NIH Funding Opportunities
Explore the latest NIH funding opportunities at the intersection of health and extreme weather.
This list highlights programs relevant to the CAFE community of practice, helping researchers identify resources to advance their work and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.
R25 Education Program
The NIH Program on Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) offers three new funding opportunities related to training and education.
Under NIH’s new preferred funding structure, the HEW initiative and its participating Institutes, Centers, and Offices may consider R25 applications that fall within the scope of the HEW Highlighted Topic published in May 2026. That Highlighted Topic states:
“Methods to advance the aggregation, linking, accessibility, and interpretation of health and weather-related data are also of interest, as are efforts to provide training and build the capacity of researchers across the disciplines needed to address the health impacts of extreme weather. Community engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research translation are encouraged in health and extreme weather research applications.”
Please reach out to the Scientific Contact on the Highlighted Topic if you are interested in applying and any have questions.
- NIH Research Education Program - Research Experiences (Parent R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-27-036
- NIH Research Educational Program - Mentoring Activities & Networks (Parent R25/UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-27-035
- NIH Research Education Program - Courses, Curriculum and Methods (Parent R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) PA-27-034
FY27 NIH Director’s Awards
The NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program offers four funding opportunities for the FY27 NIH Director’s Awards:
- NIH Director's New Innovator Award (DP2 - Clinical Trial Optional): RFA-RM-27-002
Supports early-stage investigators who propose bold and highly innovative research ideas with the potential for broad impact. Learn more. Questions: NewInnovatorAwards@mail.nih.gov. Deadline: August 17. - NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional): RFA RM-27-003
Supports individuals or teams proposing remarkably innovative and/or unconventional research projects with the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms. Learn more. Questions: Transformative_Awards@mail.nih.gov. Deadline: September 3.
- NIH Director's Pioneer Award (DP1 - Clinical Trial Optional): RFA-RM-27-001
Supports individual scientists at any career stage with outstanding records of creativity who propose pioneering approaches to address major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research. Learn more. Questions: PioneerAwards@mail.nih.gov. Deadline: September 9. - NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5 - Clinical Trial Optional): RFA RM-27-004Enables rigorous and promising early career investigators to bypass the traditional postdoctoral training period and launch an independent research career. Learn more. Questions? EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov. Deadline: September 10.
Institutional Career Development Awards (K12)
- NIEHS is a participating institute with an interest in "proposals that provide new pediatric healthcare providers, obstetricians and gynecologists, and other healthcare professionals with environmental health training that blends research, research translation, and practice-based applications to prepare them as independent researchers and recognized leaders." Read the parent announcement and find details about the interests of each participating institute/center. Questions: NOFO.Information@niehs.nih.gov, cc: Liam O’Fallon, Mike Humble, and Jennifer Collins.
To explore all currently active NIH funding opportunities, please visit https://grants.nih.gov/funding/explore-nih-opportunities.
Funding Forecasts
NIEHS intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications in the areas below. Estimated post date: November 27, 2026. Estimated application due date: January 29, 2027.
- Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) Research Coordination and Data Center (U2C - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Will solicit applications for research coordination and data support for the Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) initiative including two closely aligned components: research coordination and data support. The coordinating component will facilitate engagement across the initiative’s grantees and the larger HEW community of practice. The data component will develop resources and infrastructure to facilitate access to and use of health and environmental data. Learn more.
- Health and Extreme Weather Solutions-Focused Research Hubs (U54 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Will solicit applications that propose translational research hubs with multiple highly integrated components focused on research, capacity building, and community/public health translation for regionally relevant topics related to the health impacts of extreme weather and cumulative exposures, including but not limited to wildfire smoke, extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes, drought, and other climate-related hazards affecting populations at heightened risk across the lifespan. Learn more.
NIH Health and Extreme Weather Program
Health and Extreme Weather is Now a Highlighted Topic
Health and Extreme Weather is now designated as a Highlighted Topic across participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
Rather than waiting for a dedicated funding announcement, investigators are highly encouraged to pursue research through existing NIH funding opportunities that align with the goals of the Health and Extreme Weather Program. These opportunities may include parent R01 grants, fellowships, career development awards, and training and education grants.
One focus of the Health and Extreme Weather Highlighted Topic is training development. The NIH has released three Research Education Program (R25) funding announcements (PA-27-034, PA-27-035, PA-27-036) that support research education and training programs incorporating a health and extreme weather focus.Explore all currently active NIH funding opportunities here.
Future Funding Opportunities are in Development
While there are currently no active HEW-specific funding announcements, NIH shared that two major opportunities are currently under development and listed in the NIH Forecast.
These include:
- Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) Research Coordination and Data Center: Will solicit applications for research coordination and data support for the Health and Extreme Weather (HEW) initiative including two closely aligned components: research coordination and data support. The coordinating component will facilitate engagement across the initiative’s grantees and the larger HEW community of practice. The data component will develop resources and infrastructure to facilitate access to and use of HEW-relevant data resources.
- Health and Extreme Weather Solutions-Focused Research Hubs: Will solicit applications that propose translational research hubs with multiple highly integrated components focused on research, capacity building, and community/public health translation for regionally relevant topics related to the health impacts of extreme weather and cumulative exposures, including but not limited to wildfire smoke, extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes, drought, and other climate-related hazards affecting populations at heightened risk across the lifespan.
Investigators interested in these opportunities should monitor the NIH Forecast for future announcements.
Connect with an NIH Program Officer
A key message from NIH speakers was the importance of engaging with program officers early in the grant development process. Whether you are developing a new research project, training award, or educational initiative, program officers can help investigators determine how well their ideas align with NIH priorities and identify the most appropriate funding mechanisms.
CAFE Research Coordinating Center Updates
The second half of the webinar highlighted new and ongoing resources and opportunities available through the CAFE Research Coordinating Center.
Some of the highlighted resources and opportunities included:
- Half-Day Events: CAFE hosts virtual half-day events featuring expert panels, lightning talks, workshops, and networking opportunities focused on topics in health and extreme weather research.
- Mentorship Program: The next CAFE mentorship cohort will support early-career investigators through grant writing mentorship, guest speakers, and small-group discussions. The call for mentees is open until August 21st.
- Research Matchmaking: CAFE continues to connect researchers with potential collaborators, mentors, datasets, and technical expertise across institutions and disciplines.
- Actionable Solutions Grants Program: CAFE provides seed funding to support activities that strengthen health and extreme weather research, including data collection, training, and community engagement efforts. Deadline September 15th
- Public Narrative Workshop: Participants will learn practical storytelling techniques to communicate their research more effectively to policymakers, communities, and the public. Deadline August 28th.
- Data Resources: CAFE highlighted its growing collection of shared resources, including the Harvard Dataverse repository, GitHub tutorials and code, data management support, and the Educational Resource Hub.
To hear the full discussion and learn more about current and future opportunities, the webinar recording is available here.
Stay connected with CAFE through the newsletter and website for updates on upcoming webinars, conferences, funding opportunities, mentorship programs, and new community resources.
