RFA-ES-22-009: Biological Basis for how Environmental Exposures Impact Risk for Psychiatric Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2022.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $275,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on February 22, 2023.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed October 3, 2022. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$275,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNIEHS
- Median yearly award$197,694
- Typical project length3 years
- R21, Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant. Early, exploratory ideas that may not have preliminary data yet, usually for up to two years. Other open R21 notices.
Projects funded under RFA-ES-22-009 were run by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, 4 projects). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read RFA-ES-22-009 in the NIH Guide.
Key dates
| Posted | October 3, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | February 22, 2023 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | March 30, 2023 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- 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 (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $197,694; it allows up to $275,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (81% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The objective of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications that propose to better understand the biological basis by which environmental exposures alter brain and behavioral functioning to increase risk for psychiatric disorders with onset in late-childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. The R21 grant mechanism is intended to encourage exploratory and developmental research projects that are high-risk and/or use novel approaches with potential for significant impact. Investigations that further advance our understanding of psychiatric conditions where there is less evidence of an environmental exposure link are of particular interest. Since basic and pre-clinical research is critical for the study of neurobiological mechanisms that drive complex behaviors including mental illness, the focus of this FOA is to encourage a range of mechanistic approaches, from in vitro systems to whole organism models, to examine the link between environmental chemicals and possible contribution to the pathogenesis of psychiatric abnormalities. Investigations that further advance our understanding of the joint contribution of genes and environment in the risk for psychiatric disorders are also welcomed. It is anticipated that knowledge gained from the research supported by this FOA will inform the development of improved intervention, prevention and/or therapeutic strategies. This FOA will use the NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21) award mechanism and runs in parallel with another FOA, RFA-ES-22-008, which encourages applications under the R01 mechanism.
Funded under RFA-ES-22-009 so far
NIH funded 4 projects under RFA-ES-22-009 in fiscal 2024 to 2025, at 4 institutions. The median yearly award was $197,694.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term Effects of Developmental Air Pollution Exposure on Adult Mental Health: Sensitive Periods, Neural Correlates, and Genetic Risk Factors | University of Colorado | 2025 | $195,625 |
| Long-term risk for psychiatric disorders following early life exposure to environmental arsenic | Mount Desert Island Biological Lab | 2025 | $195,500 |
| The orexin system as a novel mediator of depression-like outcomes in female rats exposed to an endocrine disrupting compound during the peripubertal period | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences | 2025 | $196,250 |
| Gene by Environment Interactions in Sensory Processing Deficits | North Carolina State University Raleigh | 2025 | $223,133 |
Who has won Environmental Health grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Environmental Health (93.113) awarded $2.1 billion across 1,980 grant awards, an average of $1.1 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York | 49 | $87.7 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 69 | $78.7 million |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 59 | $71.5 million |
| Emory University | Georgia | 57 | $67.2 million |
| University of Southern California | California | 40 | $58.9 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is RFA-ES-22-009 still open?
No. It closed on February 22, 2023.
Who can apply for Biological Basis for how Environmental Exposures Impact Risk for Psychiatric Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for Biological Basis for how Environmental Exposures Impact Risk for Psychiatric Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
Closed February 22, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $275,000 each.
Who has been funded under RFA-ES-22-009?
NIH RePORTER lists 4 projects funded under RFA-ES-22-009 in fiscal 2024 to 2025, at 4 institutions. The most were at University of Colorado, Mount Desert Island Biological Lab, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.
Who has won Environmental Health grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The program made 1,980 awards worth $2.1 billion in that time.
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