CAPSTONE Centers for Multidisciplinary Research in Child Abuse and Neglect (P50) (Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA HD 23 007

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 23 007

The CAPSTONE Centers for Multidisciplinary Research in Child Abuse and Neglect (P50) funding opportunity (RFA-HD-23-007) is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant announcement designed to build one or more specialized, multidisciplinary research centers that function as a national hub for child maltreatment research. Using the P50 specialized center mechanism, the program is meant to support integrated, high-impact research programs that go beyond single-project studies by combining multiple coordinated research efforts, shared scientific resources, and field-facing engagement. Clinical trials are allowed but not required, making the opportunity flexible for applicants proposing either intervention testing or other rigorous clinical and translational research designs.

At its core, the FOA is focused on generating innovative, high-quality evidence that can improve how child abuse and neglect are identified, understood, and treated, with the explicit goal of reducing morbidity and mortality and clarifying related health consequences. The research scope spans several major priority areas. First, the Centers are expected to conduct trials that test the efficacy and real-world effectiveness of clinical interventions, supporting work that can move from controlled settings into everyday practice. Second, the FOA calls for longitudinal, prospective studies that examine long-term outcomes of specific and understudied forms of maltreatment, with examples including abusive head trauma, medical child abuse and neglect, and chronic sexual abuse. This emphasis signals an interest in stronger causal inference and clearer developmental trajectories over time, especially for maltreatment types that are difficult to study but carry significant risk.

A third major area is neurobiology, with the FOA encouraging studies that investigate the neurobiological effects of abuse and neglect and how those biological changes relate to later health outcomes. This can include work that connects early adverse experiences to brain development, stress physiology, mental health, chronic disease risk, or other measurable pathways that help explain why maltreatment can have enduring effects. Fourth, the FOA prioritizes research on tools for early identification and clinical management, including the development and testing of screening instruments and clinical assessment measures. The intent is to improve timely detection of specific maltreatment presentations, support earlier treatment, and better identify comorbidities that may complicate care or increase risk.

In addition to the research components, applicants must include a dissemination and outreach core, which is positioned as a central requirement rather than an optional add-on. This core is expected to translate the Center's research into accessible, usable knowledge and to create exposure and learning opportunities for students and faculty at different career stages. A key expectation is active engagement with both scientific audiences and frontline professional communities through participatory activities. The FOA lists examples such as technical assistance, evidence-based practice support, grand rounds, conferences and seminars, and webinars, with the format tailored to the Center's strengths and the needs of the communities it serves. In practical terms, this means the Center should not only generate evidence, but also help it travel into clinical, educational, and service settings where it can change practice.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. governmental entities and organizations, such as state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and federally recognized tribal governments, as well as tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The FOA also allows a wide range of academic and nonprofit applicants, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also listed as eligible, along with additional categories specifically highlighted in the announcement, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, faith-based and community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and regional organizations. The activity category aligns with Health, Income Security and Social Services under CFDA 93.865.

Key administrative details from the source information include an original closing date of July 27, 2022, and a creation date of March 7, 2022. While the provided excerpt does not specify the award ceiling or expected number of awards, the structure and goals clearly indicate the NIH intent to support substantial, center-level programs that integrate multiple research projects with shared cores and an outward-facing dissemination function, ultimately positioning the funded Center(s) as a national resource for advancing the science and practice of preventing, detecting, and responding to child abuse and neglect.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CAPSTONE Centers for Multidisciplinary Research in Child Abuse and Neglect (P50) (Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-03-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-27. (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.

Apply for RFA HD 23 007

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