Change of Grantee Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 590

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 590

The NIH funding opportunity "Change of Grantee Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional)" (PA 18-590) is a process-oriented grant mechanism that allows certain existing NIH awardees to request approval to transfer an active NIH grant from the current grantee institution to a different organization. It is not a typical competition for new project funding; instead, it is meant for situations where an ongoing, already-funded NIH project needs to move to a new institutional home and the transfer is allowable under the rules of the specific grant type. In NIH terminology, this is generally associated with a "Type 7" action, which refers to a change of grantee organization for an existing award.

NIH treats these transfer requests as prior approval actions under the NIH Grants Policy Statement (specifically referenced as Section 8.1.2.7). That matters because the request is evaluated as an administrative and programmatic decision rather than as a standard peer-reviewed scientific competition. Requests submitted under this announcement are routed directly to the Grants Management Specialist assigned to the current award, rather than going through a traditional review panel. NIH emphasizes that even if a request is submitted through this FOA, approval is not automatic; there is no guarantee the award will be transferred. The agency encourages applicants to discuss the potential transfer with the awarding NIH Institute or Center (IC) before submitting, since that IC ultimately determines whether the transfer makes sense programmatically and whether all administrative requirements can be met.

The opportunity applies only to certain NIH grant types identified in the full Funding Opportunity Announcement, and only when the change of organization is permitted for that specific award. The "Parent Clinical Trial Optional" labeling indicates that the parent framework accommodates awards that may or may not involve clinical trials, depending on the underlying grant and the status of the project being transferred. In other words, the announcement is designed to cover a broad set of NIH programs and circumstances, including projects that involve clinical research, but it does not automatically authorize or require a clinical trial.

Eligibility is broad and includes many kinds of organizations that can serve as either current or potential new grantees, provided they can meet NIH requirements and the IC agrees to the transfer. Eligible applicants listed 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; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments); public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also highlights additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations), regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant program under NIH. The funding activity spans multiple federal program areas (including health, education, environment, food and nutrition, and social services) because NIH’s CFDA coverage is broad. The announcement lists many CFDA numbers under the NIH umbrella (for example, 93.077, 93.113, 93.121, and many others), reflecting that transfer requests could involve awards originating from a wide range of NIH Institutes, Centers, and program authorities. The opportunity was created on 2018-01-25, and the original closing date shown is 2021-06-30. No specific award ceiling or expected number of awards is provided in the summary information, which is consistent with the fact that transfers depend on the volume of requests and NIH approval decisions rather than a fixed set-aside.

Overall, PA 18-590 functions as an official pathway for requesting an NIH-approved transfer of an existing grant to a new grantee organization, with decisions handled directly by NIH grants management and the awarding IC. The key practical takeaway is that organizations considering a transfer should coordinate early with the NIH program and grants contacts on the current award, because the request must satisfy policy requirements, the project must remain feasible and compliant at the new institution, and NIH retains full discretion to approve or deny the transfer.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Change of Grantee Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.077, 93.113, 93.121, 93.142, 93.143, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.281, 93.282, 93.286, 93.307, 93.310, 93.313, 93.350, 93.351, 93.352, 93.361, 93.389, 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, 93.397, 93.398, 93.399, 93.701, 93.702, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.856, 93.859, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, 93.879, 93.989.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-01-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 PA 18 590

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: