Grants for City or township governments - Environment

This funding opportunity provides financial support for Ohio-based organizations to develop educational projects that raise awareness about critical environmental issues, targeting specific audiences such as students and the general public.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects aimed at reducing lead in drinking water in disadvantaged communities, particularly those with recent lead action level exceedances or in schools and childcare facilities, while promoting public health and environmental justice.

This grant provides funding to public agencies in California for the development and improvement of boat launching facilities to enhance recreational water access and support community development.

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee (EMC), serving as an advisory body to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, aims to fund scientific research that tests the effectiveness of the California Forest Practice Rules and associated regulations. This includes addressing natural resource issues such as watershed science, wildlife concerns, and wildfire hazard. Proposals are sought that focus on one or more of EMC's Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions, particularly those that contribute to understanding and enhancing wildfire resilience and response to climate change across California's forestlands. Projects must directly relate to management activities on private timberlands in the state, although those on public lands may qualify if they demonstrate relevance to non-federal timberland activities.

This funding opportunity supports landowners, watershed groups, and nonprofits in Montana to improve fish habitats and populations by restoring natural stream channels, enhancing fish passage, and protecting essential spawning areas.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for U.S.-based institutions and organizations to develop and implement innovative vehicle technologies, including advanced batteries and smart charging infrastructure, while promoting workforce development and sustainability.

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is the first in an anticipated series of Landowner Support for Forest Resilience NOFOs. Landowner Support for Forest Resilience is currently funded by four Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provisions (Public Law No: 117-169. Subtitle D, Sec. 23002(a) (1 ), (2), (3), and (4)), which encompass cost share and payment incentives for forestry practices and support participation of underserved landowners and small-acreage landowners (owning less than 2,500 acres) in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience. Landowner Support for Forest Resilience falls under the USDA Forest Service's existing Landscape Scale Restoration Program, as authorized under Section 13A of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2109a). This program advances the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 Initiative. Established by Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the Justice40 Initiative has made it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments, such as climate, clean energy, and other areas, flow to disadvantaged communities. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) solicits proposals for two IRA provisions: Subtitle D, Sec. 23002 (a)(2) and Subtitle D, Sec. 23002 (a)(3). These provisions provide the USDA Forest Service with funding to:Support the participation of underserved forest landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience.Support the participation of forest landowners who own less than 2,500 acres of forest land in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience.

This program provides flexible funding to local governments to improve housing, infrastructure, and economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals in their communities.

The Springfield Foundation's Competitive Grant Program aims to support the entire Clark County community through six focus areas: Arts & Culture, Civic Affairs, Education, Environment, Conservation & Animal Welfare, Health, and Human Services. This grant program is aligned with the foundation's mission to foster a community with strong cultural vitality, engaged citizens, improved environmental awareness, quality education, better health outcomes, and a strong safety net for human needs. The foundation emphasizes a holistic approach, addressing various facets of community well-being and growth. The program targets a wide range of beneficiaries, including individuals of all ages experiencing art and culture, Clark County citizens for civic engagement, residents for environmental appreciation, children for early education and college readiness, individuals at risk of unintended pregnancies and STIs, those with mental health issues or chronic diseases, and families/individuals needing human services. The impact goals are to increase diversity and attendance at arts and culture events, improve civic knowledge and participation, increase environmental awareness and pet welfare, boost kindergarten readiness and college/career preparedness, improve reproductive and mental health, better manage chronic diseases, and achieve financial stability and positive outcomes for all people, especially youth and seniors. The foundation prioritizes increasing opportunities for artists and audiences, educating and engaging active citizens, fostering environmental appreciation and reducing homeless pets, increasing enrollment in early childhood programs and post-secondary preparation, impacting community health by addressing unintended pregnancies and STIs, improving mental health and chronic disease management, and assisting families and individuals with emergency needs, family breakdown prevention, economic self-sufficiency, and independent living. A key strategic priority is also promoting positive outcomes for all people, with specific attention to youth and seniors. The expected outcomes and measurable results include increased diversity and attendance at arts and culture events, improved civic knowledge and participation, increased citizen participation in environmental activities, a decrease in homeless pets, more children enrolling in early childhood programs, increased parental involvement in education, more students in post-secondary preparation, improved mental health outcomes, decreased incidence of unintended pregnancies and STIs, better management of chronic diseases, and increased financial independence and overall quality of life for individuals and families. The foundation's theory of change appears to be that by investing in these diverse focus areas, they can create a more vibrant, engaged, educated, healthy, and supportive community for all residents of Clark County.

The Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) has established a grant program to fund research and development proposals addressing critical issues in wastewater, drinking water, water resource management, solid waste management, and energy resource development within Ohio. This program aligns with OWDA's mission to engage in research and development in these key areas, aiming to foster innovation and implement solutions that benefit the state. The grants are designed to support projects that fulfill a general need in Ohio and fall within the Authority's scope of powers. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are a range of public entities and academic institutions. Eligible participants include Local Government Agencies (Cities, Villages, and Counties), Water/Sewer Districts, Conservancy Districts, State agencies, and Institutions of higher learning that conduct research and/or development. The program seeks to achieve broad impact across the state by funding projects that address environmental and natural resource challenges, ultimately improving public health, water quality, and resource management for Ohio residents. Priority for grants will be given to projects that demonstrate statewide environmental and/or natural resource applications. OWDA has historically awarded grants in diverse areas such as surface water, wastewater, drinking water, solid waste, agriculture, and public health, indicating a comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship. The program focuses on fostering research and development that can lead to tangible and widespread benefits throughout Ohio, ensuring that the funded initiatives have a significant and positive impact on the state's natural resources and infrastructure. Expected outcomes include the successful completion of research and development projects that provide solutions to identified challenges in water, waste, and energy management. Grantees are required to submit a final report, which will serve as a measurable result of the program's effectiveness and the specific achievements of each funded project. While specific funding amounts can vary, the program typically offers between $100,000 to $500,000, with an allocated $200,000 dependent upon available funds, supporting eligible project costs such as start-up and research. Indirect/overhead costs are capped at 35% of the grant amount to ensure that the majority of funds are directed towards direct project activities.

The purpose of the NIH Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24) is to provide support to mid-career health-professional doctorates for protected time to devote to patient-oriented research (POR) and to act as research mentors primarily for clinical residents, clinical fellows and/or junior clinical faculty. Level of Effort Candidates must be able to demonstrate the need for protected time, 3-6 person months (25-50% of full-time professional effort) for a period of intensive research focus as a means of augmenting their capabilities in POR and ability to act as a mentor to new clinical investigators in the conduct of POR during this period. Candidates for the K24 award may not concurrently apply for any other PHS career award or have another PHS career award pending review. Candidates who have VA appointments may not consider part of the VA effort toward satisfying the full time requirement at the applicant institution. Candidates with VA appointments should contact the staff person in the relevant Institute or Center prior to preparing an application to discuss their eligibility. After the receipt of the award, adjustments to the required level of effort may be made in certain circumstances. See NOT-OD-09-036 for more details. Renewals Depending on the policies of the sponsoring NIH Institute/Center, awardees may apply for a one-time renewal for an additional three to five years of support if the recipient continues to have independent peer-reviewed research support at the time of submission of the renewal application. Candidates should clearly demonstrate their continuing need for protected time to expand their research programs. Peer-Reviewed Research Support Depending on the policies of the sponsoring NIH Institute/Center, candidates are expected to continue to hold independent peer-reviewed research support for the period of this award. Candidates losing this support during the award period must document in their annual Progress Reports efforts to replace this support and demonstrate that they continue to meet all other requirements of the career award. Institutional Environment The applicant institution must have a strong, well-established record of research and career development activities and faculty qualified to serve as mentors in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research.

