Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease (R01) | PAR 15 348

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 15 348

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-15-348) supports basic and translational research focused on caregiving for people living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The core aim is to generate practical, evidence-based knowledge about how caregiving works and how it can be improved, looking not only at individual caregivers and patients, but also at families, communities, and broader populations. Projects are expected to address real-world caregiving dynamics and produce insights that can reduce caregiver burden while also improving outcomes for individuals with Alzheimer's across a range of care settings.

A major emphasis of the announcement is on interventions and research directions that can meaningfully improve caregiving and care outcomes. This includes population- and community-based studies that map the scope, intensity, and consequences of Alzheimer's caregiving, such as how caregiving affects health, finances, employment, and social well-being. The FOA also highlights the need for better characterization of both informal caregiving (unpaid care often provided by family or friends) and formal caregiving (paid care delivered through home care, long-term care facilities, or health systems). Importantly, the funding encourages work that examines caregiving burden across the full Alzheimer's disease trajectory, from early-stage needs through advanced disease, recognizing that caregiving challenges change substantially as symptoms progress.

Equity and differences across populations are central to this opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to study how caregiving experiences and burdens vary by socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and geography (for example, rural versus urban communities, or regions with different service availability). The FOA explicitly calls for research that addresses the unique challenges of advanced Alzheimer's care, including issues like complex medical and behavioral symptoms, high-intensity daily support needs, decision-making demands, and end-of-life care considerations. It also points to disparities in access to supportive services and appropriate care, encouraging research that identifies barriers and tests approaches that improve access and quality, especially for underserved or historically marginalized groups.

This is an NIH R01 mechanism, meaning it is designed for substantial, hypothesis-driven projects with the scale to produce rigorous findings. The funding instrument type is a grant, and it falls under the Education and Health activity category. The associated CFDA numbers are 93.361 and 93.866. While the listing provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the R01 structure generally supports multi-year research projects with clearly defined aims, strong methods, and measurable outcomes relevant to caregiving and Alzheimer's care systems.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and includes state, county, city or township governments; 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 other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly names additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Restrictions are clear regarding foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed under this FOA. In other words, the work must be carried out entirely within allowable U.S.-based organizational structures without foreign components.

The opportunity was created on 2015-09-17, and the original closing date listed is 2018-01-24. Overall, this FOA is aimed at strengthening the evidence base around Alzheimer's caregiving by funding rigorous studies that measure caregiving impact, test ways to reduce burden, improve care and patient outcomes, and confront disparities in caregiving experiences and access to advanced Alzheimer's care.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research on Informal and Formal Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-24. (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.

Apply for PAR 15 348

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