Pragmatic Trials for Dementia Care in Long-term Services and Support (LTSS) Settings (R21/R33) | RFA AG 17 065

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AG 17 065

The Pragmatic Trials for Dementia Care in Long-term Services and Support (LTSS) Settings (R21/R33) funding opportunity (RFA-AG-17-065) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program that supports real-world, pragmatic research on how to improve care for people living with Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADRD) in long-term services and support environments. The central idea is to fund studies that answer practical, day-to-day comparative questions that matter to patients with dementia, clinicians, and caregivers, including both paid caregivers (such as direct care workers and nursing staff) and unpaid caregivers (such as family members). Rather than tightly controlled trials that are hard to replicate outside research settings, this FOA emphasizes studies conducted in routine care environments so the results can be adopted quickly by providers, facilities, and families.

The trials supported under this announcement are expected to be pragmatic in design, meaning they should be embedded in typical LTSS workflows and reflect the realities of dementia care delivery. Applications are expected to include broad and diverse populations, which implies enrolling participants who represent the range of individuals receiving LTSS across different backgrounds, clinical profiles, and care settings. The goal is for findings to be broadly applicable and to help decision-makers choose between realistic care approaches, programs, or service models that can be implemented without major disruption.

NIH indicates that successful projects will produce outcomes in at least one of several priority areas. These include improving the quality of care for people with dementia, improving quality of life for people with dementia as well as for their informal (unpaid) caregivers, delivering more patient-focused and cost-effective care within LTSS systems, and reducing disparities in LTSS dementia care. In other words, the program is not just looking for statistically significant effects, but for results that can directly change practice, improve lived experience, and make care more equitable and sustainable.

The FOA uses the R21/R33 mechanism, which generally signals a phased approach: an initial exploratory or developmental phase (R21) followed by an expansion phase (R33) if milestones are met. In practice, this structure is often used when early work is needed to finalize pragmatic trial procedures, confirm feasibility in real-world LTSS operations, or establish recruitment and implementation processes before moving into a larger-scale pragmatic evaluation. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is health research under CFDA 93.866.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations such as state, county, city, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (including those not federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types that NIH wants to encourage, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This emphasis aligns with the program goal of including diverse populations and potentially reaching underserved communities through trusted institutions and local partnerships.

Key administrative details from the source listing include an original closing date of February 3, 2017, and a creation date of November 23, 2016. The listing does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided data excerpt. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at accelerating practical, implementable evidence for dementia care in LTSS settings, with a strong focus on real-world relevance, diversity and inclusion, and outcomes that can be translated rapidly into better care and better lives.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Pragmatic Trials for Dementia Care in Long-term Services and Support (LTSS) Settings (R21/R33)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-11-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-02-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: 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.

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