Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 18 003
The Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) funding opportunity (RFA-ES-18-003) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program that supports the creation or continuation of Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers using the P30 center grant mechanism. The basic idea is to fund a central, shared research hub that strengthens environmental health science at an institution by providing the infrastructure and coordinated services that many investigators can use. Rather than paying for a single research project, this program is designed to make multiple independently funded projects run more efficiently and effectively by giving them shared cores, facilities, resources, and a unifying intellectual home.
A key theme of the announcement is that these Centers are expected to operate as leadership engines for the field. In practical terms, an EHS Core Center is meant to serve as an intellectual hub that helps define scientific directions, identifies new and emerging environmental health issues, and aligns its activities with the broader goals laid out in the NIEHS Strategic Plan. The scientific focus is on advancing understanding of how environmental exposures interact with human biology to influence disease. That includes the full chain of concern in environmental health: characterizing exposures, understanding biological mechanisms, and linking those processes to clinical or population-level health outcomes. The program emphasizes that Centers should not be passive service providers; they should actively recognize opportunities, coordinate expertise, and mobilize resources to push the science forward.
The program also places explicit weight on community engagement and translational research, treating both as core strategies for improving public health. Community engagement in this context generally means building meaningful, ongoing relationships with affected communities and stakeholders, communicating science in accessible ways, and ensuring that research questions and approaches reflect real-world concerns. Translational research is framed as moving findings toward practical impact, such as informing interventions, policies, clinical practices, risk communication, or other applications that reduce harm from environmental exposures. The expectation is that a well-run Core Center helps bridge the gap between laboratory or observational findings and changes that matter for people and communities.
This opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant funding instrument, with an activity category listed under environment and health (CFDA 93.113). The FOA title includes the phrase "Clinical Trial Optional," which signals that applications may propose work that includes clinical trials, but doing so is not mandatory. The closing date listed for the competition was April 17, 2019, and the FOA was created on November 7, 2017. The source information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the number of expected awards.
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicant types include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, along with an "other" category that can capture additional qualifying domestic entities. The FOA explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant 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), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). At the same time, the announcement is clear about geographic and organizational restrictions: non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply; non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible; and foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this FOA. In other words, the Center and its supported components must be entirely domestic.
Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as support for an institutional platform that multiplies the effectiveness of many environmental health researchers at once. The funded Center is expected to provide shared infrastructure and expertise, cultivate cross-disciplinary collaboration, stay responsive to emerging environmental health challenges, and maintain a strong outward-facing posture through community engagement and translation, all while advancing NIEHS strategic priorities focused on the links between environmental exposures, biology, and disease.Apply for RFA ES 18 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) (P30 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-07.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-04-17. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) - RFA-ES-18-003
1) What is the Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) funding opportunity?
The Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHS CC) funding opportunity (RFA-ES-18-003) is an NIH grant program that supports the creation or continuation of Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers using the P30 center grant mechanism. It is designed to fund a centralized, shared research hub at an institution that strengthens environmental health science by providing coordinated infrastructure, services, and shared resources used by many investigators.
2) What does the P30 center grant mechanism mean in this program?
In this program, a P30 center grant supports a center-based structure rather than a single, standalone research project. The intent is to build or maintain shared cores, facilities, and coordinated services that help multiple independently funded projects run more efficiently and effectively.
3) Is this grant meant to fund one research project or multiple projects?
This opportunity is not focused on paying for a single research project. It is intended to provide an institutional platform that supports many investigators and multiple independently funded projects by offering shared infrastructure and coordinated services.
4) What is the main purpose of an EHS Core Center?
The main purpose is to serve as a central, shared research hub (an intellectual and operational home) that strengthens environmental health science at an institution. The center should provide shared cores, facilities, and resources, coordinate expertise across investigators, and mobilize services that amplify the impact of multiple research efforts.
5) How are these Centers expected to function within the environmental health science field?
The FOA emphasizes that Centers are expected to operate as leadership engines for the field. Practically, they should help define scientific directions, identify new and emerging environmental health issues, and align their activities with the broader goals in the NIEHS Strategic Plan.
6) What scientific focus does the FOA emphasize?
The scientific focus is advancing understanding of how environmental exposures interact with human biology to influence disease. This includes characterizing exposures, understanding biological mechanisms, and linking these processes to clinical or population-level health outcomes.
7) What does it mean that the Center should be an "intellectual hub"?
Being an intellectual hub means the Center is expected to provide more than services. It should actively recognize scientific opportunities, coordinate cross-disciplinary expertise, and bring investigators and resources together to push environmental health science forward.
8) Are EHS Core Centers expected to be passive service providers?
No. The FOA explicitly indicates that Centers should not be passive service providers. They are expected to take active leadership roles by recognizing opportunities, coordinating expertise, and mobilizing resources to advance the science.
9) What role do shared cores and facilities play in this program?
Shared cores, facilities, and resources are central to the program. They are intended to provide coordinated services and infrastructure that multiple investigators can use, increasing efficiency and effectiveness across many independently funded research projects.
10) How important are community engagement and translational research in this FOA?
They are emphasized as core strategies for improving public health. The program places explicit weight on both community engagement and translational research, treating them as fundamental expectations of a well-run Core Center.
