Grants to Promote Health Equity and Reduce Health Disparities in Chronic Diseases (US)

Deadline: 9-Feb-23

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – ERA is offering grants to Assess the Effectiveness of Programs, Policies, or Practices that Affect Social Determinants of Health to Promote Health Equity and Reduce Health Disparities in Chronic Diseases.

Purpose

The purpose of this NOFO is to support research with rigorous study design (i.e., natural experiments, quasi-experimental designs, economic evaluations, and system simulation modeling) to evaluate the impact of existing programs, policies, or practices that affect SDOH factors and how changes in SDOH impact health disparities related to chronic disease outcomes.
SDOH are the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age. Applied research will focus on SDOH in five areas: (1) built environment, (2) communityclinical linkages, (3) food and nutrition security, (4) social connectedness, and (5) tobacco-free policy.

Components

This NOFO has three (3) components:

Component A: Research Studies to Assess the Impact of Programs, Policies, or Practices that Address SDOH on Chronic Disease-Related Health Disparities
- The purpose is to identify and evaluate how existing programs, policies, or practices that address SDOH mitigate health disparities related to chronic disease outcomes by using natural experiment or quasi-experimental study designs.
Component B: SDOH Simulation Model Development
- The purpose is to apply a systems science approach to build a simulation model of the interplay of SDOH and their relationship to chronic disease outcomes and related health disparities and be able to assess the long-term (e.g., 5,-10, 20, 30-years) effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of programs, policies, or practices that address the SDOH with a focus on the five priorities areas: Built Environment, Community-Clinical Linkages, Food and Nutrition Security, Social Connectedness, and Tobacco Free Policies.
Component C: Coordinating Center
- The purpose is to support a coordinating center that provides organizational, logistic, and communication support to enhance the efficiency, productivity, and public health impact of the research centers that are funded under Components A and B.

Funding Information

Budget and Project Period. The estimated total funding (direct and indirect) for the first 12- month budget period, 09/30/2023 to 09/29/2024, is $9,500,000. The estimated total funding (direct and indirect) for the 3-year period of performance, 09/30/2023 to 09/29/2026, is $28,500,000.
Award Ceiling: $1,000,000 Per Budget
Period Award Floor: $0 Per Budget Period
Component A: Research Studies to Assess the Impact of Programs, Policies, or Practices that Address SDOH on Chronic Disease-Related Health Disparities
- Estimated number of Awards: Up to ten (10)
- Award Ceiling (direct and indirect), by Tier:
  - Tier 1 (1 priority area): $600,000
  - Tier 2 (2 priority areas): $700,000
  - Tier 3 (3 priority areas): $800,000
  - Tier 4 (4 priority areas): $900,000
  - Tier 5 (5 priority areas): $1,000,000
- This amount is for the first 12-month period of performance.
Component B: SDOH Simulation Model Development
- Estimated number of awards: One (1)
- Ceiling: $1,000,000 (direct and indirect)
- This amount is for the first 12-month period of performance.
Component C: Coordinating Center
- Anticipated number of awards: One (1)
- Ceiling: $500,000 (direct and indirect)
- This amount is for the first 12-month period of performance.

Objectives/Outcomes

Component A: Research Studies to Assess the Impact of Programs, Policies, or Practices that Address SDOH on Chronic Disease-Related Health Disparities
- Research Centers are expected to complete rigorous evaluation or comparative effectiveness research studies of naturally occurring, existing population-level, health system or non-health system-based programs, policies, or practices aimed at reducing health disparities in chronic diseases. Specific objectives are to:
- Use a natural experiments approach to assess the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, or cost-effectiveness of existing (naturally occurring) population-level programs, policies, or practices within the SDOH domains on health disparities.
- Generate evidence regarding the impact of addressing discrimination (e.g., structural racism, classism, sexism, ableism, ageism) on the effectiveness of the program, policy, or practice focused on one or more disproportionately affected populations.
- Investigate successes and challenges in program, practice, or policy implementation, utilization, and usability for one or more disproportionately affected groups and inform recommendations for strategies, resources, and/or technical support needed for successful implementation.
- Determine the co-benefits, adverse effects, and unintentional consequences of programs, policies, or practices that may inform policy makers.
Component B: SDOH Simulation Model Development
- Research funded under Component B is aimed at developing a simulation model to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of naturally occurring existing or hypothetical population-level, health system or non-health system-based programs, policies, or practices aimed at reducing health disparities in chronic diseases.
- The primary outcome of component B is a new web based SDOH simulation model that is ready for use for assessing the longterm (≥5 years) effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of existing or hypothetical programs, policies, and interventions on reducing health disparity or promoting health equity by addressing SDOH. Effectiveness is measured in primary and secondary outcomes.
- The primary outcomes are disparities in the incidence rate of chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.), related mortality rate, and their disparities (race and ethnicity, sex, urbanicity, etc.). The secondary outcomes include disparities in incidence of chronic disease risk factors (smoking, obesity, etc.), and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY).
Component C: Coordinating Center
- The objective of this component is to facilitate the interaction, productivity, and communication of a network of investigators conducting research under Components A and B to maximize study quality and impact. The Coordinating Center is expected to facilitate linkages among Component A and B awardees and other partners and provide a coordinated forum for communication and transfer of methodological advances in study design and analyses of natural experiments.

Target Population

Components A and B
- The programs, policies, or practices to be evaluated should include subpopulations where known disparities exist (e.g., people with lower incomes, people with lower educational attainment, those living in rural or hard-to-reach communities, racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual/gender minority groups, people with disabilities, etc.).
Component C
- Not applicable

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants:
- 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 without 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
- Unrestricted
Additional Eligibility Category:
- The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for CDC support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
- Hispanic-serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
Nonprofits (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
Governments:
- Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
- U.S. Territory or Possession
Other:
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
- Regional Organizations
Foreign Organizations:
- Foreign Organizations are not eligible to apply.
- Foreign components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
- For this announcement, applicants may not include collaborators or consultants from foreign institutions. All applicable federal laws and policies apply.