EFFECTIVENESS, PRACTICE, AND IMPLEMENTATION IN CMHS’ CHILDREN’S SERVICE SITES

Release Date:  September 21, 2000

PA NUMBER:  PA-00-135 (see replacement PA-04-019)

National Institute of Mental Health
 (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/)
National Institute of Drug Abuse
 (http://www.nida.nih.gov/)

THIS PA USES “MODULAR GRANT” AND “JUST-IN-TIME” CONCEPTS.  THIS PA INCLUDES 
DETAILED MODIFICATIONS TO STANDARD APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS THAT MUST BE USED 
WHEN PREPARING AN APPLICATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS PA.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this program announcement (PA) is to encourage research grant 
applications on services delivered to children, adolescents and their families 
through the Center for Mental Health Services’ (CMHS) Comprehensive Community 
Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program initiative 
(hereafter referred to as the Children’s Services Program).  Conducting the 
proposed research at one of the Children’s Services Program sites (either 
existing sites or “graduated” sites) is a prerequisite for funding under this 
PA.  This PA encourages studies of the effectiveness of treatments or services 
delivered at these sites, the nature and impact of routine clinical practice, 
and factors related to successful implementation of treatments or services.

This announcement supercedes PA-94-094 and addresses recommendations set forth 
in the NIMH report, “Bridging Science and Service:  A Report by the National 
Advisory Mental Health Council’s Clinical Treatment and Services Research 
Workgroup,” and in the NIMH Child and Adolescent Services Research Strategic 
Planning Report.  Applicants may obtain a copy of these reports at 
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/bridge.htm and 
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/childhp/prgindex.htm.

This Program Announcement expires three years from the Release Date shown 
directly above, unless reissued.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion 
and disease prevention objectives of “Healthy People 2010,” a PHS-led national 
activity for setting priority areas.  This Program Announcement (PA), 
Effectiveness, Practice and Implementation in CMHS Children’s Service Sites, 
is related to the priority areas of Mental Health and Mental Disorders.  
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at 
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Conducting the proposed research at one of the Children’s Services Program 
sites (either existing sites or “graduated” sites) is a prerequisite for 
funding under this PA.  Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign, 
for-profit and non-profit organizations, public and private, such as 
universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of State and local 
governments, and eligible agencies of the Federal government.  Racial/ethnic 
minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to 
apply as principal investigators.  Foreign institutions are not eligible for 
small grant awards.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This PA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project 
grant (R01), small grant (R03), and the Collaborative R01s for Clinical 
Studies of Mental Disorders mechanisms.  Responsibility for the planning, 
direction, and execution of the proposed project will be solely that of the 
applicant team.  The total project period for an R01 application submitted in 
response to this PA may not exceed five years.  An application for an R03 
award is limited to $50,000 direct cost per year, is limited to two years and 
is not renewable.

For all competing R03 applications and R01 applications requesting up to 
$250,000 direct costs per year, specific application instructions have been 
modified to reflect “MODULAR GRANT” and “JUST-IN-TIME” streamlining efforts 
being undertaken at NIH.  More detailed information about modular grant 
applications, including a sample budget narrative justification pages and a 
sample biographical sketch, is available via the Internet at:  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.  Applications that 
request more than $250,000 in any year must use the standard PHS 398 (rev. 
4/98) application instructions.

Because each of these mechanisms has special eligibility requirements, 
application formats, and review criteria, applicants are strongly encouraged 
to consult with program staff (listed under INQUIRIES) and to obtain 
appropriate additional information about those grant mechanisms. Special 
instructions and information for the R03 are found at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-99-140.html.  Special 
information for the collaborative R01 is found at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/

FUNDS AVAILABLE

Research grant funds may not be used to operate treatment, rehabilitation or 
service programs.  However, supplemental funding from CMHS for service 
development, training and other operational expenses may be available to 
accomplish accepted research goals based on the availability of funds.  
Prospective applicant teams are strongly encouraged to contact NIMH or NIDA 
staff (listed under INQUIRIES) and their CMHS project officer with questions 
about the best mechanisms to use for specific projects.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background

The purpose of this PA is to encourage research applications that will assess 
the effectiveness of treatments or services, the nature and impact of routine 
clinical practice, and factors related to successful implementation of 
treatments or services.  Effectiveness is defined broadly to include the 
impact of specific psychosocial, behavioral, pharmacologic or service models 
(including preventive interventions) on clinical, functional, environmental, 
service, or systems outcomes for children, adolescents and their families.  
Effectiveness may also include the processes of treatment or service delivery 
(e.g., mechanisms of action) that improve outcomes, and the quality of 
services.  Clinical practice is defined to include those features of routine 
care that clinicians typically employ (e.g., intake, assessment, engagement 
strategies, case management, supervision) when providing care.  Types of 
activities typically practiced by clinicians, types of decision-making 
strategies employed, and the impact of routine care are included in practice 
studies.  Implementation is defined to include dissemination practices (e.g., 
training, adherence, fidelity), barriers to implementation (e.g., 
accessibility of program, cultural barriers) and cost-effectiveness.  Of 
particular interest are studies that will examine aspects of care that improve 
child and family outcomes, whether they be specific treatments, routine 
clinical practices, or implementation models.  Innovative approaches to 
treatment and service delivery, such as family-tailored treatment delivery or 
culturally-tailored strategies expected to improve outcomes, are especially 
encouraged.  The overarching goal of this PA is to contribute to the 
development of more effective mental health service delivery systems for 
children and their families.

The Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Program for Children with 
Serious Emotional Disturbances was created as part of the Alcohol, Drug, and 
Mental Health Administration Reorganization Act -- Public Law 102-321, Section 
119).  This program is administered by the CMHS of the Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  Under this authority, grants 
are provided to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, or 
tribal organizations to provide a broad array of comprehensive community-based 
services for children with serious emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders 
in order to enable communities to develop local systems of care consisting of 
mental health, child welfare, education, juvenile justice, and other 
appropriate agencies.  Funds for the CMHS program are authorized to be spent 
on services that are underdeveloped or nonexistent in most communities:  
respite care; day treatment; therapeutic foster care; intensive home-based 
services; school or clinic-based services; emergency services; and diagnostic 
and evaluation services.  Children can be served in small therapeutic group 
homes that have a bed capacity of less than 10 beds.  Additionally, each child 
must have an individualized service plan, developed with the participation of 
family and, where appropriate, the child.  The plan must designate a case 
manager to assist the child and family by coordinating services among several 
systems.

To date, 65 sites have been awarded five-year grants by the CMHS since the 
first Request for Applications was announced in the Spring 1993.  Over 40,000 
children and adolescents with serious emotional, behavioral or mental 
disorders have received or are receiving services in the systems of care that 
have been established for them.  This PA is open to both existing sites and to 
“graduated” sites that are no longer receiving support from CMHS, but are 
continuing to provide services to the population of children and adolescents 
served under the current CMHS programs.

In the child and adolescent services research field, concerns have been raised 
about the disseminability of already-established services, as well as the 
development of strategies for deploying empirically-based pharmacological, 
psychosocial, or combined treatments whose efficacy but not effectiveness has 
been established.  Such issues as child and family outcomes associated with 
treatment or service programs, the potent elements within either treatments or 
services that contribute to outcomes, and the processes that link care 
delivery to outcomes are not well understood.

The range of services provided through the Children’s Services Program 
provides a unique research opportunity to study many of these issues.  The 
CMHS Children’s Services Program, because of the diversity of services offered 
to communities, provides an opportunity to examine both the disseminability of 
already-established services (e.g., multi-systemic family therapies, 
therapeutic foster care, intensive case management) and the effectiveness of 
specific treatments whose efficacy has been established, but whose 
effectiveness has not.  While pharmacological, psychosocial, or combined 
therapies are available within many community service programs, most such 
therapies have not been studied within mental health clinics, schools, 
juvenile facilities, foster homes, primary care offices, or other naturalistic 
settings, where features of the settings themselves may affect child or family 
outcomes.  Often treatments tested in one population or within one setting 
cannot be easily deployed into other settings without attention to the 
processes of adaptation, and the organizational or structural factors that 
enhance, modify, or interfere with implementation.  Studies of the factors 
affecting deployability of pharmacological, psychosocial and combined 
therapies for specific mental disorders of children and adolescents, such a 
anxiety, depressive, conduct, attention-deficit hyperactivity, or substance 
abuse disorders, and the outcomes associated with treatment delivery, are 
strongly encouraged.

