Initiation of a Mental Health Family Navigator Model to Promote Early Access, Engagement and Coordination of Needed Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents (R01 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 23 094

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 094

This funding opportunity, PAR-23-094, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that supports research to create and rigorously test a "mental health family navigator" model for children and adolescents who are showing early signs of mental health problems. The core aim is to improve how quickly young people and their families get connected to appropriate care, how well they stay engaged once care begins, and how effectively services are coordinated across providers and systems. The mechanism is an R01 and it is explicitly a clinical trial required opportunity, meaning applicants are expected to conduct a clinical trial as part of evaluating the model.

NIMH uses a specific definition of a family navigator in this announcement. The navigator can be a health care professional or a trained paraprofessional whose job is to use practical strategies to rapidly connect youth and families to needed mental health treatment and related services. The role is not limited to making referrals. Instead, the navigator is expected to work closely with the family and with the full set of involved providers and service systems, help optimize care pathways, and track symptoms and outcomes over time. In other words, the navigator model is meant to function as an active, ongoing bridge between families and the care ecosystem, with attention to whether the child or adolescent is actually improving and whether services remain aligned with need.

A major emphasis of the FOA is early action: applicants are encouraged to deploy navigator models as soon as symptoms are detected, rather than waiting for problems to escalate. NIMH is particularly interested in models that can determine a personalized match to the level of services needed, including the amount, frequency, and intensity of care, and that can coordinate care strategies across settings. The announcement also highlights interest in incorporating novel technologies to support tracking and monitoring, such as tools that can follow clinical symptoms, functional status, and behavioral progress toward intended outcomes. The expectation is that applicants will not only test whether the navigator approach improves access, engagement, and coordination, but also study implementation, meaning how the model can be delivered in real-world contexts with fidelity, feasibility, and scalability.

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant funding instrument type, with a health-related activity category (CFDA 93.242). While the notice does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided excerpt, the presence of an R01 mechanism indicates support for substantial, multi-year research projects that can test effectiveness and implementation in a robust way.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible organizations. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible agencies of the federal government, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign participation is restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. institutions are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. These restrictions indicate the work is intended to be fully domestic in terms of applicant organization and project components.

This FOA is published in parallel with a companion R34 announcement, which typically supports earlier-stage pilot, feasibility, or development work. By contrast, the R01 here is oriented toward full-scale testing of effectiveness and implementation, consistent with the requirement to run a clinical trial. The original closing date listed in the provided information is July 5, 2024, and the FOA was created on January 6, 2023, which helps situate the timeline for planning and submission.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Initiation of a Mental Health Family Navigator Model to Promote Early Access, Engagement and Coordination of Needed Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents (R01 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 2023-01-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-05. (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.

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