Expanding Prevention Strategies for Mental Disorders in Mobile Populations in Humanitarian Crises (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MH 22 180

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 22 180

The National Institutes of Health is offering a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Expanding Prevention Strategies for Mental Disorders in Mobile Populations in Humanitarian Crises (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-22-180 (CFDA 93.242). The overall purpose is to fund early-stage, pilot, and feasibility research that can strengthen how mental health conditions are identified, prevented, and treated among highly mobile groups affected by humanitarian emergencies. The announcement is centered on populations such as refugees, internally displaced persons, and migrants, where disruption, trauma exposure, unstable living conditions, and limited access to care can sharply increase risk for mental health problems while simultaneously making services harder to deliver and sustain.

A key emphasis is on developing and testing improved approaches that fit real-world crisis settings, including better diagnostic strategies, prevention models, and treatment approaches that can work in contexts where people may be moving across regions or borders, where systems are overstretched, and where continuity of care is difficult. The "R34" mechanism typically supports preparatory work that de-risks later, larger clinical effectiveness studies by refining protocols, adapting interventions to the local context, testing recruitment and retention plans, and establishing whether outcome measures and implementation procedures are workable in the target setting. The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation means applicants may propose a clinical trial if it is appropriate to the aims, but they are not required to do so.

The opportunity also calls out priority groups within mobile populations who often face compounded vulnerability and barriers to care. These include children and youth, people living with serious mental illness, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, and separated families. Projects that directly address the needs of these groups, or that tailor mental health strategies to be accessible and safe for them, align particularly well with the intent of the program. In practice, this could include work focused on age-appropriate prevention for adolescents in displacement settings, strategies to maintain treatment engagement for individuals with severe psychiatric conditions during transit or relocation, or interventions designed to reduce stigma and increase safety for sexual and gender minorities in camp or urban displacement environments.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. public and private entities as well as certain non-U.S. organizations. 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 other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and additional organizations categorized as "Others." The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized entities, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities/foreign organizations. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that humanitarian mental health research often requires partnerships among universities, NGOs, community-based providers, and organizations operating in crisis-affected regions.

From a funding standpoint, the listed award ceiling is $450,000. The original application closing date for the opportunity was October 25, 2022, and the posting was created on May 17, 2022. While the notice does not specify the number of expected awards in the provided source text, the structure and cap indicate support for time-limited, targeted projects aimed at producing strong preliminary evidence, refined methods, and practical implementation knowledge that can support later scale-up or larger trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Expanding Prevention Strategies for Mental Disorders in Mobile Populations in Humanitarian Crises (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): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-10-25. (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 $450,000.00 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 MH 22 180

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