11) What does "community engagement" mean in this opportunity?
Community engagement generally refers to building meaningful, ongoing relationships with affected communities and stakeholders, communicating science in accessible ways, and ensuring that research questions and approaches reflect real-world concerns.
12) What does "translational research" mean in this opportunity?
Translational research is described as moving findings toward practical impact, such as informing interventions, policies, clinical practices, risk communication, or other applications that reduce harm from environmental exposures.
13) How does the FOA describe the connection between research findings and public health impact?
The FOA frames the Center as a bridge between laboratory or observational findings and real-world changes that matter for people and communities, including interventions, policy, clinical practice, and other applications that reduce harm from environmental exposures.
14) What kind of funding category is this opportunity?
This opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a grant funding instrument.
15) What is the activity category and CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed under environment and health, with CFDA 93.113.
16) What does "Clinical Trial Optional" mean in the FOA title?
It signals that applications may propose work that includes clinical trials, but including a clinical trial is not required.
17) When was this FOA created and what was the listed closing date?
The FOA was created on November 7, 2017, and the closing date listed for the competition was April 17, 2019.
18) Does the provided information list an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?
No. The source information provided does not specify an award ceiling or the number of expected awards.
19) Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations. Eligible applicant types include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and an additional "other" category that can include other qualifying domestic entities.
20) Are minority-serving institutions specifically highlighted as eligible?
Yes. The FOA explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant groups including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, and TCCUs.
21) Are foreign (non-U.S.) institutions eligible to apply?
No. The FOA states that non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply.
22) Can a U.S. organization include non-U.S. components in the proposed Center?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible under this FOA.
23) Are foreign components allowed under this FOA?
No. The FOA does not allow foreign components, as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement.
24) What is the overall takeaway for what this grant supports?
This opportunity supports an institutional platform that multiplies the effectiveness of many environmental health researchers at once by providing shared infrastructure, coordinated services, cross-disciplinary collaboration, responsiveness to emerging environmental health challenges, and strong outward-facing community engagement and translation aligned with NIEHS strategic priorities.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Environment, Health
Next opportunity: T2 Translational Research on Aging: Small Business Innovation Awards (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Optional)
Previous opportunity: Diet and Physical Activity Assessment Methodology (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for RFA ES 18 003
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (RFA ES 18 003) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Transition to Independent Environmental Health Research (TIEHR) Career Transition Award (K01 Clinical Trial Required) Apply for PAR 18 261 Funding Number: PAR 18 261 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Transition to Independent Environmental Health Research (TIEHR) Career Transition Award (K01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PAR 18 291 Funding Number: PAR 18 291 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| The Role of the Microbiome in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 005 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Revolutionizing Innovative, Visionary Environmental health Research (RIVER) (R35 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 004 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 004 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $600,000 |
| SBIR E-learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 006 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 006 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Exposure Analysis Services for the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program (Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 18 783 Funding Number: PA 18 783 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Novel Approaches for Characterizing Exposure and Response to Engineered Nanomaterials (R43 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 008 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Chronic, Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Across the Lifespan: Fogarty International Research Training Award (NCD-LIFESPAN) (D43)(Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 901 Funding Number: PAR 18 901 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Telomeres as Sentinels of Environmental Exposures, Psychosocial Stress, and Disease Susceptibility: A Methods Comparison Study (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA AG 19 023 Funding Number: RFA AG 19 023 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research Network on Telomeres as Sentinels of Environmental Exposures, Psychosocial Stress, and Disease Susceptibility (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA AG 19 022 Funding Number: RFA AG 19 022 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $345,000 |
| Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: Data Repository, Analysis and Science Center (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 014 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 014 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $1,700,000 |
| Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 010 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 010 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $700,000 |
| Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: UnTargeted Exposure Analysis Laboratories (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 012 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 012 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: Targeted Exposure Analysis Laboratories (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 011 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 011 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource: Environmental Exposure Analysis Laboratories (U2C Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 013 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 013 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $700,000 |
| Maintain and Enrich Resource Infrastructure for Existing Environmental Epidemiology Cohorts (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA ES 18 009 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 009 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Virtual Consortium for Translational/Transdisciplinary Environmental Research (ViCTER) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA ES 18 007 Funding Number: RFA ES 18 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Enhancing Data Management and Sharing in NIEHS-Funded Research Grants (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for PA 19 025 Funding Number: PA 19 025 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Early Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA MH 19 120 Funding Number: RFA MH 19 120 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Immuno-Oncology Translation Network (IOTN): Cancer Immunoprevention Research Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA CA 19 014 Funding Number: RFA CA 19 014 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Environment, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Inside Our Applicants Portal
Access Applicants Portal
- Grants Repository - Access current and historic funding opportunities with ease. Thousands of funding opportunities are published every week. We can help you sort through the database and find the eligible ones to apply for.
- Applicant Video Guides - The grant application process can be challenging to follow. We can help you with intuitive video guides to speed up the process and eliminate errors in submissions.
- Grant Proposal Wizard - We have developed a network of private funding organizations and investors across the United States. We can reach out and submit your proposal to these contacts to maximize your chances of getting the funding you need.
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Learn More
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "RFA ES 18 003", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.