Initiation of a Mental Health Family Navigator Model to Promote Early Access, Engagement and Coordination of Needed Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents (R01) | PAR 17 265

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 265

This NIH funding opportunity (PAR 17-265) supports R01 research projects focused on building and rigorously testing a "family navigator" approach to help children and adolescents get connected to mental health care earlier and stay engaged once services begin. The central idea is to fund studies that develop and evaluate models where a dedicated navigator, either a health care professional or a trained paraprofessional, works directly with young people and their families as soon as early signs or symptoms of mental health concerns are identified. The goal is not simply referral, but active, hands-on support that reduces delays, improves follow-through, and helps families move through complex systems of care in a coordinated way.

Under this announcement, a family navigator is defined by their function rather than their job title: someone who uses specific strategies to rapidly engage youth and caregivers in appropriate treatment and support services, collaborates closely with the family and all relevant providers, and continuously tracks how the youth is doing over time. That can include helping families understand options, overcoming logistical barriers (such as appointment scheduling, transportation, insurance or eligibility requirements, and school coordination), improving communication across providers and settings, and keeping a clear care plan that adapts as needs change. A key emphasis is on early-stage need, meaning the navigator model is intended to be deployed as soon as symptoms are detected rather than after problems become severe or chronic.

The FOA also highlights what kinds of navigator models are especially relevant. It encourages approaches that actively coordinate multiple care strategies and ensure the youth receives the right level of support, with attention to the amount, frequency, and intensity of services that best match the individual. In practice, this points to research that tests how navigators can support stepped-care or matched-care decisions, help families navigate transitions between levels of care, and prevent drop-off during handoffs between settings such as primary care, schools, community mental health clinics, emergency departments, and specialty services. Another priority is the use of novel technologies to support monitoring and coordination, such as tools that track symptoms and functioning over time, flag worsening trajectories early, support measurement-based care, or facilitate communication and follow-up across the care team. Outcomes of interest extend beyond symptom change to include clinical, functional, and behavioral progress, as well as service engagement and coordination metrics.

From a research standpoint, the announcement is aimed at both effectiveness and implementation. That means applicants are expected to do more than describe a promising service model; they should test whether it works and examine how it can be delivered in real-world settings. Projects might evaluate whether navigation improves early access (shorter time from symptom detection to first visit), engagement (attendance, retention, treatment initiation), and coordination (reduced fragmentation, better continuity, smoother referrals, better information sharing). Implementation questions can include feasibility, acceptability to families and providers, training requirements for navigators, fidelity to the model, cost or resource needs, and factors that help or hinder adoption in different systems (for example, school-based services versus health systems, rural versus urban contexts, or culturally specific communities).

The program is administered by the National Institutes of Health, with the relevant institute being the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and it falls under the health research assistance listing CFDA 93.242. The funding mechanism is an R01 research grant, which typically supports substantial, multi-year research programs with clearly defined aims, strong study design, and meaningful impact potential. The listed award ceiling is $500,000, and while the excerpt does not specify the exact budget structure details, that ceiling signals the agency anticipated sizable projects capable of developing and testing a full navigator model rather than small pilot efforts.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other organizations. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly excludes non-U.S. entities: foreign organizations and foreign institutions cannot apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed, which signals the work is expected to be conducted fully within eligible U.S. organizational structures.

The opportunity was created on May 2, 2017, with an original closing date of December 5, 2017, indicating this specific posting was time-limited to that cycle. Even so, the content provides a clear template for what NIMH wanted to support: research that turns the idea of navigation into a defined, testable intervention with measurable outcomes, and that addresses both whether navigation improves early engagement in youth mental health services and how such programs can be implemented sustainably in the settings where children and families first show up for help.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Initiation of a Mental Health Family Navigator Model to Promote Early Access, Engagement and Coordination of Needed Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents (R01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-05-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-12-05. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• 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 PAR 17 265

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