Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 149
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement PA 18-149, titled "Palliative Care Needs of Individuals with Advanced Rare Diseases and Their Family Caregivers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)," is a discretionary grant program using the R01 research project grant mechanism. Its central aim is to strengthen the scientific evidence base for palliative care in the context of advanced rare diseases, including rare cancers, with a clear emphasis on improving both physical symptoms and psychosocial well-being. The opportunity is designed to support research that ultimately increases quality of life for people living with serious, advanced rare conditions and also addresses the needs of family caregivers who often shoulder substantial emotional, practical, and financial burdens.
The FOA focuses on expanding knowledge about what palliative care should look like for rare disease populations, where typical care models and evidence drawn from more common illnesses may not translate well. Rare diseases often bring unique trajectories, uncertain prognoses, limited treatment options, fragmented expertise, and high caregiver responsibility. This announcement is meant to encourage rigorous studies that identify unmet palliative care needs, test or refine palliative care interventions, and generate actionable findings that clinicians and health systems can use to deliver better supportive care earlier and more effectively. Because it is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," applicants may propose either clinical trial research or non-trial research, as long as the proposed approach is appropriate for advancing palliative care knowledge and practice in advanced rare diseases.
Projects supported under this FOA would generally be expected to address outcomes that matter to patients and caregivers, including symptom burden (such as pain, fatigue, dyspnea, nausea, insomnia), psychological distress (anxiety, depression, existential or spiritual distress), social functioning, communication and decision-making support, caregiver strain, bereavement-related outcomes, and overall quality of life. The announcement explicitly includes family caregivers as a population of interest, signaling that proposals can and should consider dyadic or family-centered approaches, caregiver support interventions, and studies that measure caregiver outcomes rather than treating caregivers as secondary or incidental participants.
The program falls under NIH funding activity categories tied to education and health, and it is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.361, 93.393, 93.395, 93.399), indicating alignment with NIH institutes and centers that support research in areas related to aging, cancer, and other health domains relevant to palliative care and serious illness. While the source text does not list an award ceiling or expected number of awards, the use of an R01 mechanism typically implies substantial, multi-year support for well-developed research projects with strong preliminary rationale and a clear plan for generating generalizable knowledge.
Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic applicants: state, county, and local 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; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant types, reinforcing that applications are welcomed from Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Hispanic-serving institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized; regional organizations; U.S. territories or possessions; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations may also apply. This breadth is consistent with the reality that rare disease expertise and patient populations may be geographically dispersed, and that impactful palliative care research may be rooted in academic medical centers, community settings, or specialized advocacy and care networks.
Key administrative details provided in the source include the original posting date (CreationDate: 2017-11-07) and an OriginalClosingDate of 2020-01-07, suggesting the opportunity was open during that period. The overall intent, regardless of specific research design, is to produce stronger evidence and practical insights that improve supportive care delivery for individuals with advanced rare diseases and rare cancers, while explicitly recognizing that caregiver well-being is an essential target for improving outcomes in serious illness.Apply for PA 18 149
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Palliative Care Needs of Individuals with Advanced Rare Diseases and Their Family Caregivers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361, 93.393, 93.395, 93.399.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-07.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- 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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| International Research Collaboration on Drug Abuse and Addiction Research (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 065 Funding Number: PA 18 065 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| International Research Collaboration on Drug Abuse and Addiction Research (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 066 Funding Number: PA 18 066 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| AIDS-Science Track Award for Research Transition (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 072 Funding Number: PA 18 072 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Stimulating Innovations in Behavioral Intervention Research for Cancer Prevention and Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 018 Funding Number: PAR 18 018 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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