HEAL Initiative: Preventing Opioid Misuse and Co-Occurring Conditions by Intervening on Social Determinants (R01 - Clinical Trials Optional) | RFA DA 23 051

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 23 051

The HEAL Initiative funding opportunity, titled "Preventing Opioid Misuse and Co-Occurring Conditions by Intervening on Social Determinants (R01 - Clinical Trials Optional)" (RFA-DA-23-051), is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant focused on preventing opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) by addressing social determinants of health (SDOH). It sits under the broader Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative launched in 2018, which is NIH's cross-agency effort to accelerate scientific solutions to the opioid public health crisis. Through this call, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), working with other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices, is seeking research projects that develop and rigorously test interventions aimed at changing modifiable social and structural conditions that shape risk for opioid misuse, OUD, and related health problems.

A central expectation of the announcement is that proposed interventions must be theory-driven and designed to reduce health inequities in U.S. populations or specific subgroups disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis. The focus is not only on whether an intervention "works," but on how and why it works: applications are required to examine mechanisms of action, meaning applicants should measure the pathways through which an SDOH-focused intervention produces changes in opioid-related outcomes. The opportunity also explicitly encourages work that considers co-occurring conditions alongside opioid outcomes, recognizing that opioid misuse and OUD often intersect with mental health conditions, suicide risk, and other substance use and substance-related harms. In practical terms, this means projects can target opioid outcomes directly while also tracking and attempting to improve interconnected behavioral health outcomes that frequently co-travel with opioid risk.

Another key theme is real-world usefulness. NIH is looking for interventions that are sustainable in typical community or service settings and that could be scaled up if proven effective. That emphasis generally points applicants toward approaches that can be integrated into existing systems (such as schools, health care, social services, housing supports, community organizations, or local policy environments), rather than highly specialized programs that are difficult to maintain after a study ends. Clinical trials are optional under this R01, so applicants may propose clinical trial designs when appropriate, but the announcement does not require every project to be a clinical trial.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The notice also highlights additional eligible groups such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and eligible federal agencies.

Foreign organizations and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant organization may include certain well-justified international elements in the project under NIH rules, even though the primary applicant must remain eligible and U.S.-based.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant mechanism using the NIH R01 research project grant framework. It is associated with CFDA numbers 93.213, 93.242, 93.279, and 93.393. The opportunity was created on July 13, 2022, and the original closing date listed is February 2, 2023. The listing does not provide an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided source fields, so applicants would typically rely on the full funding announcement and NIH guidance to understand budget expectations, project periods, and review considerations.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for teams that can bring together strong intervention science with an explicit equity lens, focusing on upstream social conditions that elevate opioid risk. Competitive projects under this call would typically show a clear theory of change linking an SDOH-focused intervention to reductions in opioid misuse/OUD (and potentially improvements in mental health, suicide-related outcomes, or other substance use outcomes), include measures that test mechanisms, and demonstrate a realistic plan for implementation, sustainability, and scalability in U.S. settings most affected by the opioid crisis.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Preventing Opioid Misuse and Co-Occurring Conditions by Intervening on Social Determinants (R01 - Clinical Trials Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.393.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-07-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-02. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for RFA DA 23 051

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