Grants for Native American tribal organizations - Health

The Welch Charitable Fund, administered by the Maine Community Foundation, is dedicated to supporting organizations that assist people in need within the Greater Portland (Cumberland County) area, with a focus on youth, education, health care, recovery from substance use disorders, and arts and culture. The fund prioritizes capital investments, including select capital campaigns, and aims to increase or improve the scope, efficiency, or effectiveness of services provided by organizations. Funding for new staff positions is considered a low priority, and applications from organizations that received a grant the previous year are discouraged. Grant renewed every year. Grant Annual opening/closing deadlines: May 1st to August 1st

This grant provides funding for collaborative research resources and services to support multiple independent vision researchers, enhancing their ability to conduct high-quality studies on the visual system and its disorders.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to academic and research institutions for establishing interdisciplinary centers that advance research on the impact of environmental factors on human health and promote community engagement in public health initiatives.

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications to participate in the Immunobiology of Xenotransplantation Cooperative Research Program (IXCRP), a multi-center program dedicated to resolving immunologic and physiologic barriers to safe and efficacious xenotransplantation using preclinical pig to nonhuman primate (NHP) or human decedent models of pancreatic islet, kidney, heart, lung, or liver xenotransplantation. Transplantation is often the preferred or only therapy for end-stage organ disease. In 2023, 46,630 organ transplants were performed in the United States. In addition, transplantation of pancreatic islets offers a potential therapy for individuals with type 1 diabetes whose disease is not effectively managed with exogenous insulin. Unfortunately, with over 103,500 adults and children on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list, those in need of a transplant greatly exceed the number of available organs. It is estimated that 20 people on average die each day waiting for a transplant. Xenotransplantation offers a potential interim or definitive solution to the severe shortage of human organs and pancreatic islets. Pigs are the primary species of interest as xenograft donors due to their favorable reproductive capacity, and anatomical and physiological similarities to humans. However, there are multiple barriers to successful clinical xenotransplantation, including immunologic rejection of non-human organs and tissues by the human immune system, physiological differences between non-human and human molecules that prevent proper functioning of various biochemical pathways, and potential transmission of zoonoses. To address these challenges, the IXCRP was established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 2005 with a co-fund for type 1 diabetes from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) (RFA-AI-04-042). Subsequently, in 2010, the program was renewed solely by NIAID (RFA-AI-09-035), in 2015 (RFA-AI-14-047 and RFA-AI-14-048), and in 2020 (RFA-AI-19-042 and RFA-AI-19-043). IXCRP investigators and other researchers in the field have made significant advances over the past two decades, and NIAID is committed to support this challenging area of research. Historically, the most significant hurdle to successful xenotransplantation was hyperacute rejection caused by preformed, xenoreactive naturally-occurring antibodies (XNA) that destroy the xenograft within hours post-transplant. The primary target of XNA is a carbohydrate epitope, galactose-alpha-(1,3)-galactose (Gal), which is not present in humans and Old World NHPs. To overcome this hurdle, two decades ago, the enzyme responsible for terminally linking Gal onto oligosaccharide chains, alpha-1,3 glycosyltransferase (GT), was knocked out in genetically modified pigs. Xenografts from GT knockout (GTKO) pigs elicit substantially less severe hyperacute rejection in NHPs. Cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) gene knockouts and mutations to beta-1,4-N-acetyl-galactosaminyltransferase 2 (B4GALNT2) were similarly engineered to reduce reactivity to other notable XNA to pig carbohydrate antigens, namely N-glycolylneuraminic acid-modified glycans and SDa swine blood group antigen, respectively. Over the last decade, application of CRISPR-Cas 9 technology combined with somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning has significantly accelerated the pace of multi-gene modification and donor pig production. Additional genetic modifications, most on the GTKO background, were developed to address key species-to-species incompatibilities and create more human-like organs. These include the insertion of human complement regulatory proteins to minimize the deleterious effects of the complement cascade in antibody-mediated rejection, human thrombomodulin and/or tissue factor pathway inhibitor to overcome coagulation pathway dysfunction, and human anti-inflammatory and/or immune suppressive genes to reduce immune activation contributing to graft rejection. These strategies have dramatically reduced the frequency and severity of hyperacute rejection and have prolonged survival in pig-to-NHP xenotransplantation models for up to 4 years. Success in