Another unique aspect of the Children’s Services Program is the significant 
numbers of children and families from American Indian, Hispanic, and African 
American backgrounds.  Some of these communities have developed and use 
services and treatments that are specific to the culture.  While these 
cultural service and treatment practices may be relatively common in these 
communities and are perceived as effective, investigators have the opportunity 
to gather empirical evidence to determine the effectiveness of these 
practices.

Resources in the CMHS Children’s Services Program

The primary resource in the sites of the Children’s Services Program is the 
availability of a relatively comprehensive array of community-based services 
and treatments.  Funding for residential care and hospitalizations, however, 
is not permitted.  Directors of the site service systems may be willing to use 
some of their grant funds to help train clinicians and other personnel in the 
application of new interventions, as long as these interventions are 
consistent with the mission of the site service systems.

Many sites are experimenting with responses to managed care, privatization, 
welfare reform, and other organizational and political reforms that can make 
the research on effectiveness, practice, and implementation current, 
meaningful, and policy relevant.

Research Issues

Listed below are examples of research topic areas that are of interest under 
this PA:

o  Research on the effectiveness of family-driven or culturally-based 
treatment or services, contrasted with provider-driven or usual care delivery

o  Research on the factors that predict treatment fidelity and clinical 
outcomes within different service approaches

o  Studies of the impact of different levels of service intensity or 
integration for children and adolescents, relative to their diagnosis or level 
of functioning, on long-term outcomes

o  Studies examining the quality of care and appropriate matching of services 
to level of impairment

o  Studies of the meaning of “quality” to children and families from diverse 
ethnic backgrounds

o  Research on the effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent adverse 
mental health outcomes in family members and caregivers

o  Development of improved methods for measuring and analyzing service 
integration and, within comprehensive systems, for measuring service intensity 
and service outcomes

o  Studies of the effectiveness of pharmacological, psychosocial or combined 
treatments in these sites

o  Research on strategies for deploying treatments into service communities

o  Research on the potent elements of effective services

o  Studies examining the processes within treatments or services (e.g., 
therapeutic engagement, family choice or involvement in care delivery, 
provider attitudes) that improve outcomes

o  Research on the effects of cost containment strategies

o  Research on organizational variables, such as culture or climate, that 
enhance disseminability of already validated services or influence outcomes or 
quality of care

o  Research on the effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent 
substance abuse and other adverse mental health outcomes in family members and 
caregivers

o  Research on the impact of prevention services on delivery of other 
services, outcomes, or quality of care

o  Studies of behavioral strategies that enhance treatment adherence

o  Studies of routine practices (e.g., supervision, assessment, referral, 
triaging, etc) by clinical practitioners (e.g., case managers, pediatricians, 
social workers, clinicians) which impact clinical outcomes or the quality of 
care

o  Research on the effect of family-centered services on treatment adherence

o  Studies of the effectiveness of services for co-occurring conditions, such 
as emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders; drug or alcohol abuse; AIDS; or 
homelessness

Research Plan

Proposed studies should be based on a strong conceptual framework, drawing on 
existing empirical literature and relevant theory, for both the selection of 
the research components and the specific research hypotheses. In addition, it 
is suggested that the following considerations be addressed in the preparation 
of an application:

Evidence of strong collaborative research teams involving CMHS evaluation 
staff is required.

The selection of each component of the study should reflect existing research 
findings and have a strong conceptual foundation, but may also include new 
theory-driven or research-based components.

