Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 21 008
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) Wave 6 funding opportunity (RFA-AG-21-008) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) announcement seeking a cooperative agreement (U01; clinical trial not allowed) to carry Add Health into its next 5-year cycle through a sixth wave of data collection. Add Health is a long-running, nationally representative cohort that began in 1994-1995 with adolescents in grades 7-12 (roughly ages 12-19), primarily individuals born between 1976 and 1982. Those same participants are now moving into middle age, which makes this next wave especially valuable for understanding how early-life and young adult experiences shape health, functioning, and inequality later on.
The core purpose of Wave VI is to re-contact and re-interview cohort members and to capture new, midlife-relevant data at scale while maintaining the study's rigorous longitudinal design. The FOA calls for a mixed-mode approach that combines web-based and in-person interviewing, backed by strong, proactive efforts to minimize attrition. A major emphasis is placed on aggressive non-response follow-up to protect representativeness over time and to reduce bias that can emerge when harder-to-reach participants drop out. The announcement also highlights targeted oversamples of race/ethnic-minority and low-socioeconomic-status participants to strengthen the study's ability to analyze health disparities and the social determinants that drive them.
A second major pillar of Wave VI is an in-home health examination component, including venous blood collection. This expands the study beyond self-reported survey data and basic measures, allowing the project to generate objective biological indicators of disease risk and health status. The FOA explicitly includes the expectation that collected biological specimens will be assayed for biomarkers of disease, enabling analyses that connect social exposures and life-course experiences with physiological pathways and emerging chronic conditions in midlife. In addition, specimens are expected to be stored for future scientific use, supporting downstream research as new questions and laboratory methods develop.
Wave VI is also intended to deepen measurement in content areas that become increasingly important in midlife and later-life research. The FOA points to domains such as cumulative stress, discrimination, work-life balance, and caregiving, all of which can affect health trajectories, mental health, economic stability, and disparities. In practical terms, this means applicants are expected to propose enhancements that capture how sustained exposures and responsibilities accumulate over decades and how these experiences differ across social groups, potentially explaining gaps in aging outcomes.
Beyond data collection, the opportunity places heavy responsibility on data stewardship and community value. Awardees are expected to clean and document the Wave VI data thoroughly, disseminate it to the broader scientific community, and archive both data and biological specimens in ways that preserve long-term accessibility and usefulness. The FOA also stresses actively promoting the Wave VI data to researchers, particularly to support aging research, which implies not just depositing files but producing high-quality documentation, user guidance, and well-managed access processes that help investigators use the resource responsibly and efficiently.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning NIH will likely have substantial programmatic involvement during the project compared with a typical research project grant. The CFDA numbers listed for the opportunity are 93.275, 93.307, 93.865, and 93.866. The award ceiling is $4,500,000, and the original closing date was May 18, 2020, with the FOA created on February 26, 2020. While the text does not specify the exact number of expected awards in the provided excerpt, the structure and scope indicate support for a large, centralized effort capable of conducting national follow-up, field operations, biospecimen handling, laboratory assays, and public-use dissemination.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply; however, foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means discrete, justified international elements can participate under a U.S.-led application.
In short, this FOA is designed to keep Add Health scientifically current and methodologically strong as the cohort enters midlife, pairing modern mixed-mode surveys with in-home exams and blood-based biomarkers, strengthening representation through intensive follow-up and oversampling, and delivering a well-documented, widely shared dataset and biorepository that can power the next generation of research on aging, health, and disparities.Apply for RFA AG 21 008
- The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) Wave 6 (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.275, 93.307, 93.865, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2020-02-26.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-18. (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 $4,500,000.00 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Add Health Wave 6 funding opportunity?
This opportunity (RFA-AG-21-008) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) announcement seeking support to conduct the sixth wave of data collection for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) over the next 5-year cycle. The goal is to continue tracking the long-running, nationally representative Add Health cohort as participants move into midlife.
What funding mechanism is being used?
The announcement uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U01). It is explicitly listed as "clinical trial not allowed."
What does a cooperative agreement (U01) imply for how the project will be run?
Because this is a cooperative agreement, NIH is expected to have substantial programmatic involvement during the project compared with a typical research project grant. The awardee would be responsible for carrying out the work, while NIH would likely play an active role in oversight and coordination consistent with the cooperative agreement structure.
What is the overall purpose of Wave VI?