prolonging xenograft survival in the pig-to-NHP model allows more in-depth investigation of the remaining immunologic and physiologic issues that must be addressed in order to achieve safe and efficacious clinical xenotransplantation. These include physiologic differences that influence xenograft function and long-term survival, and risks associated with zoonoses. Transmission of pathogenic zoonoses to a human recipient and, potentially, the general population is a concern. To reduce this risk, animals used for xenotransplantation are bred in specific-pathogen-free conditions, weaned early or caesarian-derived, and routinely screened to eliminate most, if not all, known zoonotic agents. Porcine Cytomegalovirus (PCMV) is a swine pathogen known to have deleterious effects on xenograft survival. In the first human patient to receive a cardiac xenotransplant, conventional testing failed to detect latent PCMV in the donor pig and the virus reactivated post-transplant. The extent to which PCMV reactivation contributed to the patient’s death is unknown; however, this event underscores the need for sensitive and reliable assays to detect both latent and active infection with PCMV. Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV), another potential zoonotic threat, were successfully inactivated in a line of pigs through a combination of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing and somatic cell nuclear transfer, further highlighting the potential of these technologies to both protect against immunologic attack and reduce the risk of zoonoses. The field of xenotransplantation has recently witnessed an expansion in research models beyond NHP recipients to include an evaluation of safety, feasibility, and short-term outcomes (2 – 60 days) in humans declared to have irreversible loss of brain function (individuals with brain death, also referred to as human decedents) maintained on cardiopulmonary support. These experiments, using varying genetically modified pig hearts and kidneys transplanted into human decedents whose organs were declined for allotransplantation based on organ quality, have demonstrated early hemodynamic stability, an absence of hyperacute rejection, and basic organ functionality under immunosuppression. No chimerism or transmission of porcine retroviruses were detected; however, many of these experiments have demonstrated thrombotic microangiopathy and/or antibody-mediated injury. As of the time of this writing, medical teams that include IXCRP-funded investigators have performed two pig-to-human orthotopic heart transplants under expanded access (compassionate use) authorization from the FDA. The two xenograft recipients expired at 8 and 6 weeks, respectively. These initial clinical xenotransplants demonstrated good early xenograft function but also highlighted fundamental gaps in our knowledge of 1) critical pathways leading to inflammation and graft failure, 2) best practices for zoonotic viral surveillance and treatment, 3) optimal design of the donor pig, and 4) postoperative immunosuppression regimen. These knowledge gaps must be addressed prior to broader clinical translation. Scope and Research Objectives The re-issue of the IXCRP will support research projects centered around preclinical NHP and/or human decedent models of porcine pancreatic islet, kidney, heart, lung, or liver xenotransplantation. The research objectives must address one or more of the remaining key immunologic and physiologic barriers to achieving safe and efficacious xenotransplantation, including issues affecting engraftment, survival, and function of xenografts. Research foci may include 1) development or optimization of the models themselves, including genetic modifications of the pig-donor to address FDA concerns, as well as refinement of surgical xenotransplantation techniques, 2) development or optimization of the immunosuppression (IS) regimen to prevent rejection and minimize toxicity, 3) characterization and resolution of physiological and immunological barriers to long-term xenograft survival, and 4) development or optimization of strategies to screen for and prevent pathogen transmission to recipients. Examples of research topics may include, but are not limited to the following: Elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of and development of strategies to prevent hyperacute, acute, and chronic xenograft rejection; Characterization of the recipient’s innate and adaptive immune responses to the xenograft; Evaluation of regimens to induce and maintain immune tolerance to xenografts and/or delineation of cellular and molecular mechanisms promoting xenograft tolerance; Development and characterization of strategies to prolong xenograft survival in life-supporting xenotransplantation models; Development of approaches to eliminate or minimize the use of immunosuppressive drugs through genetic modifications of donor organs/tissues/cells, utilization of encapsulation techniques, or other tolerogenic approaches; Characterization of and application of approaches to address differences in the anatomical, physiological, and/or endocrinological features of donor pig organs, tissues, or cells that limit a xenograft’s survival and function in NHP or human decedent recipients; Delineation and study of cross-match differences between pigs and NHPs or humans; Development and testing of tools/approaches to diagnose, monitor, and treat porcine zoonoses in human decedent models; Development and testing of tools/approaches to