Systems-Level Risk Detection and Interventions to Reduce Suicide, Ideation, and Behaviors in Youth from Underserved Populations (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MH 25 125

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 25 125

This funding opportunity is an NIH R34 planning and pilot grant (RFA-MH-25-125; CFDA 93.242) focused on reducing suicide ideation, attempts, and related behaviors among youth from underserved populations by improving how real-world service systems detect risk and respond to it. The program is designed to fund early-stage research that can show whether a proposed approach is feasible, acceptable to youth and families and the settings that serve them, and safe to implement. It also supports gathering the kind of preliminary data that would be needed to justify a later, larger efficacy or effectiveness study. The emphasis is on practical, scalable strategies that can be used in the community settings where at-risk youth are most likely to show up for help, especially in under-resourced environments.

The core expectation is that applicants will develop and pilot-test a multi-level, service system intervention rather than a single standalone clinical technique. In plain terms, the intervention should improve the entire pathway from identifying suicide risk to evaluating it appropriately and then linking young people to the right level of care and supports. The NOFO highlights coordination across steps and across roles, meaning the work should address how organizations and staff members communicate, make decisions, and ensure follow-through. The goal is not simply to detect risk, but to ensure that detection leads to timely, effective action that reduces suicide risk and suicidal behavior for a specifically defined at-risk youth group.

The opportunity lays out three main goals for proposed projects. First, teams should design an intervention that coordinates suicide risk identification, evaluation, and linkage to treatment and services for a clearly identified youth population at elevated risk, with the approach tailored to the risk profile and context of that group. Second, the project should test feasibility and initial effectiveness for detecting and reducing suicide risk and suicidal behavior in that population, which typically means demonstrating that the approach can actually be carried out in the intended setting and that early signals of benefit are measurable. Third, applicants must demonstrate how the intervention can be implemented in underserved, under-resourced community settings and show credible potential for future uptake, which pushes teams to consider training, workflow integration, staffing realities, sustainability, and other real implementation constraints from the start.

A key boundary in the announcement is that it is not meant to fund the creation of new screening tools or new assessment instruments. The scientific and practical focus is on systems-level interventions that improve outcomes using evidence-based strategies for detection, triage, engagement, referral, linkage, and follow-up. In other words, the work should strengthen or redesign processes across service systems (such as schools, primary care, emergency departments, community mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, or other youth-serving settings) rather than inventing a brand-new screening questionnaire. Clinical trials are optional under this R34, which means applicants can propose a design that includes a clinical trial component if appropriate, but they are not required to do so.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments that commonly touch youth services. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The NOFO explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based and community-based organizations, and certain regional organizations, reflecting the program's emphasis on reaching underserved populations through trusted institutions and local infrastructure.

There are also clear restrictions related to 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 NIH defines them) are not allowed. The funding instrument is a grant, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the original closing date listed for this opportunity was February 20, 2024. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building practical, coordinated, and implementable service-system solutions that can quickly identify youth at risk for suicide and ensure they receive effective, connected care in the places they are most likely to seek help.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Systems-Level Risk Detection and Interventions to Reduce Suicide, Ideation, and Behaviors in Youth from Underserved Populations (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-09-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-20. (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 RFA MH 25 125

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: