OpenDeadline extended (was Jun 23, 2026)Research announcementOpportunity RFA-OH-26-015

Exploratory/Developmental Grants Related to the World Trade Center Health Program (R21)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA · Department of Health and Human Services

At a glance

Exploratory/Developmental Grants Related to the World Trade Center Health Program (R21) is an open federal grant opportunity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA (Department of Health and Human Services). Applications are due December 8, 2026. Individual awards are listed as up to $365K, with about 36 awards expected and $18M in total estimated funding. The notice is unrestricted by applicant type, subject to any clarifications in the notice. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 93.262 (Occupational Safety and Health Program).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

May 8, 2026Posted
Dec 8, 2026Application deadlinenext date
Jun 1, 2026 (est.)Est. award date
Oct 27, 2027Archived

Posted: May 8, 2026
Close date: Dec 8, 2026
Archive date: Oct 27, 2027
Est. award date: Jun 1, 2026
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: $365,000
Est. total funding: $18,000,000
Original deadline (extended): Jun 23, 2026
Expected awards: 36
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public colleges & universities
Federally recognized tribal governments
Public & Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations
501(c)(3) nonprofits
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status
Private colleges & universities
For-profit organizations (not small businesses)
Small businesses
Unrestricted (any entity type)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) 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 HHS Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program supports exploratory and developmental research projects (R21) that address issues related to diagnostic or treatment uncertainty among individuals receiving monitoring and/or treatment under Subtitle C of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, as amended. This R21 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is intended to encourage exploratory/developmental research by supporting the early and conceptual stages of project development to assess the feasibility of new areas of investigation with the potential to improve treatment effectiveness and diagnostic practices. These studies may lead to breakthroughs in a particular area or to the development of new interventions, techniques, agents, methodologies, models, or approaches with potential clinical impact. They are expected to break new ground or extend prior discoveries in new directions or applications. Applicants are expected to propose research for which there is likely to be minimal or no preliminary data.

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

rfa-oh-26-015_rev6.pdfFull Announcement · rfa-oh-26-015_rev6.pdfPDF · 310 KB

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Open the application packageUse opportunity number RFA-OH-26-015 on Grants.gov (Grants.gov Workspace). Open ↗
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyCenters for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA · jcy5@cdc.gov Open ↗
Submit before December 8, 2026December 8, 2026; October 26, 2027. All applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm local time of the applicant organization. Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

93.262Occupational Safety and Health ProgramProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 93.262

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$131M

FY25

$128M

FY26

$113M est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 93.262. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA
jcy5@cdc.gov
404-498-2015

Quick answers

When is the deadline for “Exploratory/Developmental Grants Related to the World Trade Center Health Program (R21)”?

According to the official notice, applications are due December 8, 2026. The notice adds: “December 8, 2026; October 26, 2027. All applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm local time of the applicant organization.” Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.

Who is eligible to apply for “Exploratory/Developmental Grants Related to the World Trade Center Health Program (R21)”?

The notice lists eligibility as unrestricted — open to any type of entity — subject to clarifications in the notice's additional eligibility information.

How much funding is available through “Exploratory/Developmental Grants Related to the World Trade Center Health Program (R21)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as up to $365k, total estimated program funding is $18,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 36 awards.

How do I apply for “Exploratory/Developmental Grants Related to the World Trade Center Health Program (R21)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity RFA-OH-26-015), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

ForecastedResearchALN 93.262