diagnose, monitor, and treat xenograft rejection; and Development and testing of tools/approaches to diagnose, monitor, and treat causes of xenograft dysfunction other than immunologic rejection. Applications proposing any of the following will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed: Pig-to-NHP xenotransplantation studies of any organs, tissues, or cells other than pancreatic islets, kidney, heart, lung, or liver. Small animal models of xenotransplantation, such as rodent models, unless the model is proposed only as an in vivo bioassay of large animal immune function (e.g., trans in vivo delayed type hypersensitivity assay); Clinical trials or clinical/human studies of xenotransplantation; (only preclinical human decedent model research is allowed). Studies of zoonotic agents or infections, except for those studies designed to prevent transmission of, or improve diagnosis, monitoring, or treatment of zoonotic infections in xenograft recipients. Studies focused on HIV/AIDS-related research. Applications that do not include annual milestones. Applications that propose studies in human decedents but do not include a Human Decedent Research Plan. Milestones The research plan must include explicit, detailed, and quantitative annual milestones. These milestones will be used by NIAID program staff to assess annual progress and support funding decisions. Steering Committee Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) of awards funded under this program will form a Steering Committee after award. The Steering Committee will serve as the main governing body of the IXCRP. At annual meetings, the Steering Committee will review progress of xenotransplantation projects, provide guidance and recommendations to investigators regarding study implementation and conduct, identify scientific opportunities, emerging needs, and impediments to success, and encourage collaborations among consortium members. The voting members of the Steering Committee will include the PD/PI (contact PI) from each single project U01 award and the PD/PI (contact PI) plus one project leader from each multi-project U19 award. Additional PDs/PIs, Project Leaders, Core Leaders, and the NIH Project Scientist will serve as non-voting Steering Committee members. All IXCRP investigators will be required to accept and implement common guidelines and procedures approved by the Steering Committee. Applicants are encouraged to consider using the following NIAID-supported programs: The Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort) The Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort) program will provide support for public sharing of research data and experimental protocols of the IXCRP. ImmPort is a NIAID-funded data sharing platform, which has developed templates for data collection, standardization, and sharing from various NIAID-supported research programs. The IXCRP recipients are encouraged to participate with ImmPort in developing data standards for IXCRP-specific data types, where applicable, and be responsible for collecting and submitting data and documents into ImmPort. The IXCRP Steering Committee will provide information, consistent with the goals of the program and NIH policy, regarding research data and experimental protocol sharing within the IXCRP and with the public. The National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC) The Office of Research Infrastructure Programs within the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the NIH Director supports the National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC), which is co-sponsored by NIAID and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The NSRRC was established in 2003 to develop the infrastructure needed to ensure that biomedical investigators across a variety of disciplines have access to critically needed swine models of human health and disease. The purpose of the NSRRC is to provide the biomedical research community enhanced access to critically needed swine models and to develop genetically modified swine when required for studies involving human health and diseases, including xenotransplantation. NIAID encourages IXCRP-funded investigators to submit relevant cell lines and animal models developed under this NOFO to the NSRRC, when applicable. This U01 NOFO is appropriate for applicants that are proposing a single research project while the companion U19 NOFO (RFA-AI-24-020) should be used for investigators proposing a more complex research program involving 2 or more research projects supported by cores. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss the proposed research with NIAID staff listed in the Scientific/Research contact well in advance of the application submission deadline. See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) invites applications for sites to participate in the Genomic Medicine eConsult Research Network, hereafter referred to as the eConsult Network. The eConsult Network will consist of 2-3 sites working with NHGRI to conduct research on the impact of and methods for implementing regional clinician-to-clinician genomic medicine eConsult services. Specifically, sites will be funded to research how to best design, develop, and implement regional genomic medicine eConsult services; provide outreach to potential users, including those at underserved settings; and assess the impact on key stakeholders while developing successful implementation strategies and resources that can be broadly shared and adopted.

This funding opportunity supports innovative research aimed at understanding and addressing mood and psychotic disorders that may arise or worsen during the menopause transition, encouraging collaboration among interdisciplinary researchers.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages formative research, intervention development, and pilot-testing of interventions. Primary scientific areas of focus include the feasibility, tolerability, acceptability and safety of novel or adapted interventions that target HIV prevention, treatment or services research for people who use drugs. For the purposes of this FOA, "intervention" may include behavioral, social, or structural approaches, as well as combination biomedical and behavioral approaches that prevent the acquisition and transmission of HIV infection, or improve clinical outcomes for persons living with HIV.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to municipalities, non-profits, and community boards in New York State for revitalizing areas impacted by brownfields through planning and environmental assessments.

This grant provides funding to organizations that aim to improve healthcare delivery and reduce disparities for underserved populations by implementing evidence-based practices and fostering collaboration among healthcare providers, government agencies, and community organizations.

Notice of Funding Opportunity summary:The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for aCooperative Agreement from qualified entities to implement the Urban Health Activity. Eligibilityfor this award is not restricted.USAID intends to make an award to the applicant who best meets the objectives of this fundingopportunity based on the merit review criteria described in SECTION E of this Notice of FundingOpportunity (NOFO), subject to a risk assessment. The applicant receiving an award will be theRecipient. Eligible parties interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read thisNOFO thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submissionrequirements, and selection process.Activity short summary:USAID/Uganda plans to award a five-year Cooperative Agreement to enhance health systemresilience and improve the survival and well-being of the residents of Kampala city, Mukono, andWakiso districts (hereafter referred to as the Target Districts) (the Activity). The Activity willstrengthen public and private health systems at the facility and community levels to deliverresponsive, timely, evidence-based, quality services. The Activity will strengthen maternal,newborn, and child health (MNCH); malaria; family planning (FP) / reproductive health (RH);nutrition; and Global Health Security (GHS) services in the Target Districts.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for U.S.-based institutions to organize scientific conferences that promote collaboration and diverse participation in health and science research.

This funding opportunity provides long-term financial support to innovative researchers in environmental health sciences, allowing them to pursue ambitious projects and consolidate existing grants while focusing on mentoring and diversity.

This funding opportunity supports postdoctoral researchers from underrepresented backgrounds in neuroscience, helping them transition to independent faculty positions while providing financial support for their research.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to a variety of organizations working in Kenya to strengthen laboratory systems for diagnosing and treating HIV, TB, and related health threats, ultimately aiming to improve healthcare access and quality.

This funding opportunity supports U.S. institutions in creating centers focused on advancing research in nutrition and obesity through collaborative efforts and innovative projects.

The "Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. Technical Assistance Provider" grant aims to fund technical assistance and systems coordination to help reduce new HIV infections in specific U.S. jurisdictions by diagnosing, treating, and preventing HIV, and responding to outbreaks, using innovative strategies and coordinating existing and new resources.

This funding opportunity supports researchers investigating new biological, environmental, and social factors contributing to liver cancer in the U.S., particularly in relation to established risk factors and health disparities.

Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites U01 cooperative agreement applications for Physical Sciences-Oncology Network (PS-ON). The goal of the PS-ON is to foster the convergence of physical sciences approaches and perspectives with cancer research to advance our understanding of cancer biology and oncology by forming transdisciplinary teams of physical scientists and cancer biologists/physician scientists. Examples of physical scientists may include engineers, physicists, mathematicians, chemists, and computer scientists. The research projects funded through this FOA, individually and as a collaborative Network along with other funded research projects, will support transdisciplinary research that: (1) drives a physical sciences perspective within the cancer research community; (2) facilitates team science and field convergence at the intersection of physical sciences and cancer research; and (3) collectively tests physical sciences-based experimental and theoretical concepts of cancer and promotes innovative solutions to address outstanding questions in cancer research.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications to support the archiving and documentation of existing data sets within the scientific mission of the NICHD in order to enable secondary analysis of these data by the scientific community. The highest priority is to archive original data collected with NICHD funding. This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. The NOFO is expected to be published in July 2024 with an expected application due date in October 2024. This NOFO will utilize the R03 activity code. Details of the planned NOFO are provided below.

