Post-Acute Interventions for the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (R34 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA MH 20 500

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 20 500

The funding opportunity titled "Post-Acute Interventions for the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (R34 Clinical Trial Required)" (RFA-MH-20-500) is a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) discretionary grant solicitation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. It supports early-stage, pilot clinical trial work under the R34 mechanism, specifically requiring a clinical trial. The goal is to generate strong preliminary evidence about whether a post-acute intervention can meaningfully improve outcomes for people with anorexia nervosa after they complete an initial phase of intensive or acute treatment.

The core focus is on the post-acute window, meaning the period after a patient has received acute care (for example, inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, or other intensive stabilization and initial weight restoration services). NIMH is looking for projects that test interventions designed to sustain treatment response and, ideally, enhance it over time. In practice, this means reducing relapse risk, supporting continued weight restoration or maintenance, and improving the psychological symptoms that often persist even when weight improves, such as eating disorder cognitions, anxiety around food, rigid thinking patterns, and related functional impairment.

A key point in the announcement is that NIMH is not primarily interested in small, incremental tweaks that only produce modest gains over existing approaches. Instead, the Institute is emphasizing theory-driven, empirically grounded intervention development and testing aimed at producing clinically meaningful impact. Applicants are expected to articulate a clear scientific rationale for why their post-acute strategy should work, link intervention components to mechanisms or processes of change, and then evaluate preliminary effectiveness in a way that helps determine whether the approach is ready for a larger, more definitive trial.

The opportunity also stresses an effectiveness and real-world deployment orientation. Many individuals with anorexia nervosa do not receive their follow-up care at specialty eating disorder centers; they often transition to community-based providers who may not be affiliated with academic programs or specialized services. Because of that, NIMH is encouraging projects that are designed with practical implementation in mind from the start, such as interventions that can be delivered in typical community settings, that do not require rare expertise, and that acknowledge real constraints like limited session time, variable provider training, and uneven access to specialty resources. In other words, the research should anticipate where and by whom post-acute care is actually delivered and test interventions that could realistically be adopted outside of highly specialized clinics.

In terms of funding details, the award ceiling is listed as $225,000, and NIMH anticipated making about 8 awards under this announcement. The opportunity was created on April 15, 2020, with an original closing date of June 15, 2021. The activity category is health, with CFDA number 93.242, and the funding instrument type is a grant.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations capable of conducting clinical research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and 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 and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories as specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as described in the announcement’s additional eligibility information.

Overall, this R34 clinical trial funding opportunity is aimed at jump-starting well-justified pilot trials of post-acute interventions for anorexia nervosa that are ambitious in potential impact, grounded in a clear scientific theory of change, and designed for the realities of community-based follow-up care. The expected output is preliminary effectiveness data and practical insight that can support subsequent, larger-scale testing and, ultimately, improve longer-term recovery outcomes after acute treatment.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Post-Acute Interventions for the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (R34 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 15, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $225,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA MH 20 500

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