Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 499
This NIH funding opportunity (PA 18-499) supports early-stage, exploratory research aimed at strengthening end-of-life and palliative care (EOLPC) health literacy for people living with serious, advanced illness, along with their families and caregivers. The core purpose is twofold: first, to identify the most important barriers that prevent patients, families, and caregivers from understanding, finding, and using palliative and end-of-life care information; and second, to develop and test new strategies, interventions, or care models that improve EOLPC health literacy and, in turn, improve real-world outcomes in serious illness. The FOA explicitly emphasizes that these barriers and solutions should be examined in diverse settings and populations, reflecting the reality that palliative and end-of-life care decisions are shaped by culture, language, education, health system complexity, access to services, and trust in care providers and institutions.
The announcement uses the R21 mechanism, which is designed for exploratory and developmental work, meaning it is well-suited for pilot studies, proof-of-concept projects, and early testing of innovative approaches that could later be scaled or expanded under larger grant mechanisms. Clinical trials are optional under this FOA, so applicants may propose studies that are observational, qualitative, mixed-methods, intervention development, implementation-focused, or clinical trial work, depending on what best fits the question. In practical terms, a competitive project could focus on mapping where misunderstandings commonly arise (for example, misconceptions about hospice eligibility, pain management fears, confusion about advance directives, or difficulty navigating goals-of-care conversations), and then designing tools or workflows that make these topics clearer and more actionable for patients and caregivers.
A major theme is improving outcomes, not just knowledge. Projects are expected to connect improved EOLPC health literacy to meaningful results for people with advanced illness and their support networks. Outcomes could include better communication and shared decision-making, improved alignment of care with patient values, more appropriate use of palliative care services, reduced unwanted or non-beneficial interventions near the end of life, improved symptom management understanding, reduced caregiver burden, higher satisfaction with care, or smoother care transitions across settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, home-based care, and community programs. The FOA is also implicitly concerned with equity: by targeting diverse populations and settings, it encourages work that addresses disparities driven by language barriers, limited access to specialty palliative care, rurality, socioeconomic constraints, cultural differences in discussing serious illness, and health system fragmentation.
In terms of funding details provided in the source data, the award ceiling is listed as $200,000, and the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant in the health and education activity areas (CFDA 93.361). The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health. The original closing date shown is May 7, 2021, and the FOA record creation date is December 15, 2017. (Because the closing date listed is in the past, anyone considering applying would typically confirm whether NIH has reissued, extended, or replaced the announcement, or whether there are active receipt dates under the same FOA number.)
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants across government, academia, nonprofits, and industry. Eligible entities 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/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 FOA also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI); Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; U.S. territories or possessions; regional organizations; and even non-U.S. (foreign) entities. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that effective EOLPC health literacy work often requires partnerships beyond traditional academic medical centers, including community organizations, tribal and territorial health systems, and culturally grounded institutions that can design and deliver interventions that are trusted and relevant.
Overall, the opportunity is centered on making serious-illness and end-of-life care information and decision-making more understandable, usable, and supportive across populations and care settings. It encourages applicants to bring forward innovative, practical approaches that reduce confusion and barriers at the most difficult points in the care journey, with the goal of improving patient- and family-centered outcomes when the stakes are highest.Apply for PA 18 499
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "End-of-Life and Palliative Care Health Literacy: Improving Outcomes in Serious, Advanced Illness (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-15.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-07. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
- 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NIH PA 18-499 (R21) End-of-Life and Palliative Care (EOLPC) Health Literacy
1) What is this funding opportunity about?
This NIH funding opportunity (PA 18-499) supports early-stage, exploratory research to strengthen end-of-life and palliative care (EOLPC) health literacy for people living with serious, advanced illness, as well as their families and caregivers.
2) What are the main goals of the FOA?
The FOA has two core goals: (1) identify the most important barriers that keep patients, families, and caregivers from understanding, finding, and using EOLPC information; and (2) develop and test new strategies, interventions, or care models that improve EOLPC health literacy and lead to better real-world outcomes.
3) What does "EOLPC health literacy" mean in the context of this FOA?
In this FOA, EOLPC health literacy refers to the ability of patients and their support networks to understand, locate, and use information related to palliative care and end-of-life care, especially when navigating serious, advanced illness.
4) What kinds of barriers is NIH interested in applicants studying?
The FOA emphasizes barriers that prevent people from understanding and acting on EOLPC information. Examples described include misconceptions about hospice eligibility, fears about pain management, confusion about advance directives, and difficulty navigating goals-of-care conversations.
5) Does the FOA expect projects to focus on outcomes, or just knowledge improvements?
The FOA emphasizes improving outcomes, not only knowledge. Projects are expected to connect improved EOLPC health literacy to meaningful results for patients with advanced illness and their families/caregivers.
6) What outcomes does the FOA mention as relevant?
Examples of outcomes mentioned include better communication and shared decision-making, improved alignment of care with patient values, more appropriate use of palliative care services, fewer unwanted or non-beneficial interventions near the end of life, improved understanding of symptom management, reduced caregiver burden, higher satisfaction with care, and smoother care transitions across settings.
7) What settings and populations should projects consider?
