Public Policy Effects on Alcohol-, Marijuana-, and Other Substance-Related Behaviors and Outcomes (R01) | PA 17 135

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 135

The Public Policy Effects on Alcohol-, Marijuana-, and Other Substance-Related Behaviors and Outcomes (R01) funding opportunity (PA-17-135) is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant program focused on understanding how government policies shape substance-related behaviors and the downstream health and social outcomes tied to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. The central idea behind this opportunity is that public policy is not just a background condition; it can act as a powerful, scalable tool for preventing harm, improving health, and strengthening public welfare. Through this FOA, NIH is looking for research that goes beyond describing trends and instead produces actionable evidence about whether policies work, for whom they work, and under what real-world conditions they produce meaningful changes.

The FOA emphasizes innovative, policy-relevant research that can credibly estimate the effects of policies on outcomes such as substance use patterns, misuse, initiation, frequency and intensity of use, substance use disorders, intoxication-related harms, overdoses, injuries, impaired driving, criminal justice involvement, health care utilization, and other population-level public health indicators. While the announcement is broad, its purpose is clear: improve the evidence base around the role of public policy in influencing alcohol-, marijuana-, and other substance-related behaviors and consequences, and strengthen the scientific methods used to study these relationships.

Projects supported under this R01 mechanism can include several major categories of work. One is causal analysis of the effects of one or multiple public policies, meaning studies designed to estimate what changed because of a policy rather than what merely happened around the same time. Another is evaluation of specific public policies as tools for improving public health, which may involve comparing alternative policy designs, implementation strategies, enforcement intensity, or combinations of policies. A third area is methods and measurement research, aimed at improving how policy exposure is defined and quantified (for example, how to characterize policy strength, timing, enforcement, local variation, or policy interactions), and improving analytic strategies for policy evaluation (for example, approaches appropriate for natural experiments, staggered adoption, cross-jurisdiction comparisons, or complex policy environments).

The opportunity is structured as an NIH Research Project Grant (R01), which generally supports substantial, multi-year research projects with clearly defined aims, rigorous design, and meaningful potential impact. The activity category is health, and the associated CFDA number is 93.273. Although the source listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards, the R01 format typically implies a competitive, peer-reviewed process where budgets and project periods are justified by the scope of work and evaluated under NIH standards.

Eligibility is intentionally broad, reflecting the cross-sector nature of policy research and the many settings where policy evaluation expertise resides. Eligible applicants include a wide range of government entities (state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts), higher education institutions (public/state-controlled and private institutions), Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments. The FOA also welcomes nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as other applicants. In addition, it explicitly highlights other eligible applicant types such as 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; eligible federal agencies; Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized; regional organizations; non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations); and U.S. territories or possessions. This breadth signals an interest in diverse perspectives, diverse populations, and research that can be grounded in community and governmental realities.

In practical terms, the FOA is a good fit for investigators studying questions like how changes in alcohol taxation, outlet density rules, minimum legal drinking age enforcement, cannabis legalization and retail regulations, marketing restrictions, prescription drug monitoring policies, naloxone access laws, diversion programs, or criminal justice reforms affect use behaviors and health outcomes. It is also suited to researchers developing better tools for coding policies across jurisdictions and time, improving causal inference in complex policy settings, or integrating multiple data sources to capture policy exposure and outcomes more accurately.

Administrative details from the listing show the opportunity was created on 2017-01-25, with an original closing date of 2020-09-07. Even though those dates indicate the specific posting may be historical, the substance of the announcement reflects an ongoing NIH interest in rigorous policy evaluation for substance-related public health challenges.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Public Policy Effects on Alcohol-, Marijuana-, and Other Substance-Related Behaviors and Outcomes (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-07. (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.

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