Applicant Resources for RFA-AG-24-036

This page includes the technical assistance webinar recording and the frequently asked questions regarding RFA-AG-24-036: Measuring Financial Hardship Among People and Families Living with AD/ADRD.

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the overall purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA)?

A: The purpose of this initiative is to develop measures of financial hardship associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) that are responsive to the dyadic and family-level financial management arrangements that are common as AD/ADRD progress. In order to accurately measure financial hardship among people and families living with AD/ADRD, validated screeners are needed to capture unique hardships associated with AD/ADRD that are not measured in screeners developed for people with cancer or in screeners developed for healthy households.

Q: What are the Non-Responsiveness Criteria for RFA-AG-24-036?

A: The following types of applications will be considered non-responsive and will be withdrawn prior to review:

  • Non-human research studies.
  • Applications that do not develop measures of financial hardship that would be appropriate for the lifecycle period in which AD/ADRD most often occurs.
  • Applications that do not develop measurement tools that can be used across caregiving dyads (spouses/partners/children) and other kinship relationships in which financial support is rendered.
  • Applications that do not develop measures of financial stress, financial strain, and asset depletion that are appropriate for priority populations who have been historically marginalized in employment, education, or housing, and/or overrepresented in justice systems.
  • Applications that do not describe the approach to measure development, including but not limited to, development or adaption of screeners, choice of items to include in screeners, and process for establishing internal and external validity of constructs in the screeners.

Q: When are applications due?

A: There is a single receipt date: October 23, 2023.

Q: How many projects will be funded?

A: NIA intents to commit $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 to fund 6 awards.

Q: When is the earliest start date?

A: The earliest grant start date is July 2024.

Q: What is the award budget?

A: Application budgets are limited to $500,000 in direct costs per year and need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

Q: Is a letter of intent required and what does it contain?

A: Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows NIA staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By September 23, 2023, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

  • Descriptive title of proposed activity
  • Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
  • Names of other key personnel
  • Participating institution(s)
  • Number and title of the funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Priscilla Novak, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-3136
Email: priscilla.novak@nih.gov

Q: Who should I contact if I have further questions?

A: Investigators are highly encouraged to contact Dr. Novak during the planning stages of an application.

Priscilla Novak, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-3136
Email: priscilla.novak@nih.gov

Q: Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?

A: Both non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) and non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Q: Can my organization submit more than one application?

A: Yes. Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission Application. This means that the NIH will not accept:

  • A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
  • A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
  • An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see 2.3.9.4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications).

Q: Are there any additional resources that may be beneficial to applicants?

A: Yes. The following resources may be beneficial to applicants:

Q: Are you looking for adaptations of existing measures or measures created entirely de novo?

A: There is a rich literature on measuring financial stress, financial strain, asset depletion, catastrophic expenditures, and financial toxicity. The purpose of this NOFO is to develop measures of financial hardship associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) that are responsive to the dyadic and family-level financial management arrangements that are common as AD/ADRD progresses.

Q: Is the focus only on direct costs (vs. indirect costs)?

A: The focus of this RFA is on measuring financial hardship for people and families living with AD/ADRD.

Q: Are measures of adaptation to hardship appropriate?

A: Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for details on the scope of the research interests.

Q: Would it also be appropriate to develop items that measure awareness of financial costs related to AD/ADRD and levels of engagement in financial planning?

A: Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for details on the scope of the research interests.

Q: Is this RFA responsive to examining differences between self-reported financial strain and those recorded in longitudinal studies?

A: This focus may be within scope of the RFA.

DBSR