Feasibility issues should be clearly addressed in detail.  Plans for 
implementation of the research should include procedures for obtaining and 
maintaining the necessary community relations, training and supervising 
project staff, insuring implementation fidelity, securing ongoing access to 
the participants, recruiting a representative sample of the target population, 
recruiting appropriate staff for the research intervention, and monitoring 
subject participation over time.

Applicants should document the commitment, support, cooperation, and nature of 
the proposed collaboration of community agencies or other entities or settings 
outside the applicant organization whose support is essential for the conduct 
of the research.

Special attention should be directed toward understanding unique variations in 
treatments and services across cultural, ethnic, or racial groups and the 
appropriateness of services for families from various backgrounds so that 
services and opportunities are appropriate and acceptable to these individuals 
(where feasible and appropriate to the study question).

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS 

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and 
their sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported biomedical and 
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and 
compelling rationale and justification are provided indicating that inclusion 
is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of 
 the research.  This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 
(Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). 

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
UPDATED "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in 
Clinical Research," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on 
August 2, 2000 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html); 
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm:  The 
revisions relate to NIH defined Phase III clinical trials and require: a) all 
applications or proposals and/or protocols to provide a description of plans 
to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender 
and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b) all 
investigators to report accrual, and to conduct and report analyses, as 
appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) 
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the 
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.  
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt 
dates after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
“NIH policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Children as Participants in 
Research Involving Human Subjects” that was published in the NIH Guide for 
Grants and Contracts, March 6, 1`998, and is available at the following URL 
address:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html.

Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff 
listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant 
information concerning the policy.

URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES

All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within 
specified page limitations.  Unless otherwise specified in an NIH 
solicitation, internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide 
information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation 
to view the Internet sites.  Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the program contacts listed 
under INQUIRIES with any questions regarding their proposed project and the 
goals of this PA.

Applications are to be submitted on the grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 
4/98) and will be accepted at the standard application deadlines as indicated 
in the application kit.  Application kits are available at most institutional 
offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural Outreach and 
Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, 
MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone (301) 435-0714, Email: 
GrantsInfo@nih.gov.  Applications are also available at the following address: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.

SPECIFIC APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANTS

The modular grant concept establishes specific modules in which direct costs 
may be requested as well as a maximum level for requested budgets. Only 
limited budgetary information is required under this approach.  The just-in-
time concept allows applicants to submit certain information only when there 
is a possibility for an award.  It is anticipated that these changes will 
reduce the administrative burden for the applicants, reviewers, and Institute 
staff.  The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) is to be used 
in applying for these grants, with the modifications noted below.

BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

Modular Grant applications will request direct costs in $25,000 modules, up to 
a total direct cost request of $250,000 per year.  (Applications that request 
more than $250,000 direct costs in any year must follow the traditional PHS 
398 application instructions.)  The total direct costs must be requested in 
accordance with the program guidelines and the modifications made to the 
standard PHS 398 application instructions described below:

PHS 398

o FACE PAGE:  Items 7a and 7b should be completed, indicating Direct Costs (in 
$25,000 increments up to a maximum of $250,000) and Total Costs (Modular Total 
Direct plus Facilities and Administrative (F&A;) costs) for the initial budget 
period.  Items 8a and 8b should be completed indicating the Direct and Total 
Costs for the entire proposed period of support.

o DETAILED BUDGET FOR THE INITIAL BUDGET PERIOD – Do not complete Form Page 4 
of the PHS 398.  It is not required and will not be accepted with the 
application.

o BUDGET FOR THE ENTIRE PROPOSED PERIOD OF SUPPORT – Do not complete the 
categorical budget table on Form Page 5 of the PHS 398.  It is not required 
and will not be accepted with the application.

o NARRATIVE BUDGET JUSTIFICATION – Prepare a Modular Grant Budget Narrative 
page.  (See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm for 
sample pages.)  At the top of the page, enter the total direct costs requested 
for each year.  This is not a Form page.

