Federal Agencies

Federal Government Funding | Federal Agencies | Community of Science and other Search Engines for Grants and Funding Opportunities | Foundations and Professional Organizations

The National Institutes of Health (NIH): The NIH is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) and is the is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research. The NIH funds investigator – initiated basic, clinical and translational research, program project grants, center grants, research training grants and other research related programs. The NIH is made up of twenty institutes and seven centers. Each institute and / or center has different research priorities and different application success rates. It is important to familiarize yourself with an institute before applying for funding.

The NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER): The OER is a central repository for guidance on grant, contract, and funding opportunities supported the NIH.

The NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts: provides weekly announcements on RFA’s (Requests for Applications),PA’s (Program Announcements) and recent notices (NO).

RFA’s and PA’s are the two major means by which various institutes request proposals. RFA’s tend to address a narrowly defined area for which specific funds have been set aside to support while PA’s have multiple suspense dates and specific funds may not be reserved.

The NIH Training and Career Development (F-T and K –series Awards): fund students, fellows, junior and senior faculty to develop their research skills.

The NIH T Series Grants: Ruth l. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Series provides long term (T32) and short term (T35) predoctoral and postdoctoral research training opportunities in biomedical, behavioral and clinical research.

The NIH F Series Grants: Ruth l. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Research Training Series provides funds for postdoctoral training (F32) and senior fellowships (F33) as well as pre-doctoral minority students (F30) and students with disabilities ( F31).

The NIH K Series Grants: At least eight different K series awards are available to support faculty members at various points in their career to become independent researchers. A Career Award Wizard will assist in deciding which K award to apply for.

The NIH Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR): The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a set-aside program (2.5% of an agency’s extramural budget) for domestic small businesses interested in engaging in Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that can be commercialized.

Heath Resources Services Administration (HRSA): The Health Resources and Services Administration is an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HRSA’s six bureaus and twelve offices form this Federal agency with primary responsibilities for improving access to health care services for uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable people. Current areas of funding focus include people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, mothers and children, training for health professionals, rural healthcare, organ donation and telemedicine.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The Center for Disease Control is an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The CDC is composed of seven national centers. and has a primary responsibility of promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Current areas of funding focus include environmental health, injury prevention, global health, health promotion, infectious diseases, public health information, health marketing, health statistics, bioterrorism preparedness and emergency response, workplace health and safety.

National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency that was founded to promote progress in all fields of fundamental science and engineering except for the medical sciences. The NSF competitively awards grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) The primary responsibilities of DHS include leveraging the nation’s scientific and technological resources to provide Federal, state, and local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland. DHS funds projects designed to counter threats to the homeland.

Department of Defense (DOD) through the office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs(CDMRP) funds peer reviewed research aimed at preventing controlling and curing diseases such as breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers, neurofibromatosis, military health, and other specified areas.