Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic-related Food and Housing Policies and Programs on Health Outcomes in Health Disparity Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA NR 22 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NR 22 001

This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-NR-22-001) supports R01 research projects that take a hard look at what happened when governments rolled out COVID-19-era policies and programs meant to stabilize two core social determinants of health: food and nutrition security, and housing security. The central goal is to identify and evaluate the ongoing and long-term effects of those policy and program actions, not just on health in general, but specifically on health equity. In practical terms, the FOA is asking researchers to study whether pandemic-related interventions like food assistance expansions, nutrition supports, rent and mortgage relief measures, eviction moratoria, emergency shelter or rehousing efforts, utility protections, and related policy changes actually improved health outcomes, reduced inequities, or in some cases created uneven benefits or unintended harms.

A defining feature of the announcement is its focus on health disparity populations and the real-world systems that shape their day-to-day conditions. The FOA explicitly prioritizes research that examines impacts on communities that have historically experienced disproportionate burdens of illness and barriers to care and resources, including Black or African American communities, Hispanic or Latino communities, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities. Rather than treating the pandemic as a short-term shock, the opportunity emphasizes longer horizons: how pandemic-era food and housing actions affected health trajectories over time, whether improvements persisted, and whether gaps narrowed or widened as policies changed, expired, or varied across jurisdictions.

The work this FOA seeks is evaluation-oriented and policy-relevant. Projects are expected to connect specific governmental actions (local, state, tribal, territorial, or federal) to measurable outcomes, which could include physical health, mental health, stress-related conditions, chronic disease management, maternal and child health, healthcare utilization, or other health indicators that plausibly shift when people gain or lose stable access to nutritious food and safe, stable housing. Because the announcement highlights both individuals and broader contexts, studies can be framed at multiple levels, such as impacts on individuals and families as well as neighborhood- or community-level outcomes. Strong applications would typically make clear which policy or program is being studied, how exposure or participation is defined, what comparison groups or counterfactuals are used, how equity is assessed, and how changes in outcomes are attributed to the policy environment rather than unrelated trends.

The mechanism is an R01 (research project grant), and the notice indicates "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants can propose either non-clinical-trial research or a study that meets NIH's definition of a clinical trial, as long as the project fits the FOA's aims. The activity categories listed for this opportunity fall under education and health, and the relevant CFDA numbers include 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, and 93.361. The source information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so prospective applicants would typically consult the full FOA text and related NIH institute guidance for budget and project period expectations.

Eligibility is broad and is designed to include many types of organizations that could credibly evaluate policy and program impacts. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); 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 FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as 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 (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; however, foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, may be included, which typically means certain parts of a project can occur abroad if well justified and compliant with NIH policy.

Overall, the announcement is aimed at producing evidence that decision-makers can use after the acute phase of the pandemic: which food and housing strategies protected health, which ones reduced disparities, and what effects lingered as programs ramped down or shifted. The emphasis on government actions, on food and housing specifically, and on disparity populations makes this a targeted call for policy evaluation research that can help translate lessons from the pandemic into more equitable public health and social policy going forward.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic-related Food and Housing Policies and Programs on Health Outcomes in Health Disparity Populations (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): 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 22 001

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