Community-Based Participatory Research to Advance Data and Practice Transformation (ADAPT) for Optimizing Oral Health for All (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers and institutions interested in community-based participatory research (CBPR) focused on oral health equity and practice transformation. Eligible applicants typically include research institutions, academic medical centers, schools of dentistry, community health centers, and nonprofits with research capacity. The program supports U.S. domestic research and requires applicants to have strong community partnerships and meaningful community involvement in study design and implementation. Research may be preliminary (UG3) or a full clinical trial (UH3), with particular emphasis on advancing data collection methods and practice transformation to improve oral health outcomes across diverse and underserved populations.
This grant is for researchers and institutions interested in community-based participatory research (CBPR) focused on oral health equity and practice transformation. Eligible applicants typically include research institutions, academic medical centers, schools of dentistry, community health centers, and nonprofits with research capacity. The program supports U.S. domestic research and requires applicants to have strong community partnerships and meaningful community involvement in study design and implementation. Research may be preliminary (UG3) or a full clinical trial (UH3), with particular emphasis on advancing data collection methods and practice transformation to improve oral health outcomes across diverse and underserved populations.
Program description
The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit UG3/UH3 phased, cooperative agreement research applications to evaluate, implement, and/or test population-based interventions to policies, programs, and/or practices for promoting integration of services, systems, and/or values by leveraging cross-sector partnerships in communities. Such interventions must address social and chronic disease common risk factors and/or barriers driving oral disease burden in communities. Projects funded through this funding opportunity and a separately funded Community Engagement Evaluation and Data Coordination hub (CEED) will form a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) consortium: Advancing Data and Practice Transformation (ADAPT), which will receive consultative services from the NIH Community Engagement Alliance Consultative Resource (CEACR) and join in the Science Collaborative for Health and Artificial Intelligence Reduction of Errors (SCHARE) platform for the overarching goal of promoting data use and transformational community engagement to optimize oral health for all people across the lifespan.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- Colleges (all higher ed)
- Community Health Center
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public Authority
- Public K-12 School
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
Details
This grant is for researchers and institutions interested in community-based participatory research (CBPR) focused on oral health equity and practice transformation. Eligible applicants typically include research institutions, academic medical centers, schools of dentistry, community health centers, and nonprofits with research capacity. The program supports U.S. domestic research and requires applicants to have strong community partnerships and meaningful community involvement in study design and implementation. Research may be preliminary (UG3) or a full clinical trial (UH3), with particular emphasis on advancing data collection methods and practice transformation to improve oral health outcomes across diverse and underserved populations.
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (R&R) form and SF-424 (R&R) Supplement
- Project narrative (not to exceed specified page limits; typically 15 pages for research design and methods)
- Specific aims (typically 1 page)
- Significance section (emphasizing oral health equity and population health impact)
- Innovation section (describing novel CBPR or data/practice transformation approaches)
- Approach section (detailed research design, community engagement strategy, data collection/analysis plans)
- Impact statement
- Budget and budget justification (using NIH format)
- Biographical sketches for all key personnel
- Letters of support/commitment from community partners and research institutions
- Data management and sharing plan
- Protection of human subjects documentation (IRB approval or pending approval)
Program contact
- 👤 National Institutes of Health
- 📧 NIDCR-ADAPT@nih.gov
- 📞 301-402-2541
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.310 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$973,507,476
-
$383,462,829
-
$190,396,050
-
$179,743,190
-
$169,422,678
-
$167,922,818
-
$143,679,156
-
$134,358,531
-
$115,739,255
-
$91,722,927
Top States by Funding
- NC 5 awards $1,419.5M
- WA 1 awards $383.5M
- MD 2 awards $303.8M
- NY 3 awards $192.1M
- NJ 1 awards $179.7M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.310). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,174,839,078 | |
| 2025 | $1,062,277,534 | |
| 2026 est. | $28,100,048 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Eligible applicants typically include research institutions, universities, schools of dentistry, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), community health centers, 501(c)(3) nonprofits with research capacity, and tribal organizations. Applicants must demonstrate research capability and strong community partnerships.
What are the application deadlines?
The application opens April 27, 2026, with a fixed deadline of November 16, 2028. Organizations should plan to submit well in advance of the final deadline to allow time for institutional review and submission.
What types of research projects are supported?
This program supports community-based participatory research focused on oral health and practice transformation. Both exploratory/developmental (UG3) and full clinical trial (UH3) projects are eligible. Research should emphasize data innovation and implementation science approaches.
How competitive is this funding?
NIH grants are highly competitive. Applications should demonstrate strong community engagement, novel approaches to oral health equity, preliminary data supporting feasibility, and a robust research team with relevant expertise in both research methodology and community partnership.
What is the typical funding range?
While specific amounts vary, NIH UG3/UH3 mechanisms typically fund projects in the range of $400,000-$1,000,000+ over multiple years, depending on project scope and phase (UG3 vs. UH3).
💡 Tips for applicants
- Invest significant effort in authentic community partnership. The strongest applications show genuine co-design with community partners from the earliest stages, not token community involvement. Document how the community shaped the research question itself.
- Clearly articulate the oral health equity problem you're addressing. Specify which populations face health disparities and provide evidence (epidemiological data, existing literature, community-identified needs) for why your research matters to that population.
- Design for practice transformation early. NIH wants research that won't sit on shelves. Show how findings will be integrated into real dental practice settings and include implementation partners (practices, health systems, payers) in your planning.
- Present preliminary data strategically. For UG3 (exploratory), you may have limited data, but show proof of concept for your research approach. For UH3, stronger preliminary results strengthen competitiveness. Pilot studies demonstrating feasibility are valuable.
- Build a multidisciplinary team with complementary expertise. Include dentists/oral health experts, implementation scientists, biostatisticians, community health workers, and community members. Show how each brings essential skills to the research and community partnership.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications often fail to demonstrate genuine community partnership, instead treating community members as study subjects rather than co-investigators. Another frequent weakness is unclear connection between research aims and meaningful oral health practice change—reviewers want to see a clear pathway from discovery to implementation in real-world dental settings. Finally, many applications underestimate the complexity of combining rigorous research methods with authentic community engagement, resulting in either weak science or weak partnerships rather than integrated CBPR.
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