Research on the Health of Women of Understudied, Underrepresented and Underreported (U3) Populations An ORWH FY18 Administrative Supplement (Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 676

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 676

This NIH funding opportunity (PA 18-676) was issued by the Office of Research on Womens Health (ORWH) as a one-year administrative supplement program meant to add targeted work onto existing, active NIH parent grants. The central aim is to strengthen research on the health of women from U3 populations, meaning groups that have historically been understudied, underrepresented, and underreported in biomedical research. Rather than funding entirely new standalone projects, these supplements are designed to expand or accelerate ongoing NIH-supported research so it more directly addresses health disparities affecting women in the United States.

The scientific emphasis is on understanding how sex and gender influences interact with social determinants of health to shape disease risk, health outcomes, and access to prevention and treatment. The announcement explicitly calls for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or multidisciplinary approaches, and it allows a broad range of study types, including preclinical, clinical, and behavioral research (clinical trials are optional). Applicants are expected to focus on the intersection of sex/gender with factors such as race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, health literacy, gender identity, and whether someone lives in an urban or rural setting. The idea is not simply to compare groups, but to examine how these overlapping factors jointly influence health behaviors, screening uptake, treatment access, and therapeutic outcomes for women.

A key requirement is alignment with Objective 3.9 under Goal 3.0 of the NIH Strategic Plan for Research on Womens Health. That objective specifically prioritizes examining health disparities among women that arise from differences in race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, and urban-rural living, and how those differences affect health, behaviors, and access to screening and treatment. In practical terms, a competitive supplement would clearly tie its aims to disparity mechanisms or disparity-reducing interventions relevant to women, and explain why the added work is best accomplished as a supplement to the existing parent award within a one-year window.

Projects must include a focus on one or more NIH-designated health disparities populations. The opportunity lists these populations as Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities (SGM). The program also encourages studies that consider overlapping identities and conditions, such as socioeconomically disadvantaged SGM women or rural women from specific racial and ethnic groups. This emphasis reflects the program’s broader theme of intersectionality, where multiple social determinants combine to influence risk and access in ways that are often missed when populations are studied in isolation.

In terms of who can apply, the eligible applicant landscape is wide and includes many common NIH applicant types: state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled universities; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and certain tribal governments and tribal organizations. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories often central to serving disparity populations, including 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 (AANAPISI). Faith-based and community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions are also included among eligible applicants.

At the same time, the opportunity draws firm boundaries around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as defined in NIH policy) are not allowed. The practical takeaway is that the supported work must be fully domestic and carried out within eligible U.S.-based organizational structures.

The funding instrument is a discretionary grant in the form of an administrative supplement, with an award ceiling listed at $200,000. The original closing date for the opportunity was April 16, 2018, and the program was created on February 22, 2018. The listing is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (now commonly referred to under Assistance Listings), reflecting that supplements could attach to a variety of NIH institute and center parent awards that fall under different NIH program authorities.

Overall, this opportunity was built to push existing NIH-funded projects to more directly and rigorously address womens health disparities by adding near-term, one-year work that integrates sex/gender considerations with real-world social determinants and NIH-recognized health disparity populations. The program’s intent is both scientific and practical: improve the evidence base on womens health in groups too often missing from research, and generate findings that can inform better screening, prevention, and treatment access for women experiencing structural and social barriers to health.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research on the Health of Women of Understudied, Underrepresented and Underreported (U3) Populations An ORWH FY18 Administrative Supplement (Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.173, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.313, 93.361, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.399, 93.846, 93.847, 93.855, 93.865, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-04-16. (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 $200,000.00 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.

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