, not just demonstrated under ideal research conditions.

The mechanism is an NIH R01 grant with clinical trials listed as optional, which signals flexibility in study design. Applicants can propose rigorously designed observational or interventional studies, including clinical trials when appropriate, as long as the work is centered on strengthening CHW capacity and demonstrating measurable improvements in HIV care outcomes. The emphasis on scalable tools and training suggests NIH is prioritizing approaches that can be adopted by health systems, community-based organizations, and public health programs at larger scale, rather than highly specialized models that are difficult to replicate.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. 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 eligible, including federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The opportunity is also open to public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), along with U.S. territories or possessions and eligible federal agencies.

At the same time, the opportunity places strict limits on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. Foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. In other words, the work must be grounded in U.S.-based organizations and settings, consistent with the program focus on improving the HIV care continuum within the United States.

From the provided source details, the opportunity was posted on March 3, 2020, with an original closing date of May 13, 2020. The listed award ceiling is $500,000, indicating the maximum award amount expected per award under this announcement. The number of expected awards is not specified in the provided extract. Overall, the grant is designed to generate actionable evidence on how to better equip and deploy community health workers to improve HIV outcomes, while also building understanding of the pathways through which CHWs produce impact and whether the benefits justify the costs for broader adoption.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strengthening the Impact of Community Health Workers on the HIV Care Continuum in the US (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-03-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-13. (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 $500,000.00 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 NR 20 002

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