The Hispanic Fund, an affiliate fund of the Community Foundation of Lorain County, is dedicated to improving and promoting socioeconomic and educational opportunities within the Hispanic community. This grant program is a direct reflection of the Community Foundation's broader mission to foster community well-being and addresses specific needs within the Hispanic population of Lorain County, Ohio. By focusing on areas such as citizen empowerment, neighborhood revitalization, public safety, and educational achievement, the program aligns with a comprehensive approach to community development and equity. The primary beneficiaries of this grant program are non-profit organizations and community members whose projects directly impact the Hispanic community. The program aims to achieve significant positive impacts, including enhanced citizen empowerment, improved living environments through neighborhood revitalization, increased public safety and reduced crime, and a greater understanding and implementation of collaborative solutions to community problems. Ultimately, the goal is to address the root causes of social ills and elevate educational attainment within the Hispanic community. The Hispanic Fund's grant program prioritizes projects that provide or work to improve several key areas. These include initiatives that empower Hispanic citizens, address neighborhood revitalization or environmental issues, and promote public safety, education, and crime/violence prevention. Furthermore, the fund seeks projects that offer collaborative solutions or new approaches to existing problems, and those that directly tackle the root causes of social challenges within the Hispanic community. A significant focus is also placed on programs that positively influence Hispanic educational achievement in both public and higher education settings. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed, the focus areas inherently suggest expected outcomes. For instance, projects addressing citizen empowerment could lead to increased civic participation, while educational initiatives would aim for improved academic performance and higher rates of public or higher education enrollment. Neighborhood revitalization projects would likely target improvements in local infrastructure and living conditions, and public safety initiatives would work towards a reduction in crime rates. The fund's strategic priority is to support initiatives that create lasting, positive change, operating under the theory that empowering and educating the Hispanic community will lead to broader societal benefits and improved quality of life.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to state and local governments or educational institutions that operate programs assisting small businesses in understanding and complying with environmental regulations, particularly in air quality and pollution control.

CWSRF funds water quality and wastewater treatment projects as well as storm water projects, including "green" projects. Principal forgiveness for qualifying small/disadvantaged/rural communities. The CWSRF program is a federal-state partnership that provides low-cost financing to communities for a wide range of water quality infrastructure projects, including municipal wastewater facilities, nonpoint source pollution control, decentralized wastewater treatment systems, stormwater runoff mitigation, green infrastructure, estuary protection, and water reuse. CWSRF provides low-interest, infrastructure loans to cities, counties, utility districts, and stormwater authorities.

The Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Trails (ORPT) Program, formerly known as the Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund (DTF), is a matching grant program in Delaware. Its core mission is to assist with public park land acquisition and the development of outdoor recreation facilities. This aligns with a broader foundation mission to enhance public access to green spaces and improve community well-being through recreation. The program emphasizes collaboration, encouraging partnerships between governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and other non-traditional recreation providers, though only municipalities and counties are eligible to apply. The primary beneficiaries of the ORPT Program are county and municipal governments and park districts in Delaware, along with the communities they serve. The impact goals are to increase and improve public parkland, open spaces, and outdoor recreation facilities across the state. This includes ensuring modern, safe, and universally accessible facilities for all residents. A key focus is also on supporting areas identified as having the highest social vulnerability, aiming to reduce disparities in access to quality outdoor recreation. The program prioritizes a diverse range of projects, including fee simple acquisition of parkland and open space, purchase of development rights, replacement of outdated facilities, and new construction of various outdoor recreation amenities such as athletic fields, playgrounds, swimming pools, picnic areas, and park infrastructure. Additionally, it supports professional services for park master planning and universal accessibility upgrades. This comprehensive approach ensures that both the physical spaces and the planning for their future development are addressed. Expected outcomes include a significant expansion of available parkland and open space, modernization of existing facilities, and the creation of new recreational opportunities for communities. Measurable results could include the number of acres acquired, the number of new or renovated facilities, increased visitor numbers, and improved scores on community health and well-being indicators in funded areas, especially those with high social vulnerability. The program's strategic priority on assisting vulnerable census tracts demonstrates a theory of change focused on equitable access and community resilience. The ORPT Program offers matching grant assistance, with municipalities and counties eligible for up to 50% of project costs. To further support areas with greater need, park districts, municipalities that have not previously received ORPT funds, and projects in Census Tracts identified with a high CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI score range 0.75 – 1.00) can receive up to 75% assistance. This tiered funding structure reflects a strategic priority to channel resources where they can have the greatest impact, aligning with a theory of change that targeted investment can address social inequities and foster healthier communities.

