U.S. Tobacco Control Policies to Reduce Health Disparities (R21) | PAR 17 218

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 218

The U.S. Tobacco Control Policies to Reduce Health Disparities (R21) funding opportunity (PAR-17-218) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant designed to support early-stage, exploratory research that can lead to practical policy solutions for reducing tobacco-related health disparities in the United States. Using the NIH R21 mechanism, the program emphasizes innovative, potentially high-impact ideas that may still be in the earlier phases of development but are grounded in clear public health relevance. The overall intent is to encourage studies that help close the gap in tobacco use and tobacco-caused disease burden that disproportionately affects certain vulnerable or underserved groups.

At its core, the FOA funds observational research (for example, analyses of real-world policy impacts using population data) and intervention research (for example, evaluating a policy change or a policy-driven program) that focuses on tobacco control policies. The central outcome applicants are expected to target is a measurable reduction in tobacco use disparities across populations, rather than only overall prevalence. In other words, projects should be designed to show how a specific prevention or control strategy can reduce unequal tobacco use patterns and, over the long run, reduce unequal health outcomes tied to tobacco exposure. The emphasis on policy makes it especially relevant for work that connects research evidence to real-world decision-making, such as assessing which approaches are most effective for populations that have historically faced higher tobacco use, higher exposure to targeted marketing, reduced access to cessation supports, or other structural barriers to health.

The longer-term goal of the program is to reduce health disparities in outcomes by lowering the excess disease burden caused by tobacco within disproportionately affected groups. That includes preventing initiation, promoting cessation, reducing relapse, limiting exposure to tobacco smoke and aerosol, and addressing other pathways through which tobacco contributes to chronic disease and premature mortality. While the announcement text does not prescribe a single policy type, it signals strong interest in “innovative tobacco control policies,” which typically includes policies affecting product availability, pricing and taxation, retail environment rules, advertising and marketing restrictions, smoke-free laws, access to cessation treatment, and other regulatory or community-level approaches intended to shift behavior and reduce harm at scale.

The FOA also flags health economics as an area where applicants should be especially careful to align with NIH priorities. Specifically, applicants proposing health economics-related projects are encouraged to consult NIH guidance (NOT-OD-16-025) to confirm that the planned work fits NIH’s mission priorities in health economics research. In practical terms, this suggests that economic analyses are welcome when they are clearly tied to public health impact and health equity goals, such as evaluating policy cost-effectiveness, economic barriers to cessation, or how pricing policies affect different populations, but they should be framed in a way that matches NIH expectations for health economics within biomedical and public health research.

A wide range of U.S.-based organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, special district), independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The announcement also includes public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, as well as “other” eligible entities as defined by NIH. In addition, the FOA explicitly highlights several categories of organizations as eligible applicants, including 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), and certain Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized tribes. It also notes eligibility for faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible agencies of the federal government. This broad eligibility reflects the reality that tobacco disparities often require partnerships and research capacity that span academia, community organizations, healthcare systems, housing authorities, and governmental public health agencies.

Foreign participation is clearly restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. The intent is that the work, the institutions, and the research activities supported under this FOA remain fully domestic and focused on U.S. populations and policy contexts.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.393, with an award ceiling of $200,000 (as provided in the source data). The original closing date shown is January 23, 2018, and the opportunity was created on May 26, 2017, indicating it is a dated announcement in the provided record. Even so, the structure and priorities described are useful as a model for what NIH looks for in tobacco policy and disparities-focused R21 projects: a clear focus on vulnerable populations, a policy-driven prevention and control approach, and a research design that can generate actionable evidence to reduce inequities in tobacco use and the resulting health outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Tobacco Control Policies to Reduce Health Disparities (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-05-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-23. (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 $200,000.00 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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