Home and Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions to Improve the Health of Wheelchair Users (R01 Clinical Trial Required) | RFA HD 22 017

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HD 22 017

Home and Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions to Improve the Health of Wheelchair Users (R01 Clinical Trial Required) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: RFA HD 22 017; CFDA: 93.865) focused on building and testing practical physical activity programs for people who use wheelchairs because of physical disability. The core aim is to develop, adapt, and/or rigorously evaluate interventions that increase physical activity safely and meaningfully, with the downstream goal of preventing or improving chronic health conditions that are strongly tied to sedentary behavior. The FOA highlights conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, framing them as common and serious risks when mobility limitations and low activity levels intersect over time. Because this is an R01 and explicitly requires a clinical trial, applicants are expected to propose studies with strong designs, clear outcomes, and real-world relevance rather than purely observational or exploratory work.

A central feature of the announcement is how participants should be defined for enrollment. Instead of recruiting based on a specific diagnosis (for example, spinal cord injury versus multiple sclerosis), the FOA requires inclusion criteria grounded in functional status. In practice, that means the intervention should be tailored to the realities of wheelchair use and the functional capabilities of participants, not the medical label that led to wheelchair dependence. This approach is meant to broaden applicability across diverse disability communities and to produce evidence that generalizes to wheelchair users as a population with shared functional needs, barriers, and health risks.

The FOA places special emphasis on interventions that can scale. Priority is given to physical activity programs that could be applied to large populations of wheelchair users or adapted easily across different contexts. The setting matters: the title and description point to home- and community-based approaches, implying an interest in solutions that work outside specialized research gyms or tertiary rehabilitation centers. Competitive projects are likely to be those that can be delivered in multiple settings, fit into daily life, and remain feasible with typical community resources, which can include remote or hybrid models, partnerships with community organizations, and strategies that reduce access barriers such as transportation, equipment costs, and limited availability of accessible facilities.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive, spanning many types of institutions and organizations. 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 that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility suggests NIH is aiming to attract solutions from both academic and community-facing groups, including organizations embedded in underserved communities that may be well positioned to recruit participants and deliver sustainable interventions.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is offered as a grant under NIH, categorized under Health, Income Security and Social Services. The original closing date listed for the FOA was 2022-03-30, and the source data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards. Even without those figures, the structure and language are consistent with an NIH R01 clinical trial mechanism: applicants should anticipate the need for a detailed protocol, appropriate safety monitoring, a sound statistical plan, and outcomes that can demonstrate whether the intervention can improve health risks associated with low physical activity in wheelchair users.

Overall, this FOA is about moving beyond small, highly controlled exercise studies and toward interventions that wheelchair users can realistically do where they live and in their communities, with the scientific rigor needed to show real health impact. The strongest proposals would typically align disability-inclusive recruitment with practical delivery models and clinically meaningful outcomes, while keeping safety and scalability at the center of the intervention design.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Home and Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions to Improve the Health of Wheelchair Users (R01 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-10-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-30. (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 RFA HD 22 017

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