The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is offering a Public Green Space Grant Program to cities, counties, special districts, nonprofits, and community-based organizations within its service area. The program aims to provide grant funds for tree-planting projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance local communities. This initiative aligns with the IID's mission to support environmental stewardship and community development through tangible, local impact. The primary beneficiaries of this program are critically underserved or disadvantaged communities within Imperial Valley and Coachella Valley. The program specifically targets community groups that seek to green their areas, thereby addressing the critical need for GHG reduction and community beautification. The impact goals include not only environmental benefits through carbon sequestration but also the creation of greener, more aesthetically pleasing public spaces that can offer recreational benefits to residents. Program priorities favor projects that provide park or recreational benefits to underserved communities, are proposed by such communities, or develop partnerships with local organizations and businesses to strengthen outreach to disadvantaged communities. Additional points are given to projects that offer access to quality jobs, workforce education and training for residents, utilize interagency cooperation, or leverage existing public lands and resources, including schools. Projects that include matching or cost-sharing funds are also prioritized. Expected outcomes include a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through increased tree cover. Beyond environmental benefits, the program aims to foster community engagement and education around green initiatives. The maximum award per project is $35,000, with a total of $350,000 available through IID’s "Tree for All" program. Eligible costs include personnel, contractors, consultants, direct and indirect costs related to tree planting and maintenance during the grant period, and community education and engagement expenses, all contributing to the program's strategic objectives of community greening and climate action.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and independent artists in Sullivan County for arts, cultural, and heritage projects, whether in-person or virtual.

This grant provides funding to local governments in Colorado to develop plans for electric vehicle infrastructure, promoting climate action and clean transportation initiatives.

