Hearing Health Care for Adults: Improving Access and Affordability (R21) | PA 17 227

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 227

Hearing Health Care for Adults: Improving Access and Affordability (R21) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) designed to support early-stage, exploratory, and developmental research focused on adult hearing health care. The core purpose is to build a stronger evidence base for practical ways to improve hearing health outcomes by making hearing care easier to obtain and more affordable for adults. In other words, the FOA is looking for studies that can identify barriers to care, test promising strategies to reduce those barriers, and generate data that can lead to better delivery models, policies, tools, or interventions that expand access and lower costs.

This opportunity uses the NIH R21 mechanism, which is typically intended for pilot work, feasibility studies, proof-of-concept projects, and other developmental research where investigators are exploring innovative ideas or generating preliminary evidence rather than running large, definitive trials. The funding instrument is a grant, and the program falls under the broad activity category of Health. The listing is associated with CFDA number 93.173, and the FOA identification is PA 17 227. The stated award ceiling is $200,000, signaling that projects should be appropriately scoped for a smaller, targeted research effort aimed at producing actionable insights, early findings, or foundational data that could justify larger follow-on studies later.

The research focus is adult hearing health care, with an emphasis on access and affordability. This can reasonably include work on how adults find and use hearing services, what prevents them from getting evaluated or treated, how hearing technologies and service models are priced and reimbursed, and what system-level or community-level changes could improve uptake and outcomes. Projects might examine real-world care pathways, evaluate innovative service delivery approaches (for example, community-based models or telehealth-enabled pathways), address disparities in hearing care utilization, or study how cost, insurance coverage, and pricing structures affect decision-making and long-term use of hearing interventions. Because the FOA explicitly calls for strengthening the evidence base, it supports research that clarifies what works, for whom, and under what circumstances, especially in ways that can be translated into better clinical or public health practice.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of public and private organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. It also includes public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also eligible, along with other applicant types. The FOA additionally highlights specific eligible groups and institution types, including 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), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized entities. Faith-based and community-based organizations are explicitly included, as are eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility reflects the reality that improving hearing health access and affordability often involves health systems, community organizations, educators, insurers, technology developers, and public agencies working on interconnected problems.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created on 2017-03-20 and lists an original closing date of 2018-01-09. While that closing date indicates this specific posting is time-bound, the content still clearly describes the intent and scope of the program: to fund smaller, high-impact research projects that can help reshape adult hearing health care toward more accessible and affordable services and, ultimately, better outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hearing Health Care for Adults: Improving Access and Affordability (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-03-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-09. (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 $200,000.00 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.

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