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support milestone-driven projects focused on developing and utilizing novel predictive models, assays, tools, and/or platforms based on penetration and efflux of small molecules to facilitate therapeutic discovery for select Gram-negative bacterial pathogens: carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A number of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are associated with the alarming increase in rates of drug resistance in healthcare and community settings. This group includes carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter , carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), and MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa that have been designated as “urgent” or “serious” threats in a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A significant threat arises from the lack of effective therapeutic options available to treat some of these infections and is exacerbated by the scarcity of novel compounds effective against antimicrobial resistant (AR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria in the discovery and development pipeline. In recent years, several public forums (including NIAID-sponsored workshops) identified the lack of understanding of the principles that govern compound penetration into, and efflux out of, Gram-negative bacteria as a key bottleneck for the rational discovery of novel lead therapeutic compounds. The paucity of suitable assays/tools/models to inform structure-activity relationships and guide optimization of whole cell penetration (and efflux avoidance) is reflected in the failure of medicinal chemistry efforts to advance novel chemical classes of compounds with Gram-negative activity. As more Gram-negative bacteria become resistant to antimicrobials and therapeutic options become limited or nonexistent, it becomes imperative to understand and rationalize the principles that allow molecules to penetrate Gram-negative bacteria, while avoiding efflux and overt toxicity toward eukaryotic cells. Therefore, developing new assays, tools, and models is paramount for overcoming this key bottleneck and facilitating the development of novel compounds targeting Gram-negative pathogens. Research Objectives and Scope The objective of this NOFO is to support milestone-driven projects focused on developing and utilizing novel predictive models, assays, tools, and/or platforms aimed at gaining a better understanding of the rules and compound properties that govern the penetration and efflux of drug-like small molecules into Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. This NOFO also supports the preclinical development of novel Gram-negative antibacterial therapeutics based on the tools and models hereby developed. Applications must focus on one or more of the following Gram-negative bacterial pathogens: carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), and/or MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Projects should complete assay/tool/model development prior to the end of the third year of the project period and initiate discovery activities to demonstrate its utility in supporting a corresponding medicinal chemistry program to generate a lead chemical series with demonstrated activity against one or more targeted Gram-negative bacteria. This NOFO will also support subsequent preclinical development of a promising lead antibacterial. Given the complex challenges of this research, this initiative encourages applications from multi-disciplinary teams composed of relevant experts in areas such as bacterial physiology, microbiology, bacterial membrane biology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, computation, and specialized technologies (microscopy, spectroscopy, electrophysiology, machine learning, etc.), as appropriate. Collaboration with, and utilization of, the NIAID Chemistry Center for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CC4CARB), is recommended for completion of project relevant medicinal chemistry tasks. Close collaboration between academic and industry partners is highly encouraged to optimally combine innovative basic science with drug discovery expertise and proper access to compound libraries more typically available from industry. Examples of assay and model development activities include, but are not limited to: Quantitative cellular (or model system) assays to measure drug penetration and efflux, independent from standard minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing; Innovative quantitative assays to measure drug concentrations in the bacterial cytoplasm and/or periplasmic space; Innovative technologies for dissecting and assessment of the kinetics of drug penetration and efflux from bacteria; and Computational algorithms for describing/predicting physical-chemical properties/guidelines needed by small molecules for optimal Gram-negative penetration and efflux avoidance. Applicants should demonstrate the utility of the developed tools and/or assays to predict and measure potency of candidate therapeutics against Gram-negative targets through one or more approaches. For example, using the developed models and/or assays to guide a medicinal chemistry campaign aimed at producing a novel chemical series with Gram-negative activity; screening existing libraries using the computational algorithms developed as a tool to find compounds with Gram-negative activity; or profiling existing libraries of compounds with known Gram-negative activity. Applications including the following will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed: Projects that do not focus on at least one select Gram-negative pathogen (carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, or MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa); Projects focused only on Gram-positive bacteria or Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Projects that do not focus on penetration and efflux of small molecules; Applications not containing a Milestone and Timeline attachment; Applications proposing Clinical trials; and Research on HIV/AIDS.