Prevention and Intervention Approaches for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 18, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers and institutions seeking to develop and test prevention and intervention approaches for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Eligible applicants typically include academic medical centers, universities, nonprofit research organizations, and healthcare institutions that employ qualified researchers with relevant expertise. The R34 mechanism is designed for planning grants and early-stage clinical trial development, allowing applicants to establish protocols, develop research teams, and conduct feasibility studies before submitting a full R01 clinical trial application. Geographic scope is nationwide. Activities supported include preliminary research, protocol development, formation of clinical trial teams, and small pilot studies to demonstrate feasibility of prevention or intervention approaches for FASD across the lifespan.
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Program description
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for R34 planning grant applications focuses on prevention and intervention strategies for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) throughout the lifespan. The intent of this NOFO is to support research that advances (1) prevention approaches to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and incidence of FASD and (2) interventions for FASD.
It is expected that research conducted via this mechanism will consist of studies that are a pre-requisite for preparing and submitting subsequent applications for larger scale FASD prevention or intervention studies.
Applicants interested in exploratory phased projects may consider NOFO (TEMP-23833, the R61/R33 option).
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public Authority
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Researcher (independent)
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (R&R) Federal Application for Research or Evaluation Assistance
- Project Narrative (12-15 pages typically)
- Specific Aims (1 page)
- Research Strategy including Background, Significance, Innovation, and Approach sections
- Timeline and Milestones for planning activities
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biosketch(es) for all key personnel (NIH format, 5-page limit)
- Letters of Support from collaborating institutions or clinical sites
- IRB approval or plans for human subjects protection (if applicable)
- Data Management and Sharing Plan
- Resource Sharing Plan (if applicable)
Program contact
- 👤 National Institutes of Health
- 📧 grantsinfo@nih.gov
- 📞 301-402-2541
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.273 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$131,608,116
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$34,675,742
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$34,469,501
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$33,261,336
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$33,077,338
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$32,897,567
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$30,394,602
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$30,371,564
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$29,223,384
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$29,195,978
Top States by Funding
- CA 16 awards $250.9M
- NY 3 awards $172.8M
- OR 7 awards $96.9M
- NC 4 awards $67.1M
- IN 3 awards $61.9M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.273). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $430,377,419 | |
| 2025 | $429,906,735 | |
| 2026 est. | $12,401,560 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for an R34 FASD grant?
Eligible organizations include domestic profit and nonprofit entities, academic institutions, state and local governments, tribal organizations, and small businesses. Applicants must have a qualified principal investigator with relevant research experience in FASD, prevention science, or clinical interventions.
What is the deadline and application timeline?
The fixed deadline is January 7, 2027. Applications open November 25, 2024. NIH typically allows 30-60 days from submission to begin review process, with funding decisions made several months after review.
What types of activities and research does this grant support?
The R34 mechanism supports planning activities including literature reviews, protocol development, team assembly, preliminary data collection, feasibility studies, and small pilot studies. It funds the groundwork needed before launching a full-scale clinical trial.
How competitive is this funding opportunity?
R34 grants are moderately competitive. Success depends on strong preliminary data, clear feasibility plans, experienced research teams, and compelling rationale for why the proposed intervention approach will work. Novel prevention or intervention strategies tend to be favored.
What is the typical funding range?
R34 awards typically provide $100,000 to $300,000 total costs per year, with funding periods generally 2-3 years, though specific amounts vary based on project complexity and scope.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Establish strong preliminary evidence for your intervention approach. Even though this is a planning grant, NIH reviewers want to see existing data that supports your proposed prevention or intervention strategy for FASD.
- Clearly articulate the unmet clinical need your project addresses. Demonstrate a specific gap in current FASD prevention or treatment options and how your approach fills that gap.
- Assemble a multidisciplinary team with diverse expertise. Include researchers with FASD knowledge, clinicians, biostatisticians, and ideally individuals with lived experience or community partners affected by FASD.
- Develop a realistic and detailed timeline for your planning activities. Specify concrete deliverables for months 12-24 that will position you for a competitive R01 or full clinical trial application.
- Address health disparities and equity considerations. Discuss how your intervention will reach underserved populations disproportionately affected by FASD, including rural communities and low-income families.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications commonly fail when they present unclear or underdeveloped intervention concepts—reviewers need to see that the basic science or clinical rationale is sound, even if you're still in the planning phase. Another frequent issue is insufficient preliminary data; applicants sometimes overestimate feasibility without pilot evidence or preliminary results. Finally, weak research team credentials or lack of FASD-specific expertise among key personnel raises concerns about ability to execute the planning activities and transition successfully to a full trial.
Similar grants
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- OPEN Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Disorders (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) — National Institutes of Health
- OPEN Population Approaches to Reducing Alcohol-related Cancer Risk (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) — National Institutes of Health
- CLOSED Optimizing Behavioral Sleep Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults — National Institutes of Health