Recreational boating facility projects. Past projects have included ramps and service docks to gain access to the water, purchase of aquatic weed harvesting equipment, navigation aids and dredging waterway channels. These grants may be used by counties, towns, cities, villages, tribes, sanitary districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts and qualified lake associations for recreational boating facility projects. FOR GRANT REQUESTS IN EXCESS OF $250,000: Applications for RBF grants exceeding $250,000 are encouraged to be submitted to your regional DNR grants specialists in time for the June 1st, or September 1st, application deadlines. These larger grant requests take extra processing time and therefore are highly recommended for earlier evaluation, in the first two quarters of the fiscal year. Contact your regional DNR grants specialist as soon as possible, if you have a larger project and you are planning to apply for a RBF grant. DNR grants specialists can help with scheduling and grant processing.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support research that will advance the measurement and assessment of complex constructs relevant to minority health and health disparities.Research Objectives This initiative will support research to improve the measures and methods for complex social constructs that capture the lived experience of populations that experience health disparities. The NIH-designated U.S. populations with health disparities are racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual and gender minority groups, underserved rural populations, and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations of any race or ethnicity (https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/about/overview/). The objective of this initiative is to produce knowledge that can inform the field about the types of measurement approaches that may be most suitable for different health disparities-related research questions or specific populations, settings, or contexts. Projects are expected to examine the performance and utility of specific measurement and/or methodological approaches. Projects that simply use new or existing measures or methods to answer health disparities-related research questions, without examining their performance or utility, are not responsive to this FOA. Projects are encouraged to use multiple data sources across different levels and across multiple sectors when appropriate. However, because this initiative emphasizes capturing the lived experiences of individuals and populations, all projects are expected to include self-report measures or data in some way. Projects should also include relevant diversity (e.g., with respect to age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual or gender minority status, and/or geographic region) in sampling, enrollment, and data analysis needed to advance health disparities and health equity research and interventions development. Examples of potential study designs include but are not limited to the following: Testing the validity and reliability of one or more new or existing measures within a single project. Developing and validating new measures of complex social constructs (e.g., structural racism) that are associated with health disparities and health inequities. Examination of psychometric properties and/or patterns of findings with different measures of the same construct across existing studies or datasets. Mixed-methods approaches including the integration of qualitative and quantitative data (e.g., research in which qualitative interviews or focus groups inform the development of quantitative measures) in which participants complete quantitative measures and provide their perspectives on the measures via cognitive interviews, or other qualitative strategies. Examination of measurement of cultural or construct equivalence or invariance across populations with health disparities and subpopulations within these groups such as recent immigrants or persons with disabilities. Examination of utility and feasibility of incorporating novel data sources to assess higher-level determinants of health and health disparities such as structural racism. Examination of ethical issues related to different measurement or analytic strategies, including understanding and mitigating potential risk from individual or group harm from data collection, analysis or dissemination. Examination of alternative methods for collecting data for these measures. Examination of novel analytic methods for exploring the interacting influences of factors associated with health disparities that are measured at different levels, across time, and/or across settings. Areas of Research Interest NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE The mission of the National Eye Institute (www.nei.nih.gov) is to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research. The NEI supports basic and clinical research into diseases and disorders of the visual system and the special needs of people with impaired vision or who are blind. The NEI encourages innovative applications that will advance innovative development of new measures and methods, or testing and adaptation of existing measures and approaches, to address health disparities and health inequities in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of eye and vision conditions. NIMHD’s interests include, but are not limited to, the following: The lived experience of intersectionality, including self-identification, group affiliation, and multidimensional aspects of race and ethnicity as well as intersectional bias, stigma, and discrimination. Composite and cumulative exposure to adversity, including measures that encompass critical developmental periods, magnitude/frequency of exposure over time, and exposure and resilience across multiple levels and life stages. Measurement of protective and resilience factors, at both the individual (e.g., personality traits, psychological resources, behavioral skills) and sociocultureal levels (e.g., interpersonal, community, societal). The relationship between individual and higher-level determinants, including how neighborhood, community, and societal level determinants are associated with individual-level experiences, and in what circumstances