Effectiveness of School-Based Health Centers to Advance Health Equity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 21 287

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 287

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Effectiveness of School-Based Health Centers to Advance Health Equity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-21-287) supports research that tests how well school-based health centers (SBHCs) work as a health care delivery model for school-aged children and adolescents who experience health disparities. The central aim is to generate solid evidence on whether, how, and under what conditions SBHCs improve access to care, quality of services, and health outcomes for underserved youth, with an explicit focus on advancing health equity. Because it is an R01 mechanism, the expectation is for rigorous, well-designed projects that can produce generalizable findings rather than small pilot efforts, and the "clinical trial optional" label means applicants may propose either clinical trial designs (when appropriate) or non-trial evaluation approaches, as long as the study design matches the research question.

At its core, this announcement is about effectiveness research in real-world school settings, where many barriers to care show up most clearly: transportation problems, limited primary care availability, cost and insurance challenges, stigma around seeking behavioral health services, and gaps in preventive care. SBHCs are positioned to reduce those barriers by offering services where students already are, so NIH is looking for studies that can credibly measure the impact of SBHCs on outcomes that matter to children, families, schools, and communities. Depending on the proposed project, outcomes might include health care utilization and access (for example, receipt of recommended preventive services, timely management of chronic conditions, continuity of care, or reduced unmet need), physical health indicators (such as asthma control, obesity-related measures, sexual and reproductive health outcomes, immunizations, or oral health), and behavioral health outcomes (including screening, treatment initiation, symptom improvement, crisis response, or substance use prevention). Strong applications typically also examine implementation realities that affect effectiveness, such as staffing models, service integration, referral and follow-up processes, telehealth use, confidentiality and consent practices, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and coordination with families and community providers.

Eligibility is broad and designed to encourage participation from the kinds of organizations that commonly partner with schools and deliver health services. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types that align with health equity and underserved communities, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it places clear limits on foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity in the education and health activity categories and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.242, 93.279, and 93.307. The original closing date listed is January 7, 2025. The notice does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided summary, which means applicants generally need to consult the full FOA text and NIH guidance to understand budget expectations, project period norms, and any institute- or center-specific priorities tied to the opportunity. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building the evidence base for SBHCs as a strategy to reduce inequities in child and adolescent health by testing real-world models of school-linked care and identifying what works best for underserved student populations.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Effectiveness of School-Based Health Centers to Advance Health Equity (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.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-07-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-07. (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 PAR 21 287

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