o Under Personnel, list all project personnel, including their names, percent 
of effort, and roles on the project.  No individual salary information should 
be provided.  However, the applicant should use the NIH appropriation language 
salary cap and the NIH policy for graduate student compensation in developing 
the budget request.

o For Consortium/Contractual costs, provide an estimate of total costs (direct 
plus facilities and administrative) for each year, each rounded to the nearest 
$1,000.  List the individuals/organizations with whom consortium or 
contractual arrangements have been made, the percent effort of key personnel, 
and the role on the project.  Indicate whether the collaborating institution 
is foreign or domestic.  The total cost for a consortium/contractual 
arrangement is included in the overall requested modular direct cost amount.  
Include the Letter of Intent to establish a consortium.

o Provide an additional narrative budget justification for any variation in 
the number of modules requested.

o BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH – The Biographical Sketch provides information used by 
reviewers in the assessment of each individual’s qualifications for a specific 
role in the proposed project, as well as to evaluate the overall 
qualifications of the research team.  A biographical sketch is required for 
all key personnel, following the instructions below.  No more than three pages 
may be used for each person.  A sample biographical sketch may be viewed at:  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm

-  Complete the educational block at the top of the form page;
-  List position(s) and any honors;
-  Provide information, including overall goals and responsibilities, on 
research projects ongoing or completed during the last three years;
-  List selected peer-reviewed publications, with full citations.

o CHECKLIST – This page should be completed and submitted with the 
application.  If the F&A; rate agreement has been established, indicate the 
type of agreement and the date.  All appropriate exclusions must be applied in 
the calculation of the F&A; costs for the initial budget period and all future 
budget years.

o The applicant should provide the name and phone number of the individual to 
contact concerning fiscal and administrative issues if additional information 
is necessary following the initial review.

Applications not conforming to these guidelines will be considered 
unresponsive to the PA and will be returned without further review.

Applicants planning to submit an investigator-initiated new (Type 1), 
competing continuation (Type 2), competing supplement, or any amended/revised 
version of the preceding grant application types requesting $500,000 or more 
in direct costs for any year are advised that he or she must contact the 
Institute program staff before submitting the application, i.e., as plans for 
the study are being developed.  Furthermore, the applicant must obtain 
agreement from the Institute staff that the Institute will accept the 
application for consideration for award.  Finally, the applicant must 
identify, in a cover letter sent with the application, the staff member and 
Institute who agreed to accept assignment of the application.

This policy requires an applicant to obtain agreement for acceptance of both 
any such application and any such subsequent amendment.  Refer to the NIH 
Guide for Grants and Contracts, March 20, 1998 at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-030.html

Any application subject to this policy that does not contain the required 
information in a cover letter sent with the application will be returned to 
the applicant without review.

The title and number of the program announcement must be typed on line 2 of 
the face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the 
Checklist, and five signed photocopies in one package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 - MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for courier-overnight mail service)

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral 
guidelines.  Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit 
by an appropriate scientific review group in accordance with the standard NIH 
peer review procedures.  As part of the initial merit review, all applications 
will receive a written critique and undergo a process in which only those  
applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top 
half of applications under review, will be discussed, assigned a priority 
score, and receive a second level review by the appropriate national advisory 
council or board.

Review Criteria

The goals of the NIH-supported research are to enhance health, improve the 
control of disease, and advance understanding of biological systems. In the 
written comments reviewers will be asked to discuss the following aspects of 
the application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research 
will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals.  Each of these 
criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score, 
weighting them as appropriate for each application.  Note that the application 
does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major 
scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score.  For example, an 
investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not 
innovative but is essential to move a field forward.

Criteria to be considered in evaluating applications for scientific-technical 
merit are:

(1) Significance:  Does this study address an important problem?  If the aims 
of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?  
What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive 
this field?

(2) Approach:  Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses 
adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the 
project?  Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider 
alternative tactics?

(3) Innovation:  Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or 
methods?  Are the aims original and innovative?  Does the project challenge 
existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

(4) Investigators:  Is the investigator appropriately trained and well-suited 
to carry out this work?  Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience 
level of the principal investigator and other researchers (if any)?