higher-level social determinants can and cannot serve as proxies for individual-level determinants and vice versa. Advancing place-based indexes, composite measures and geocoded analysis, including best practices for clustering community and social level factors, level of granularity/area for specific purposes, ability to predict and explain health or health care disparities. Of interest are the extent to which these measures are predictive, and their usefulness in determining how structural racism and discrimination within regional or location specific conditions limit opportunities, resources, and power. Measurement of structural racism and discrimination, such as the facets, magnitude and cumulative effects of inequities in power, access, opportunities, treatment, and policy embedded in structures, institutions, and communities that contribute to inequities in health outcomes. Analytic methods to enable better understanding of the causes of health disparities, including identification of the causal pathways that connect the etiology (i.e., health determinants) with the effect (i.e., health disparities), especially with limited longitudinal data available. Advance analytic methods of small populations and population subgroups, including methods to analyze and interpret studies with large differences in population sample sizes (e.g., 100 vs 10,000). Methods are also needed to identify unique characteristics of population subgroups and within group heterogeneity. Development of culturally appropriate, unbiased health risk factors and outcome measures that are predictive across populations or tailored for populations. Testing and evaluation of accepted behavioral constructs in diverse populations to understand the science of behavior change in these groups. For example, measurement of behavioral intent is generally accepted as having a higher likelihood of actually doing this behavior although evidence in diverse communities is limited. National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute seeks applications that advance innovative development of new measures and methods, or testing and adaptation of existing measures and approaches, to address health disparities and health inequities in cancer prevention and control and survivorship. Applications of interest may include: Development, testing or adaptation of organizational, health system, and policy measures of structural racism, discrimination and SDOH. Advancement of measures and methods that facilitate development and testing of theories, models and frameworks that identify mechanisms by which Structural Racism influences cancer prevention and control outcomes at individual, interpersonal, healthcare, organizational and community levels. Advancement of methods and measures that facilitate development and testing of theories, models, and frameworks to identify when SDOH operate as moderators to multilevel or policy interventions and when a SDOH are/should be a target for interventions to reduce cancer health disparities. Approaches may consider the reinforcing and multi-sectoral influences of SDOH that may reinforce inequalities. Research to advance real-time/rapid assessment of SDOH measures and social risks that influence health behavior (e.g., diet, physical activity, sleep & alcohol) in multilevel interventions to reduce cancer health disparities and improve health equity. Research to develop, test, and validate measures to assess social determinants of health and other social factors (e.g., culture, power, trust, stigma, discrimination, intersectional identity) associated with cancer prevention and control outcomes using robust statistical approaches, such as exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and analyses to assess within-group effects. Research to develop and validate pragmatic and actionable measures to identify or influence modifiable individual, social, community, or system factors that can reduce health inequities. Projects may include research to define and measure geographic units for area-based SDOH in diverse populations to improve cancer prevention and control. Research to validate new or existing measures of constructs associated with cancer health disparities (such as SDOH, social risk, community assets, culture, wealth, literacy). Approaches should include (but are not limited to) content, construct, convergent and discriminant reliability across and within populations experiencing disparities. Research to support the development of methods and measures that examine intersecting influences of healthcare access such as treatment costs, insurance coverage and out of pocket costs, geographic proximity to clinics, value of care, access to telehealth (e.g., technology and broadband access), and social topics such as clinician implicit bias. Integration of qualitative and quantitative research methods, in which qualitative methods are used to identify novel and emerging social and structural constructs contributing to health/ health disparities, and such knowledge is used to inform the development and validation of quantitative instruments to assess those constructs Apply stakeholder engaged approaches to identify and develop measures that are based on the interests and primary concerns identified by multiple groups, such as patients, providers, organizations, and communities, particularly for communities that are under resourced and small populations that have historically not been included in research or with whom measures have not been developed or validated in cancer prevention and control. Development of methods to examine individual and co-occurring factors associated with health inequities, such as demographic characteristics of patients and providers, geography, socioeconomic factors, and social constructs including implicit bias, overt and covert racism. Applications that advance the understanding of sleep disparities and how they affect cancer risk and/or cancer survivorship in underserved and marginalized populations, by developing or validating multidimensional sleep metrics, developing measures of cumulative sleep exposure , and integrating individual-level sleep metrics into a multilevel approach incorporating measurements of light, noise, and other personal, neighborhood or environmental intrapersonal and interpersonal influences on sleep behavior. