Autism Research Consortium (Autism RC) | HRSA 25 021

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 25 021

The Autism Research Consortium (Autism RC) is a federal funding opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). It sits within the broader Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Consortium Program (MCHB RCP), which is designed to build a coordinated, national community of researchers focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes. In practical terms, this program is consolidating several previous MCHB research funding approaches into a single structure. For FY 2025, this Notice of Funding Opportunity replaces the earlier MCHB Research Network program, including the Autism Intervention Research Network on Behavioral Health (AIR-B) and the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P), signaling a shift toward a more unified and partnership-driven research model.

The need for this program is tied to the scale and complexity of autism in the United States and the persistent gaps in services. Parent-reported data from the 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health indicates that 3.6% of children ages 3 to 17 have a current autism diagnosis, which the opportunity cites as nearly 2.2 million children and adolescents. The NOFO highlights that autistic children experience higher rates of co-occurring mental and behavioral health conditions than peers without autism, and that families frequently face major barriers to accessing adequate health care. A specific emphasis is placed on inequities: differences in how early children are diagnosed, whether they can access needed services, and the overall quality of care they receive. Because these challenges are often more severe for underserved and vulnerable populations, the opportunity stresses the importance of research that is not only effective, but also scalable and relevant across diverse communities.

Autism RC awardees are expected to operate as research centers that actively connect research to real-world practice. A core requirement is the development of research-practice partnerships with community organizations, people with lived experience (including autistic people and family members/caregivers), and MCHB programs. The intent is to ensure that research questions, study designs, interventions, and implementation strategies reflect what communities actually need and can sustain. Rather than stopping at publishing results, these centers are expected to improve systems of care by translating evidence into practice and supporting implementation of evidence-based interventions that improve both physical health and behavioral health for children with autism and other developmental disabilities (DD), with an across-the-lifespan orientation.

In terms of research focus, applications must center on children or adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities. Each applicant must choose one of the NOFO’s specified categories and then address one or more priority topics within that chosen category (where applicable). The priorities are described as being aligned with MCHB’s strategic direction, including the Blueprint for Change, and with the 2021–2023 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Strategic Plan. HRSA anticipates making up to two awards per category, with a total of five expected awards overall, which suggests a competitive process with a small number of funded centers intended to have national influence.

This is a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning HRSA will likely have substantial involvement in guiding, coordinating, or partnering on funded activities compared with a traditional grant. The funding opportunity number is HRSA-25-021, the CFDA (Assistance Listing) number is 93.877, and the maximum award amount (ceiling) is listed as $1,000,000. The original application closing date is April 23, 2025, and the opportunity was created on January 17, 2025.

Eligibility is broad but limited to domestic entities. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), state and local governments (including counties, cities, townships, special districts, and independent school districts), and Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations. “Domestic” is defined expansively to include not only the 50 states and Washington, DC, but also US territories and freely associated states such as Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Overall, the Autism RC is aimed at building a small set of high-impact, partnership-oriented research centers that can strengthen the evidence base and measurably improve service delivery and health outcomes for autistic children and adolescents, especially where current systems leave families behind.

• The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Autism Research Consortium (Autism RC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.877.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-01-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-23. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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 HRSA 25 021

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