(5) Environment:  Does the scientific environment in which the work will be 
done contribute to the probability of success?  Do the proposed experiments 
take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ 
useful collaborative arrangements?  Is there evidence of institutional 
support?

(6) Quality and strength of the proposed partnership:  Is there evidence that 
the partnership among the investigator team, the Children’s Service Program 
site administrators, project staff, and families is strong and likely to be 
sustained throughout the project?

(7) Adequacy of the proposed means for protecting against or minimizing 
adverse effects to human subjects

(8) Adequacy of plans for recruitment and retention of research participants

(9) Adequacy of plans to ensure that informed consent procedures are to be 
strictly followed.  The research participants must by fully informed regarding 
the purpose and potential uses of the research, and the possible positive or 
negative effects.  Participants must be informed of their freedom to refrain 
from answering any or all questions, and every effort must be made to be sure 
that the participants understand all aspects of the assessment activities, and 
that efforts to ensure confidentiality are fully addressed.

The initial review group will also examine the provisions for the protection 
of human and animal subjects, the safety of the research environment, the 
appropriateness of proposed project budget and duration; the adequacy of plans 
to include both genders, minorities and their subgroups, and children as 
appropriate for the scientific goals of the research.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended 
applications assigned to the Institute.  The following will be considered in 
making funding decisions:  Quality of the proposed project as determined by 
peer review, availability of funds, and program priority.

INQUIRIES

NIMH staff are available for consultation concerning application development 
in advance of or during the process of preparing an application. Potential 
applicants are advised to contact NIMH as early as possible for information 
and assistance in initiating the application process and developing an 
application.  CMHS staff of SAMHSA are available for consultation on the 
Children’s Service Program sites.

Direct inquiries regarding NIMH research issues to:

Heather Ringeisen, Ph.D.
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Blvd., Rm 6200
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone:  (301) 443-9263
E-Mail:  HRINGEIS@NIH.GOV 

Kimberly Hoagwood, Ph.D.
Division of Services and Intervention Research
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Blvd., Rm 7131
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone:  (301) 443-3364
E-Mail:  KHOAGWOO@NIH.GOV

Direct inquiries regarding the CMHS Children’s Services Program to:

Rolando L. Santiago, Ph.D.
Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch
Center for Mental Health Services
5600 Fishers Lane, Rm. 11C-16
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-1333
E-mail:  RSANTIAG@SAMHSA.GOV 

Diane Sondheimer, M.S., M.P.H.
Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch
Center for Mental Health Services
5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 11C-16
Rockville, MD  20857
Telephone:  (301) 443-1333
E-mail:  DSONDHEI@SAMHSA.GOV

Direct inquiries regarding NIDA research issues to:

Elizabeth Rahdert, Ph.D.
Division of Treatment Research and Development
National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Blvd., Rm 4230
Bethesda, MD 20892
Telephone:  (301) 443-0107
E-Mail:  erahdert@nida.gov 

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters for NIMH to:

Diana S. Trunnell
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Blvd., Room 6115
Bethesda, MD  20892-9605
Telephone: (301) 443-2805
Fax:  301-443-6885
Email:  Diana_Trunnell@nih.gov 

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters for NIDA to:

Gary Fleming, J.D., M.A.
Grants Management Branch
National Institute on Drug Abuse
6001 Executive Blvd., Room 3131, MSC 9541
Bethesda, MD 20892-9541
Telephone:  (301) 443- 6710
Fax:  (301) 594-6847
E-Mail:  gf6s@nih.gov 

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 
93.242 (NIMH) and 93.277 (NIDA).  Awards are made under authorization of the 
Public Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 78-410, as amended by 
Public Law 99-158, 42 USC 241 and 285) and administered under PHS grants 
policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Part 74.  This program 
is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 
12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a 
smoke-free workplace and promote the nonuse of all tobacco products.  In 
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking 
in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which 
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early 
childhood development services are provided to children.  This is consistent 
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of 
the American people.


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