Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HD 23 035

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 23 035

The Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence (U54 Clinical Trial Optional) funding opportunity (RFA HD 23 035) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement designed to build and support research centers focused on reducing preventable maternal deaths, lowering severe maternal morbidity, and advancing maternal health equity. The program is centered on the reality that poor maternal outcomes are not evenly distributed, and it explicitly prioritizes work done in partnership with communities that experience disproportionate harm, including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations, sexual and gender minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, and underserved rural communities. The underlying expectation is that meaningful progress requires community-engaged research approaches that reflect lived experiences, address barriers to care, and produce findings that can be acted on in real-world settings.

A key theme of the initiative is an integrated, multi-level research strategy that combines social, structural, clinical, and biobehavioral perspectives to tackle the many interconnected drivers of maternal morbidity and mortality. The FOA highlights both medical and non-medical contributors. On the medical side, it points to comorbidities that commonly raise pregnancy risk and complicate postpartum recovery, such as hypertension, diabetes, mental illness, and substance use disorders. On the non-medical side, it emphasizes social determinants of health and system-level factors, including structural racism and health care system dynamics that influence access, quality, continuity of care, and patient experience. The aim is for trans-disciplinary teams to design multi-layered research programs that do more than describe problems, instead producing innovative approaches with the potential to sharply reduce pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths and lessen severe maternal complications.

The research supported under this announcement can be either interventional or observational, and the "clinical trial optional" designation signals that applications may include clinical trials but are not required to do so. Interventional projects may include effectiveness studies, comparative effectiveness research, intervention optimization, or dissemination and implementation studies focused on getting evidence-based practices adopted and sustained in routine care. Observational work can include health services research, natural experiments, and policy analyses, among other designs, and projects may examine outcomes across both short-term and long-term horizons, recognizing that maternal health risks and consequences can extend well beyond delivery and the immediate postpartum period. The overall structure encourages research that can generate actionable evidence across clinical settings, community settings, and policy environments.

Another defining aspect of the opportunity is its "center" model and cooperative agreement mechanism. As a U54 cooperative agreement, awardees typically operate with substantial NIH program involvement compared to standard research grants, and they are expected to function as part of a broader initiative rather than as isolated projects. The FOA notes that these Research Centers will be positioned to collaborate with other NICHD-supported efforts and networks, including the NICHD Neonatal Research Network and the NICHD Maternal and Pediatric Precision in Therapeutics (MPRINT) initiative, which points to an emphasis on coordination, shared learning, and opportunities for multi-site or harmonized work where appropriate.

Eligibility is broad across domestic U.S. organizations and includes many government and non-government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, tribal organizations that are not federally recognized, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible agencies of the federal government, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly excludes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions from applying, prohibits non-domestic components of U.S. organizations, and does not allow foreign components as defined by NIH policy.

From the administrative details provided, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement funding instrument. It sits within NIH program areas reflected by multiple CFDA numbers and is tied to the maternal and child health and broader health research mission spaces. The original closing date listed is December 5, 2022, and the award ceiling shown is $17,500,000. The overall intent is to create well-resourced, collaborative research centers capable of producing rigorous, community-informed evidence and translating it into approaches that measurably improve maternal outcomes and narrow inequities that have persisted across populations and settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.172, 93.213, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.313, 93.350, 93.361, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-05. (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 $17,500,000.00 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.

Apply for RFA HD 23 035

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