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences The mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is to discover how the environment affects people to promote healthier lives. The NIEHS seeks applications that advance innovative development of new measures and methods, or validation and adaptation of existing measures and approaches, to address the complex interplay of the physical, chemical, cultural, social, and built environmental factors that contribute to or exacerbate environmental health disparities. Applications of interest may include, but are not limited to: The use of mixed methods approaches that integrate qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and measures of factors that contribute to environmental health disparities, including how qualitative methods can inform the development and validation of quantitative surveys and instruments that evaluate these factors. Application and testing of methods and measures of SDOH, and structural racism and discrimination, to the study of environmental health disparities. Establishment of novel interdisciplinary collaborations (including, but not limited to, methodologists, behavioral scientists, exposure scientists, epidemiologists, bioinformaticians, biostatisticians, data scientists, social scientists) to incorporate concomitant chemical and built environmental factors with existing or developed measures of structural and individual racism into a multilevel assessment of environmental health disparities. Development, testing and adaptation of methods and measures that capture the lived experience of intersectionality to identify structural factors contributing to disproportionate exposures to chemical and non-chemical stressors at the community and individual level. Application of community engaged approaches to identify or develop measures that are based on the interests and primary concerns identified by multiple community stakeholders, such as parents, schools, organizations, and fence-line residents, particularly for communities that are under resourced and populations that have historically been combating environmental injustices and disparate rates of adverse health outcomes. Examination of the ethical issues related to methods and measurement approaches in the study of environmental health disparities, including issues around data harmonization and the collection of common data elements. Enhancement of existing place-based indices, environmental exposures models and geocoded data to account for social level factors, to explain environmental health disparities at the regional or community level. Of interest are the extent to which these measures demonstrate how placed-based structural racism and discrimination exacerbate environmental risk factors and/or limit protective factors. Novel use of SDOH and structural racism and discrimination methods and measures to guide the development of multi-level, evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies to reduce environmental health disparities. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research NIDCR is interested in funding research that will advance measurement, analysis, and monitoring of social determinants of health that contribute to dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) health disparities and inequities within the U.S. population over time and across settings. To this end, NIDCR will support research to examine the performance and utility of measures and methodologic approaches to improve the measurement and assessment of social determinants of DOC health. Specific areas of research interest include but are not limited to: Examining approaches to measure, analyze, and/or monitor social and structural determinants of health affecting DOC health disparities and inequities in a population or across populations Elucidating intersectionality of social determinants of DOC health and their independent and synergistic effect on DOC health disparities and inequities within- and between-groups Examining methodologic approaches to analyze protective and resilience factors relating to DOC health disparities and inequities across a population and/or between subpopulations Examining the performance of measures to identify structural racism and discrimination and the impact on DOC health disparities and inequities among racial and ethnic minorities during the life-course Assessing the utility of geographic and area indices and analytical methodologies that inform DOC health care needs and the performance of DOC health systems in rural communities Assessing the utility and feasibility of using electronic health record (EHR) data to monitor DOC health disparities and inequities over time and/or across settings National Institute of Mental Health NIMH encourages research that addresses Institute priorities and is aligned with these recommended areas for domestic and global mental health research. Applicants may consider using the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC; https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-funded-by-nimh/rdoc) approach in their work. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Applications on advancing methods for analyzing complex and dynamic systems that impact mental health disparities, including research on methods for estimating non-linear, dynamic, and time-varying relationships between SDOH and disparities in mental health service use, delivery and outcomes. Research on advancing methods for multilevel models examining mutable factors associated with disparities in mental health service use, delivery, and outcomes. Applications developing and/or refining methods for adequately powered analyses of mental health disparities experienced by smaller groups or subpopulations (e.g., when addressing intersectionality, conducting subgroup analyses) and low base rate mental health events (e.g., suicide deaths). Research to develop and validate measures and methods for expanding data capacity to appropriately represent disparities populations, incorporate SDOH, and reduce algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches for understanding risk and optimizing mental health care for populations with mental health disparities. Research to develop and