NIH: Multi-Level HIV Prevention Interventions for Individuals at the Highest Risk of HIV Infection

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is accepting applications for its Multi-Level HIV Prevention Interventions for Individuals at the Highest Risk of HIV Infection.

Donor Name: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

State:  All States

Deadline: 04/03/2023

Size of the Grant: $750,000

Grant Duration:  5 years

Details:

The objective of this initiative is to further knowledge about how to best reduce the number of new HIV infections in the US through interventions to promote pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condom use, and HIV testing. This initiative will support research projects that test the effectiveness of multi-level interventions to prevent HIV in high-risk health disparity populations or subgroups in one or more geographic areas with a high rate of new HIV infections.

This initiative will support research projects that test the effectiveness of multi-level interventions to prevent HIV infection in high-risk health disparity populations or subpopulations in one or more geographic hotspots. The population focus is expected to include HIV-negative MSM and/or transgender women who are African American or Latino/a, as these populations have the highest risk for acquiring new HIV infections and account for over half of new infections. Projects may include these populations globally or specific subpopulations that are relevant to the selected hotspots. Examples of potential subgroups include, but are not limited to, MSM or transgender women who are African American or Latino; identify as bisexual; have mental health or substance use disorders; belong to house and ballroom communities; or who are under 18, homeless, recent immigrants, involved in the criminal justice system, or engaged in sex work or exchange sex. Other health disparity populations in addition to Black and Latino MSM and transgender women that could be considered for inclusion are non-Hispanic White MSM, cisgender Black or Latina women, or rural residents who inject drugs). Justification of the selected target population(s) must be based on (1) local surveillance, clinical, or research data demonstrating a high incidence of new HIV infections and/or low rates of PrEP use, condom use or HIV testing within the hotspot, and (2) evidence that existing local, state, or federal HIV prevention and treatment initiatives are not including, reaching, or effective for these populations. It is expected that the target populations may be more narrowly defined in urban hotspots, where significant HIV prevention programs and services already exist, than those in underserved urban or rural hotspots, where services may be limited for all populations. National or statewide data may provide guidance in the absence of hot spot data.

Projects are generally expected to be clinical trials in which participants or settings are prospectively assigned by study investigators to intervention conditions as part of the project. However, projects may also involve the evaluation of initiatives being implemented by county, state, or regional service providers (independent of NIH funding), where prospective assignment by study investigators does not occur. Rigorous quasi-experimental study designs with appropriate control or comparison conditions or populations are expected for projects that are not clinical trials.

Specific Areas of Research Interest

Areas of special interest include, but are not limited, to the following:

• Testing of interventions in multiple geographic hotspots.
• Use of cluster randomized trials or multi-site quasi-experimental studies.
• Interventions that include clinician- or healthcare setting-level intervention components to enhance cultural competency, reduce health-care related stigma and discrimination, and increase clinician comfort and willingness to prescribe PrEP.
• Engagement of community members of the target high-risk health disparity populations or subgroups as investigators, advisors, or peer interventionists.
• Collaboration with diverse local stakeholders in addition to HIV-prevention service providers, including school systems, school-based student or parent associations, community-based organizations, consumer organizations, and faith-based organizations, to enhance intervention relevance, feasibility, and sustainability.
• Projects that examine cost-effectiveness of intervention implementation and delivery.

Funding Information

Application budgets are limited to $750,000 direct costs annually, not including consortia F&A.

Project Period

The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum project period is 5 years.

Eligible Applicants

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

For-Profit Organizations

• Small Businesses
• For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)

Local Governments

• State Governments
• County Governments
• City or Township Governments
• Special District Governments
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)

Federal Governments

U.S. Territory or Possession

Other

• Independent School Districts
• Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
• Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
• Regional Organizations

Foreign Institutions

• Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
• Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
• Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.