Well Told Grants

Federal grant programs / Department of Health and Human Services

Mental Health Research Grants (93.242)

Mental Health Research Grants (Assistance Listing 93.242) is run by the National Institutes of Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It awarded $8.8 billion in 6,785 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $1.3 million per award on average. 119 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.

The typical award was $755,640. Half of the 6,784 awards fell between $350,250 and $1.8 million, and they ranged from $0 to $75.1 million.

Key findings

What the program funds

The mission of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. We fulfill this mission by supporting and conducting research on mental illnesses, health services, and the underlying basic science of the brain and behavior; supporting the training of scientists to carry out basic and clinical mental health research; and communicating with scientists, patients, providers, and the public about mental health research advances and priorities. In May 2024, NIMH released its Strategic Plan for Research. The Strategic Plan builds on the successes of previous NIMH strategic plans by providing a framework for scientific research and exploration, and addressing new challenges in mental health. The new Strategic Plan outlines four high-level Goals: • Goal 1: Define the Brain Mechanisms Underlying Complex Behaviors • Goal 2: Examine Mental Illness Trajectories Across the Lifespan • Goal 3: Strive for Prevention and Cures • Goal 4: Strengthen the Public Health Impact of NIMH-Supported Research These four Goals form a broad roadmap for the Institute’s research priorities over the next five years, beginning with the fundamental science of the brain and behavior, and extending through evidence-based services that improve public health outcomes.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

94 more opportunities are listed with all open grants from Department of Health and Human Services.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Public, private, -profit, or nonprofit agencies (including State and local government agencies), eligible Federal agencies, universities, colleges, hospitals, and academic or research institutions may apply for research grants. SBIR grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses, and STTR grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses which "partner" with a research institution in cooperative research and development. An applicant for individual predoctoral fellowship support must be enrolled in a research doctoral degree program by the proposed activation date of the fellowship. A postdoctoral applicant must have received a Ph.D., Psy.D., M.D., D.D.S., Sc.D., D.N.S., D.O., D.S.W., or equivalent degree from an accredited institution to be eligible for an individual postdoctoral fellowship. All research training awards are made to appropriate domestic research centers, medical schools, departments of psychiatry, non-medical academic departments, psychiatric hospitals or hospitals with psychiatric services, community mental health centers, and biomedical research institutes on behalf of individuals who need the opportunity to realize research potential. Except for the NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00), the individuals must be citizens or nationals of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00) is open to both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

Research project grants provide support for clearly defined projects by a named investigator in an area representing his/her specific interests and competencies. Exploratory/Development and Clinical Exploratory/Developmental Grants encourage the development of new research activities in categorical program areas. Small Research Grants provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Collaborative Clinical Research Grants support evaluations of various methods of therapy and/or prevention. Program Project and Center grants support large-scale, broad-based programs of research, usually interdisciplinary, consisting of several projects with a common focus. Cooperative Agreements support single or a group of related research activities with greater involvement of federal staff. SBIR and STTR grants are awarded in two stages: Phase I grants are awarded to establish the technical merit and feasibility of a proposed research and development effort; only Phase I awardees are eligible to receive Phase II support. Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01, MRSDA), Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08, MCSDA), and Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) provide support for individuals with research potential who need additional mentored development and/or experience in a productive research environment.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

FY 2023 range: $1 to $17,379,729 Average Cost: $508,267

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Funding history and past recipients

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mental Health Research Grants (93.242) awarded$8.8 billion across 6,785 grant awards, an average of $1.3 million per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Yale UnivConnecticut185$371 million
University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationPennsylvania200$297 million
University of California, Los AngelesCalifornia177$237 million
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York144$212 million
The Washington UniversityMissouri148$210 million
The Regents of the University of California, San FranciscoCalifornia154$208 million
The General Hospital CorporationMassachusetts162$199 million
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania138$190 million
The Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland162$185 million
University of California, San DiegoCalifornia139$182 million
Allen InstituteWashington21$169 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York143$164 million
The Leland Stanford Junior UniversityCalifornia121$162 million
University of WashingtonWashington123$155 million
The Broad Institute, IncMassachusetts37$147 million
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorth Carolina143$142 million
Emory UniversityGeorgia117$131 million
Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.New York105$127 million
Duke UniversityNorth Carolina86$121 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan88$115 million

Top states: California ($1.4 billion), Massachusetts ($1.1 billion), New York ($1.1 billion), Pennsylvania ($665 million), Connecticut ($422 million), Washington ($383 million), Maryland ($344 million), North Carolina ($307 million), Texas ($301 million), Missouri ($242 million).

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 69% of the money, nonprofits 21% and small businesses 3.8%.

Recipient typeAwardsAmountShare
Colleges and universities4,924$6.1 billion69%
Nonprofits1,195$1.8 billion21%
Other374$482 million5.5%
Small businesses270$336 million3.8%
Businesses5$9.0 million0.1%
State and local governments11$9.0 million0.1%
Individuals4$5.0 millionless than 0.1%
Tribal governments and organizations2$2.8 millionless than 0.1%

By state

50 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Grants by recipient's state, fiscal 2021 to 2025
StateAwardsAmount
California1,019$1.4 billion
Massachusetts726$1.1 billion
New York875$1.1 billion
Pennsylvania511$665 million
Connecticut226$422 million
Washington191$383 million
Maryland295$344 million
North Carolina272$307 million
Texas249$301 million
Missouri169$242 million
Illinois217$232 million
Michigan147$194 million
New Jersey122$183 million
Georgia164$178 million
Florida148$169 million
Ohio120$151 million
Tennessee139$144 million
Minnesota94$126 million
Rhode Island105$112 million
Oregon82$97.7 million
Virginia85$88.4 million
Wisconsin78$86.9 million
Colorado97$85.2 million
Alabama68$73.5 million
Utah32$45.8 million
District of Columbia51$45.7 million
Indiana47$44.2 million
Arizona37$37.8 million
New Hampshire32$37.1 million
Iowa33$34.8 million
South Carolina31$27.8 million
Vermont21$24.8 million
Kentucky26$22.9 million
Nebraska26$21.4 million
Oklahoma17$17.6 million
New Mexico14$17.6 million
Delaware15$16.8 million
Louisiana17$11.3 million
Kansas15$10.7 million
Hawaii6$7.5 million
Idaho4$6.9 million
South Dakota5$6.1 million
North Dakota7$5.8 million
West Virginia3$5.1 million
Mississippi10$3.1 million
Arkansas4$2.8 million
Puerto Rico7$2.7 million
Montana2$2.1 million
Alaska3$1.7 million
Nevada2$1.2 million
Maine2$922,269
Wyoming2$549,147

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.