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NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health Nonprofit eligible

Here's an active health funding opportunity from National Institutes of Health, open to nonprofits and other eligible applicants, with applications due Sep 10, 2026. It provides awards up to $350K.

View & apply on Grants.gov
Deadline
Sep 10, 2026
Award amount
Up to $350K
Expected awards
10
Posted
Jun 26, 2026
Opportunity number
RFA-RM-27-004
CFDA
93.310
Health

Opportunity description

The NIH Director's Early Independence Award helps talented new researchers begin their own independent research program soon after finishing their doctoral degree or clinical training, without first doing postdoctoral training.The award accepts applications on any topic fitting the NIH mission. It is part of the NIH Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.

Who can apply

  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Special district governments
  • Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • County governments
  • Independent school districts
  • State governments
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • 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
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
  • Small businesses
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses
  • City or township governments

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

Funding

Award floor
$350K
Award ceiling
$350K

Agency contact

National Institutes of Health

NIH Director's Early Independence Award Program EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov

EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov

Next steps to apply

This award is administered through the federal Grants.gov system. Review the complete instructions and verify the deadline on the official page before starting your submission.

Official Grants.gov listing

Information here comes from the public Grants.gov dataset, which is U.S. government public-domain data, and is shared for general guidance only. VolunteerBadge neither administers grants nor speaks for any agency — confirm everything on the official listing before applying.

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