The Environmental Health Disparities (EHD) Centers program, funded by multiple NIH organizations, supports multidisciplinary research, capacity building, and community-engaged projects targeting environmental health disparities and environmental justice. These centers aim to address health inequities linked to environmental factors among minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and other groups disproportionately affected by adverse environmental conditions. This initiative aligns with NIH's broader mission to promote health equity and includes elements such as intervention research, community partnerships, and training for early-career investigators.
The program expects to award $9 million to fund 4-6 centers in FY2025, with a maximum annual budget of $1 million in direct costs per center for up to five years. Applicants must include required components in their proposals: an Administrative Core, an Investigator Development Core, a Community Engagement and Dissemination Core, and at least one research project. These components must address NIH-defined populations experiencing health disparities, prioritize innovative strategies, and incorporate community engagement to ensure sustainable impacts.
Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, nonprofits, tribal governments, local governments, and other U.S.-based entities. Foreign entities and components are not eligible. Registration in SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov is mandatory, and applicants must comply with the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. Applications must include detailed evaluation plans, use existing NIH resources where possible, and follow NIH guidance on environmental justice research.
The application deadline is January 28, 2025, with letters of intent due by December 28, 2024. Proposals will be evaluated for their scientific merit, community engagement, innovative approaches, and alignment with NIH priorities. A technical assistance webinar will be held on October 22, 2024, to provide guidance for applicants.
This funding opportunity prioritizes projects that integrate environmental justice with research on social determinants of health, emphasizing actionable interventions, community partnerships, and scalable solutions. It underscores the NIH's commitment to addressing systemic environmental health inequities and fostering collaborative, multidisciplinary research.