The FOA explicitly encourages examining barriers and solutions across diverse settings and populations. It notes that palliative and end-of-life decisions are shaped by culture, language, education, health system complexity, access to services, and trust in providers and institutions.
8) How does equity or disparities fit into this opportunity?
The FOA is implicitly concerned with equity by encouraging work in diverse populations and settings, including efforts addressing disparities related to language barriers, limited access to specialty palliative care, rurality, socioeconomic constraints, cultural differences in discussing serious illness, and health system fragmentation.
9) What grant mechanism does this FOA use?
This FOA uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is intended for exploratory and developmental research.
10) What types of projects are a good fit for an R21 under this FOA?
The R21 mechanism is well-suited for pilot studies, proof-of-concept projects, and early testing of innovative approaches that could later be scaled or expanded under larger grant mechanisms.
11) Are clinical trials required?
No. Clinical trials are optional under this FOA.
12) What study designs does the FOA allow?
Because clinical trials are optional, applicants may propose observational, qualitative, mixed-methods, intervention development, implementation-focused, or clinical trial work, depending on what best fits the research question.
13) What is an example of a competitive project idea based on the FOA description?
A competitive project could identify where misunderstandings commonly arise (such as hospice eligibility, pain management fears, advance directives, or goals-of-care conversations) and then design and test tools or workflows that make these topics clearer and more actionable for patients and caregivers.
14) What is the maximum award amount listed in the provided information?
The award ceiling listed in the provided source data is $200,000.
15) Which federal agency sponsors this opportunity?
The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
16) What is the CFDA number and activity area listed?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.361 and is categorized in the health and education activity areas.
17) What is the closing date shown in the provided information?
The original closing date shown is May 7, 2021.
18) What does it mean that the closing date shown is in the past?
Because the listed closing date is in the past, the information notes that anyone considering applying would typically confirm whether NIH has reissued, extended, or replaced the announcement, or whether there are active receipt dates under the same FOA number.
19) When was the FOA record created (based on the provided information)?
The FOA record creation date shown is December 15, 2017.
20) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants across government, academia, nonprofits, and industry. Eligible entities 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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/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.
21) Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations included in eligibility?
Yes. The FOA highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; AANAPISI; Hispanic-serving Institutions; HBCUs; TCCUs; faith-based or community-based organizations; eligible federal agencies; U.S. territories or possessions; and regional organizations.
22) Are non-U.S. (foreign) entities eligible?
Yes. The FOA indicates that non-U.S. (foreign) entities are eligible.
23) Why does the FOA have such broad eligibility?
The provided description explains that broad eligibility reflects the reality that effective EOLPC health literacy work often requires partnerships beyond traditional academic medical centers, including community organizations and culturally grounded institutions that can design and deliver interventions that are trusted and relevant.
24) What care settings does the FOA mention for care transitions and implementation?
The FOA mentions care transitions across settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, home-based care, and community programs.
25) What is the overall focus of the opportunity?
The opportunity focuses on making serious-illness and end-of-life care information and decision-making more understandable, usable, and supportive across populations and care settings, encouraging innovative and practical approaches that reduce confusion and barriers when the stakes are highest.
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| Advancing the Science of Geriatric Palliative Care (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 502 Funding Number: PA 18 502 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Synthetic Biology for Engineering Applications (R01) (Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 434 Funding Number: PAR 18 434 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Biobehavioral and Technological Interventions to Attenuate Cognitive Decline in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 347 Funding Number: PA 18 347 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Biobehavioral and Technological Interventions to Attenuate Cognitive Decline in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 473 Funding Number: PA 18 473 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Advancing Basic Neurobiology Toward Translation Through Assay Development (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 18 505 Funding Number: PAR 18 505 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Self-Management for Health in Chronic Conditions (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 384 Funding Number: PA 18 384 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Community Partnerships to Advance Research (CPAR) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 381 Funding Number: PA 18 381 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs and Strategic Approaches to Counteract Their Deleterious Effects (R03 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 527 Funding Number: PAR 18 527 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs and Strategic Approaches to Counteract Their Deleterious Effects (R01 ) Apply for PAR 18 510 Funding Number: PAR 18 510 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Innovative Questions in Symptom Science and Genomics (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 471 Funding Number: PA 18 471 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Personalized Strategies to Manage Symptoms of Chronic Illness (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 472 Funding Number: PA 18 472 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs and Strategic Approaches to Counteract Their Deleterious Effects (R21 Clinical Trial Optional ) Apply for PAR 18 509 Funding Number: PAR 18 509 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Biobehavioral and Technological Interventions to Attenuate Cognitive Decline in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 348 Funding Number: PA 18 348 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Self-Management for Health in Chronic Conditions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 376 Funding Number: PA 18 376 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Community Partnerships to Advance Research (CPAR) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 377 Funding Number: PA 18 377 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Community Partnerships to Advance Research (CPAR) (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 475 Funding Number: PA 18 475 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Self-Management for Health in Chronic Conditions (R15 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 474 Funding Number: PA 18 474 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Early-life Factors and Cancer Development Later in Life (R03 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 531 Funding Number: PA 18 531 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Early-life Factors and Cancer Development Later in Life (R21 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 532 Funding Number: PA 18 532 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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