The core purpose is to re-contact and re-interview Add Health cohort members and collect new, midlife-relevant data at scale while maintaining the study's rigorous longitudinal design. Wave VI is positioned as especially valuable because the original adolescent participants are now entering middle age, enabling research on how early-life and young adult experiences shape later health, functioning, and inequality.
Who is the Add Health cohort being followed?
Add Health began in 1994-1995 with adolescents in grades 7-12 (roughly ages 12-19), primarily individuals born between 1976 and 1982. Wave VI aims to follow those same participants as they transition into midlife.
What data collection approach does the FOA call for?
The FOA calls for a mixed-mode approach combining web-based and in-person interviewing. This approach is meant to support broad participation while preserving the quality and continuity expected in a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study.
How does the FOA address participant attrition and non-response?
A major emphasis is placed on strong, proactive efforts to minimize attrition, including aggressive non-response follow-up. The stated goal is to protect representativeness over time and reduce bias that can arise when harder-to-reach participants drop out.
Does Wave VI include oversampling of certain populations?
Yes. The announcement highlights targeted oversamples of race/ethnic-minority and low-socioeconomic-status participants. This is intended to strengthen the study's ability to analyze health disparities and the social determinants driving those disparities.
What is the in-home health examination component?
Wave VI includes an in-home health examination component that includes venous blood collection. This expands the study beyond self-reported survey data and basic measures to include objective biological indicators of health status and disease risk.
Will biological specimens be used for biomarker assays?
Yes. The FOA explicitly includes the expectation that collected biological specimens will be assayed for biomarkers of disease. This supports analyses connecting social exposures and life-course experiences to physiological pathways and emerging chronic conditions in midlife.
Will specimens be stored for future research use?
Yes. In addition to immediate assays, specimens are expected to be stored for future scientific use, enabling downstream research as new questions and laboratory methods develop.
What content areas does the FOA emphasize for deeper midlife measurement?
The FOA points to domains that become increasingly important in midlife and later-life research, including cumulative stress, discrimination, work-life balance, and caregiving. Applicants are expected to propose enhancements that capture how sustained exposures and responsibilities accumulate over decades and how these experiences differ across social groups.
What responsibilities are expected for data stewardship and dissemination?
Awardees are expected to clean and document the Wave VI data thoroughly, disseminate it to the broader scientific community, and archive both data and biological specimens to preserve long-term accessibility and usefulness. The FOA also stresses actively promoting Wave VI data to researchers, particularly to support aging research, implying strong documentation, user guidance, and well-managed access processes.
Is the goal only to collect data, or also to support the broader research community?
It includes both. Beyond data collection, the FOA emphasizes community value through high-quality documentation, dissemination, archiving, and active promotion of the Wave VI resource so researchers can use the data and specimens responsibly and efficiently.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed is $4,500,000.
How many awards will be made?
The provided information does not specify the exact number of expected awards. However, the scope and structure indicate support for a large, centralized effort capable of national follow-up, field operations, biospecimen handling, laboratory assays, and dissemination.
What are the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA numbers listed are 93.275, 93.307, 93.865, and 93.866.
When was the FOA created, and what was the original closing date?
The FOA was created on February 26, 2020, and the original closing date was May 18, 2020.
What types of U.S. organizations are eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses.
Are specific institution types explicitly called out as eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.
Are non-U.S. (non-domestic) entities eligible to apply as the primary applicant?
No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization.
Are foreign components allowed in any form?
Yes. Foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. This generally means a U.S.-led application may include discrete, justified international elements consistent with NIH policy.
What kind of scientific value does Wave VI add compared to earlier waves?
Wave VI is designed to capture midlife-relevant measures at scale, pairing mixed-mode surveys with in-home health exams and blood-based biomarkers. This combination enables analyses that link early-life and young adult experiences to objective biological indicators and emerging chronic conditions in midlife, while maintaining longitudinal continuity.
Why is maintaining representativeness a major focus of the FOA?
The FOA emphasizes aggressive non-response follow-up and targeted oversampling to reduce bias that can develop when harder-to-reach participants drop out. Protecting representativeness over time is central to the validity of a nationally representative longitudinal cohort.
What operational capabilities does the FOA implicitly require?
Based on the scope described, the FOA implies the need for a large, centralized effort capable of national follow-up and field operations, mixed-mode interviewing, in-home examinations, venous blood collection, biospecimen handling and storage, biomarker assays, and production of well-documented data products for dissemination.
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