RFA-ES-25-003: Time-Sensitive Research Opportunities in Environmental Health Sciences (R21 Clinical Trials 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 2024.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $800,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. It expected to make $800,000 in total. Applications closed on December 1, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed December 2, 2024. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$800,000
- Total funding$800,000
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNIEHS
- Median yearly award$431,750
- Typical project length2 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-25-003 were run by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, 6 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-25-003 in the NIH Guide.
Key dates
| Posted | December 2, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | December 1, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | January 6, 2026 |
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.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Projects NIH funded under this notice had a median yearly award of $431,750; it allows up to $800,000 per award.
- Most of the money in the 2 programs behind this notice (82% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is intended to support novel environmental health research in which an unpredictable event or policy change provides a limited window of opportunity to collect human biological samples or environmental exposure data. The primary motivation of the NOFO is to understand the consequences of natural and human-made disasters, emerging environmental public health threats, and policy changes in the U.S. and abroad. A distinguishing feature of an appropriate study is the need for rapid review and funding, substantially shorter than the typical NIH grant review/award cycle, for the research question to be addressed and swiftly implemented. The shortened timeframe will be achieved by more frequent application due dates and expediting peer review, council concurrence and award issuance. The entire cycle, from submission to award, is expected to be within 4-6 months.
Funded under RFA-ES-25-003 so far
NIH funded 6 projects under RFA-ES-25-003 in fiscal 2025 to 2026, at 5 institutions. The median yearly award was $431,750.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shading school playgrounds to reduce heat and UV exposure and promote physical activity | Arizona State University-Tempe Campus | 2026 | $261,290 |
| Urban Wildfires in Los Angeles and Maternal and Infant Health | University of California Los Angeles | 2026 | $465,667 |
| Indoor and Outdoor Exposure to LA Urban Wildfire Smoke – A Nature Experiment between the Palisades and Eaton Fires | University of California Los Angeles | 2026 | $354,375 |
| Environmental and Health Assessment Following the Westlake Vinyl Fire: A Time-Sensitive Study | University of Louisville | 2025 | $431,750 |
| (R21) Physicochemical and toxicological assessment of the particulate matter (PM) from the Los Angeles Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires and its impact on respiratory health | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences | 2025 | $431,750 |
| Project Firestorm: Assessing Respiratory and Mental Health Impacts of Wildland-Urban Interface Fires and Long-Term Toxic Exposures | University of Southern California | 2025 | $456,500 |
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 |
Who has won NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances_Basic Research and Education grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances_Basic Research and Education (93.143) awarded $250 million across 90 grant awards, an average of $2.8 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State University | Oregon | 2 | $14.3 million |
| The University of Iowa | Iowa | 2 | $12.9 million |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | 1 | $12.4 million |
| University of Louisville | Kentucky | 1 | $12.3 million |
| Duke University | North Carolina | 3 | $12.2 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-25-003 still open?
No. It closed on December 1, 2025.
Who can apply for Time-Sensitive Research Opportunities in Environmental Health Sciences (R21 Clinical Trials 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 Time-Sensitive Research Opportunities in Environmental Health Sciences (R21 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)?
Closed December 1, 2025. 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 $800,000 each. About $800,000 in total.
Who has been funded under RFA-ES-25-003?
NIH RePORTER lists 6 projects funded under RFA-ES-25-003 in fiscal 2025 to 2026, at 5 institutions. The most were at University of California Los Angeles, Arizona State University-Tempe Campus, University of Louisville.
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.
Similar open grants
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- Developing novel theory and methods for understanding the genetic architecture of complex human traits (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Mechanisms that Impact Cancer Risk with Use of Incretin Mimetics (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
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