Advancing Learning Health Care Research in Outpatient Mental Health Treatment Settings (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 24 118

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 118

Advancing Learning Health Care Research in Outpatient Mental Health Treatment Settings (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) is an NIH funding opportunity focused on small, practical pilot projects that strengthen how outpatient and community mental health programs learn from their own data and continuously improve care. The core idea is to support early-stage studies that move real-world behavioral health services toward a "learning health care" model, where routine clinical information, implementation feedback, and service outcomes are used in an ongoing cycle to guide decision-making, refine workflows, and improve quality and equity. The opportunity is built for research that helps clinics and community providers generate actionable knowledge and usable tools, not just publish findings, with an emphasis on changes that can be implemented, sustained, and optimized in everyday treatment settings.

The NOFO specifically encourages pilot effectiveness research, implementation research, data science work, and mental health services research in outpatient behavioral health environments. That means applicants can propose studies that test whether an approach works in real-world conditions (effectiveness), examine how best to introduce and integrate evidence-based practices in routine care (implementation), develop and evaluate analytics or informatics methods that make clinical data more useful (data science), or study system-level factors that shape access, quality, and outcomes (services research). Projects should be clearly oriented toward data-driven improvement in community settings and toward evidence-based, high-quality, and equitable services, including attention to gaps in outcomes across different populations.

A major example setting highlighted in the announcement is community-based programs serving people with mental illness, including Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), though the scope is broader than that. Pilot studies may focus on the adoption, fidelity, reach, and long-term sustainability of evidence-based practices in outpatient environments where staffing, resources, and patient needs can vary widely. This can include examining how providers choose interventions, how organizations train and support staff, how workflows and documentation influence care, how decision support tools can improve treatment selection, and how clinics can track and respond to outcomes over time. The goal is to generate early evidence and practical implementation lessons that can be scaled or tested in larger studies later.

This opportunity uses the NIH R34 mechanism, which is designed for pilot work and preparatory studies. The "Clinical Trial Optional" label means applicants may propose a project that includes a clinical trial component if it fits the aims, but a clinical trial is not required. The NOFO is listed as PAR-24-118, falls under the discretionary grant category, and is associated with CFDA numbers 93.242 and 93.279. The maximum award amount noted is $450,000 (award ceiling), reinforcing that this is intended to support focused pilot studies rather than full-scale multi-site trials. The listed application due date is January 7, 2026.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations that operate, partner with, or study outpatient mental health services. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The NOFO also calls out additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly excludes non-U.S. entities: foreign organizations cannot apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at improving how outpatient mental health systems use data to learn, adapt, and deliver better care in the places where most people actually receive services. Strong applications will typically be grounded in real clinical settings, focus on practical barriers and supports to implementing evidence-based care, and produce generalizable lessons or tools that help community programs deliver more consistent, effective, and equitable mental health treatment.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Learning Health Care Research in Outpatient Mental Health Treatment Settings (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242, 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $450,000.00 in funding.
• 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.

Apply for PAR 24 118

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