Financial Management Plan for Grant Awards | NIMHD

Budget

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Congressional appropriation for FY 2026 is $535,140,000. 

Applicants are advised to use information presented here, in conjunction with information available in their organizational eRA Commons accounts, for planning purposes only.

Funding Strategy

NIMHD is committed to supporting meritorious science that advances the Institute’s mission. Funding decisions at NIMHD align with NIH cost management guidelines, as well as the NIH-wide unified strategy and framework – to ensure consistent, transparent, and impactful outcomes. Consistent with this framework, NIMHD does not utilize a specific payline or cutoff score to determine funding status.

A Unified Approach to Funding

NIMHD funding decisions balance competing and dynamic factors to support the highest quality research. Following the NIH unified funding policy core tenets, the strategies are designed to:

  • Align with the NIH mission to enhance health and reduce illness
  • Prioritize scientific merit, including peer review scores and summary statements
  • Support the workforce, including early career investigators
  • Promote broad distribution of research resources and geographic balance
  • Ensure portfolio balance to integrate a breadth of high-priority topics
  • Exercise fiscal responsibility and stewardship of research funds

Funding Decision Criteria

Final award decisions at NIMHD are based on several criteria to ensure that scientific investments maximize public health impact:

  • Merit and Priorities: Evaluation of scientific and technical merits of proposed projects as determined by peer review and NIMHD scientists, within the context of NIMHD priorities
  • National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NACMHD) Recommendations: Second-level NACMHD review and recommendations
  • Programmatic Balance: Scientific gaps, needs, and potential overlap with existing programs
  • Innovation: Projects with high innovation and the potential for meaningful scientific impact and community benefit

Guidance for Investigators

Established Investigators

To maximize resources for new research, competing R01 awards for established investigators may be subject to programmatic adjustments. These adjustments are informed by the summary statement, assessment of the proposed budget, priority alignment, and other available resources.

  • Award Limits: NIMHD will not consider applications from established investigators who currently hold a total of three funded projects (R01, P50, or U54) across all NIH Institutes and Centers.

Early Stage Investigators (ESIs)

In support of the Next Generation Researchers Initiative (NGRI), NIMHD encourages the stable integration of ESIs into the workforce.

  • Funding Levels: Competing R01 awards for ESIs will generally be funded at 100% of the recommended levels from the Initial Review Group and NACMHD.

Non-Competing Awards

  • For non-competing continuation awards (Type 5s), NIMHD generally funds these at the full committed levels to ensure project continuity.