validate measures and methods for integration of SDOH in health care decision-making processes and examine the impact of such integration on reducing disparities and achieving equity in mental health services outcomes. Research to develop or refine causal inference methods within quasi-experimental designs (e.g. General Causal Model, Directed Acyclic Graphs, Deterministic Structural Equation Models, Probabilistic Causal Models, Instrumental Variables), to address research questions addressing mental health equity for mental health disparity populations. Research to develop measures of quality of mental health care for mental health disparity populations. Development and validation of mental health measures that can be submitted to and endorsed by the National Quality Forum (https://www.qualityforum.org/map/) for use to advance equity and quality in mental health care as part of the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS; https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Health-Plans/SpecialNeedsPlans/SNP-HEDIS) or as a quality indicator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (https://www.cms.gov/). Metrics that elucidate mechanisms at the individual, community, and organizational levels that result in disparities in specific adverse mental health outcomes across the lifespan, especially those that can point towards therapeutic targets. Assessments of how structural racism and discrimination impact trajectories of mental health disorders across the lifespan, particularly focusing on sequential and integrative relationships across neural, behavioral, and environmental factors that lead to disparities in mental health outcomes. Measures that systematically and reliably quantify individual exposure to factors that drive mental health disparities, including rigorous, lifestage-appropriate, and repeatable measures of environmental and sociocultural factors like neighborhood effects, access to and quality of healthcare, food and resource security, intersectionality, and cultural beliefs. Research on measures and approaches to be used in basic studies in healthy populations of interest addressing mechanisms of complex social, cognitive, affective and behavioral functioning. National Institute on Aging (NIA) NIA supports research to understand health differences and health inequities associated with race, ethnicity, gender, environment, socioeconomic status (SES), geography, access, and sociocultural factors over the life course and their impact on aging processes, and aging-relevant outcomes including Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). The goals of this initiative are to (1) identify the environmental, social, cultural, and behavioral factors that drive disparities in health, well-being, healthcare, and mortality; and (2) develop strategies to reduce or eliminate those disparities and promote active life expectancy and improve the health status of diverse midlife and older adults. NIA's Health Disparities Research Framework reflects levels of analysis researchers might consider across each of the four domains, refines the causal pathways, and further refines potentially adaptable targets for interventions. Additionally, the framework reflects priorities and investments made in this important aging research area. The framework could also facilitate researchers identifying relevant expertise needed to expand their team and ultimately accomplish the proposed study’s goals and objectives. NIA’s interests in PAR-22-072, “Measures and Methods to Advance Research on Minority Health and Health Disparities-Related Constructs” include, but are not limited to, development of, or enhancements to, measures or methods for assessing constructs related to minority health and health disparities, such as the following: Methods that capture composite and cumulative exposure to adversity, structural racism, and discrimination. Measurement of protective (and resilience) factors that contribute to (or buffer against) health disparities in AD/ADRD outcomes, at both the individual (e.g., personality traits, psychological resources, behavioral skills) and sociocultural levels (e.g., interpersonal, community, societal). Analytic methods to generate causal evidence from observational and non-clinical studies to inform the prevention and mitigation of health disparities in AD/ADRD and increase confidence in observational results as evidence of treatment efficacy or effectiveness in populations underrepresented in AD/ADRD research. Development of analytical tools to dynamically assess health and exposure to risk and protective factors across multiple timescales, including mobile technology-based measures that capture lived experiences in “real time,” without imposing undue burden, particularly for populations that experience health disparities. Development of analytical tools and methods to promote and support research on the impact of social factors on molecular, cellular, genetic, and physiological mechanisms underlying disparate outcomes in aging and age-related pathologies, particularly for populations that experience health disparities. Development of approaches that integrate qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and measures of diverse environmental factors (chemical, physical, built, etc.) with social and behavioral factors associated with aging and age-related neuro-pathologies, including AD/ADRD. Development and use of methods for integrating social and behavioral data with molecular, cellular, genomic, other -omic and biological data in epidemiological studies of aging and age-related neuro-pathologies, including AD/ADRD. Methods to harmonize measures and conduct analyses using longitudinal cohort studies with heterogenous representation of individuals across different health disparities populations using NIA's Health Disparities Research Framework (i.e., across levels of analysis). Applications Not responsive to the FOA: Projects not conducting measurement and methodologic research, Projects conducting primary data collection outside of the U.S., and Projects that are exclusively qualitative. Non-responsive applications will not be reviewed. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the relevant scientific contacts to discuss whether their applications are responsive.