HEAL Initiative: JCOIN Phase II Community Engaged Research Resource Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 25 026

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 25 026

The HEAL Initiative: JCOIN Phase II Community Engaged Research Resource Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement funding opportunity that supports a centralized, community-engaged resource center for the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN). The overall purpose is to strengthen how research gets translated into real-world practice in criminal-legal settings, with a specific focus on expanding access to evidence-based medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for people who are incarcerated or otherwise involved in the justice system. The opportunity is rooted in a well-documented public health problem: people in jails and prisons experience substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) at much higher rates than the general population, face a serious risk of acute opioid withdrawal when they are detained, and are at heightened risk of fatal overdose after release, especially when they have not been offered MOUD while incarcerated. Despite the evidence supporting MOUD, many U.S. jails still do not offer it universally to individuals who could benefit.

This funding opportunity sits within the HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative and is described as the only HEAL effort with a primary focus on justice-involved populations and criminal-legal systems. JCOIN itself is positioned as a research-to-practice network that aims to address the overdose crisis by increasing delivery of and access to MOUD in justice contexts. The broader JCOIN portfolio includes hybrid effectiveness-implementation trials, meaning projects are designed to test both whether interventions work and how to implement them effectively under real-world constraints. Within that ecosystem, the Phase II Community Engaged Research Resource Center is intended to function as shared infrastructure that helps JCOIN projects and partners overcome common barriers, improve coordination, and support consistent, high-quality community engagement so that research findings and implementation strategies can be adopted and sustained in jails, prisons, courts, probation/parole systems, and related community reentry environments.

Administratively, the award uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24), which typically means NIH expects substantial scientific or programmatic involvement during the project period compared to a standard grant. The activity area is listed under Education and Health, and the notice indicates that clinical trials are optional, allowing applicants to propose work that may or may not include a clinical trial component depending on the aims. The funding opportunity number is RFA-DA-25-026, and the CFDA/assistance listing numbers provided are 93.279 and 93.399. The original closing date is January 22, 2025. The award ceiling is listed as $750,000, indicating the maximum budget level expected for an individual award under this announcement (with the number of expected awards not specified in the provided source data).

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/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 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); and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Foreign eligibility is restricted in the usual NIH manner for a program focused on U.S. justice settings. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. At the same time, the notice states that foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means a U.S. applicant can include certain well-justified foreign collaborations or elements when they are necessary for the project, even though the applicant organization itself must be domestic.

In practical terms, this opportunity is aimed at building and sustaining the kind of shared, community-centered capacity that makes implementation research in justice settings more feasible and impactful. The resource center concept signals an emphasis on partnership with affected communities and justice stakeholders, helping align research activities with the realities of incarceration and reentry, and ensuring that MOUD expansion efforts are not only tested but also positioned to be adopted across diverse criminal-legal environments.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: JCOIN Phase II Community Engaged Research Resource Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-22. (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 $750,000.00 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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