Understand Funding Opportunities

Decorative image link to the video: How to choose th right FOA

NIH advertises availability of grant support through funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). Search for an FOA specific to your area of interest, or apply to one of our generic parent announcements.

Make sure you...

  • Search for FOAs in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts or Grants.gov Link to Non-U.S. Government Site - Click for Disclaimer . (Grants.gov is the federal-wide portal for advertising funding opportunities that is used by all federal grant-making agencies.) NIH posts all of our FOAs on both sites.
  • Submit applications in response to a specific FOA.
  • Use the link in the FOA to access the specific forms required to submit an application. There is no generic application form to use from the website. Application forms are associated with each FOA. Learn more.
  • Read the FOA carefully. Applications that include clinical trials must be submitted in response to an FOA that allows clinical trials (even if other studies on the same application are not clinical trials).
     
  • Use the instructions in the announcement in conjunction with the application guide to prepare your application. If instructions conflict, follow the FOA.
  • Make sure that the NIH Institute or Center that might be interested in your research is listed as a participating organization in the FOA. 
     
  • Return to the FOA to check the Related Notices section before submission to ensure you are in line with the most recent guidance. 
  • Pay particular attention to the review criteria and write your application keeping these review criteria in mind. 
 
  • Contact NIH staff listed in the FOA to discuss your application
FOA Thumb



Types of Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs):

Type of FOA

Description

Parent Announcements

  • Broad FOAs allowing applicants to submit an investigator-initiated application for a specific activity code
  • Many NIH institutes and centers (IC) participate
  • Usually ongoing (3 yrs)
  • Use standard due dates

List of Parent Announcements

Program Announcements (PAs)

  • FOAs issued by one or more Institutes and Centers to highlight areas of scientific interest
  • Encourage applications for a new or ongoing program
  • Usually ongoing (3 years)
  • Use standard due dates
  • Types of PAs:

PAS: with set-aside funds
PAR: special receipt, referral, and/or review considerations

Requests for Applications (RFA)

  • FOAs issued by one or more Institute or Center to highlight well-defined areas of scientific interest to accomplish specific program objectives

(Make sure the science you are proposing fits the scope of the RFA!)

  • Indicate the amount of set-aside funds
  • Indicate anticipated number of awards
  • Usually single due date
  • Institute/Center usually convenes review panel

 

Numbering System

·        PA Numbering (e.g., PA-18-008): Indicates a PA issued in 2018 or for funding in 2018 (18) with an associated serial number (008).

·        RFA Numbering (e.g., RFA-HL-18-004): Indicates an RFA issued by NHLBI (HL) in 2018 or for funding in 2018 (18) with an associated serial number (004).

·        Notice Numbering (e.g., NOT-OD-18-025): Indicates a Notice issued by the Office of the Director (OD) in Fiscal Year 2018 (18) with an associated serial number (025).