Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Coordinating Center (U24 – Clinical Trial Optional)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) organizations seeking to establish a national coordinating center.
Eligible applicants must be less research-intensive institutions that award doctorate degrees in health professions or health-related sciences. These institutions typically include HBCUs, HSIs, tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions.
The coordinating center will provide program evaluation, metrics development, and operational support across RCMI U54 centers and the Clinical Research Network. Collaborative multi-disciplinary research projects combining basic, behavioral, and clinical science are encouraged.
Applications are not currently being solicited; this is advance notice for planning and collaboration development.
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Key dates
- Mar 25, 2026 Award announced
- May 1, 2026 Project start
- Jul 8, 2026 Applications open
- Aug 7, 2026 Application deadline in 22 days
Program description
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for a national coordinating center (CC) for the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMIs) initiative. NIH established the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program in 1985 in response to Congressional interest to provide support to less research-intensive institutions that offer doctorate degrees in the health professions or in a health-related science.
The RCMI Specialized Center awards enhance institutional research capacity to conduct world-class health research, enable investigators to compete successfully for extramural support, facilitate research career development and enhancement for post-doctoral fellows and early-stage investigators, provide the tools needed to conduct health disparities, and establish partnerships with community-based organizations.
The RCMI Coordinating Center (CC) will serve as a national resource to help RCMI U54 centers and the Clinical Research Network (CRN) achieve their primary goals. The RCMI CC will conduct prospective evaluations of the overall RCMI program and establish common metrics to measure effectiveness of the program, including analyses of data from the awarded RCMI centers and generating regular reports. The CC will also support the sharing of scientific expertise and best practices, leveraging research resources, and scientific dissemination across RCMI sites. It will also provide support to the RCMI-CRN for study development and implementation, the centralization of operations, as well as data management and statistical analyses.
Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.
In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in multiple scientific disciplines in basic, behavioral to clinical research will be encouraged.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative/Research Strategy
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Organizational capacity and experience documentation
- Letters of commitment from participating RCMI centers
- Institutional biosketches for key personnel
- Data management and evaluation plan
Program contact
- 👤 Rada K. Dagher, Ph.D., M.P.H. National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
- 📧 rada.dagher@nih.gov
- 📞 (301) 451-2187
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.307 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$57,145,935
-
$48,558,256
-
$45,796,667
-
$43,100,665
-
$41,194,375
-
$38,870,836
-
$37,991,760
-
$37,142,240
-
$35,966,257
-
$35,161,090
Top States by Funding
- CA 9 awards $245.6M
- NC 4 awards $112.1M
- TX 5 awards $93.2M
- NY 6 awards $91.5M
- GA 3 awards $76.6M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.307). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2018 | $262,996,990 | |
| 2019 | $273,841,218 | |
| 2020 | $334,014,214 | |
| 2021 | $899,466,003 | |
| 2022 | $421,276,230 | |
| 2023 | $540,394,878 | |
| 2024 est. | $489,444,934 | |
| 2025 est. | $489,444,934 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Less research-intensive institutions awarding doctorates in health professions or health-related sciences. HBCUs, HSIs, tribal colleges, and similar minority-serving institutions are eligible.
When will applications actually be due?
The NOFO has not yet been published. The listed deadline (2025-11-26) is a forecast. Check the NIH website regularly for the official funding announcement.
What is the coordinating center expected to do?
Conduct program evaluations, establish common metrics, support data management and statistical analysis, and facilitate resource-sharing across RCMI sites.
How much funding is available?
Total pool is $5 million, but individual award amounts have not been specified in this forecast notice.
Can I apply now?
No. This is advance notice only to allow time for collaboration development. Formal applications will be accepted only when the NOFO is published.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start building partnerships now with existing RCMI U54 centers to understand their needs and program gaps.
- Develop a strong evaluation plan that can generate meaningful metrics across diverse research institutions and settings.
- Plan for robust data management systems that will integrate information from multiple RCMI sites with different infrastructure.
- Highlight institutional expertise in program administration, statistical analysis, and research dissemination to justify coordinating center role.
- Monitor NIH Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) page regularly; watch for publication in late 2025 or early 2026.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying before the NOFO is published; applications submitted to the wrong mechanism or deadline will be rejected. Underestimating the scope of data management and coordination needed across multiple institutional sites. Proposing evaluation plans that don't align with NIH's emphasis on measuring health disparities research outcomes.
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