Dementia Care and Caregiver Support Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trial Required) | RFA AG 18 030

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 18 030

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Dementia Care and Caregiver Support Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trial Required)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-AG-18-030; CFDA 93.866) is a discretionary health research grant designed to move promising dementia care and caregiver support approaches closer to real-world use. The central aim is not simply to test an intervention under ideal conditions, but to build the practical foundation needed for pragmatic trials and broader implementation in everyday community and clinical settings for people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and for the family members and other caregivers who support them.

This FOA specifically supports early-stage behavioral intervention development clinical trials aligned with Stage I, II, and III of the NIH Stage Model. In plain terms, that means research teams are expected to work on developing, refining, and strengthening interventions before large-scale effectiveness trials. Projects can focus on adapting or modifying existing dementia care or caregiver interventions so they fit real-world constraints such as staffing, time, setting, cultural context, and available resources. The opportunity also emphasizes understanding what makes an intervention work by examining the underlying principles or mechanisms, rather than treating the program as a "black box."

A major theme is implementation readiness. Applicants are encouraged to develop and test methods that help ensure fidelity in the real world, meaning the intervention can be delivered consistently and correctly outside of tightly controlled research environments. Alongside fidelity, the FOA calls for development of training procedures for the people who will actually deliver the intervention in the community, such as care managers, social workers, nurses, community health workers, aging services staff, or other front-line personnel depending on the setting. The intent is to produce interventions that are not only effective in theory, but deliverable, teachable, and sustainable in the places where people with ADRD and their caregivers already receive support.

The award uses the NIH R01 mechanism and explicitly requires a clinical trial, signaling that funded projects must include prospective assignment to an intervention and evaluate health- or behavior-related outcomes consistent with NIH's clinical trial definition. The listed award ceiling is $350,000, and the original closing date for the opportunity was April 10, 2018, with the FOA created on February 5, 2018. The sponsoring agency is NIH.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations capable of conducting and partnering on community-engaged dementia intervention research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and 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 and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants and partnership-relevant institutions such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility reflects the FOA's real-world focus, where effective dementia care and caregiver support often depends on collaborations across healthcare systems, social services, community organizations, and culturally specific institutions.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at accelerating the pathway from promising dementia care and caregiver support ideas to interventions that can realistically be delivered at scale. By funding early-stage clinical trials centered on adaptation, mechanism-focused refinement, fidelity strategies, and practical training approaches, NIH is seeking projects that reduce the gap between research and routine practice for ADRD care and caregiving support.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dementia Care and Caregiver Support Interventions (R01 - Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-04-10. (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 $350,000.00 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 AG 18 030

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