Assistance Listing 93.242
Mental Health Research Grants
National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services
The verdict for a small nonprofit
Mostly repeat grantees: only 5% of awards go to new applicants. Apply with a strong track record or a partner who has won before.
Based on 2,132 new awards in FY2023–25. Organizations under $1M in revenue won 0% of the awards that went to nonprofits. The median award is $694,974. Expect about 251 days between posting and deadline.
- First-time winners
- 5%
- of new awards, last 3 FYs
- Nonprofit share
- 18%
- 73% higher ed · 0% gov't
- Under-$1M orgs
- 0%
- of nonprofit awards
- Median award
- $695K
- $383K – $1.4M middle half
- New awards, FY2025
- 488
- $574M committed to them
- Usually posts
- Nov
- rolling · 251-day window
Open right now under this program
40 opportunities · from Grants.gov, checked every 10 minutes
Who won in FY2025
Largest recipients by dollars. From USAspending.
| Recipient | Type | State | Awards | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Other | PA | 123 | $237,141,853 |
| University of California, Los Angeles | Higher ed | CA | 123 | $225,221,557 |
| Yale Univ | Higher ed | CT | 119 | $351,694,129 |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Higher ed | MD | 119 | $177,758,746 |
| The General Hospital Corporation | Nonprofit | MA | 118 | $185,582,207 |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Higher ed | NY | 109 | $193,482,027 |
| Washington University, the | Higher ed | MO | 104 | $173,020,392 |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | Higher ed | NY | 104 | $153,504,236 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the | Higher ed | PA | 103 | $164,307,682 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Higher ed | NC | 103 | $135,930,297 |
New awards by fiscal year
Awards first made in each fiscal year; dollars are the total committed to that year's new awards over their life.
| FY | New awards | Committed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,735 | $3.2B | $941K | $418K – $2.9M |
| 2022 | 938 | $1.8B | $817K | $415K – $2.7M |
| 2023 | 819 | $1.2B | $777K | $404K – $2.4M |
| 2024 | 825 | $1.2B | $787K | $424K – $2.1M |
| 2025 | 488 | $574M | $695K | $383K – $1.4M |
Past rounds
Every announcement under this listing that Grants.gov still lists. Use it to plan next year.
| Posted | Closed | Window | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-23 | 2030-12-01 | 1500 d | RFA-EB-28-004 · NextTech: Translational Development of Next-Generation Diagnostic and Therapeutic Devices (R18 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-10-16 | 2029-05-25 | 952 d | PAR-28-090 · Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) and Developmental Centers for AIDS Research (D-CFAR) (P30 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-10-16 | 2027-02-11 | 118 d | RFA-LM-28-001 · NLM Institutional Grants for Research Training in Biomedical Informatics, Data Science, and AI (T15 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-10-14 | 2029-11-05 | 1118 d | PAR-27-090 · Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan: Leveraging the Palliative Care Consortium (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-10-06 | 2029-06-20 | 988 d | RFA-AI-27-018 · Implementation Science to Advance HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Care (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-09-30 | 2029-02-08 | 862 d | RFA-NS-28-010 · BRAIN Initiative: Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-09-30 | 2027-10-28 | 393 d | RFA-MH-27-125 · Mechanistic Evaluation of Therapeutic Targets derived from Treatable Traits to Improve CNS Outcomes in People with HIV (R21/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-09-16 | forecast | — | RFA-MH-27-150 · Advancing Real-World Effectiveness Evidence for Rapid-Acting Psychotropic Interventional Drugs (RAPIDs) |
| 2026-09-16 | forecast | — | RFA-MH-28-115 · Single Source: Scalable and Systematic Neurobiology of Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Disorder Risk Genes: Data Resource and Administrative Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-09-01 | 2028-05-25 | 632 d | PAR-27-127 · Silvio O. Conte Centers for Basic Neuroscience or Translational Mental Health Research (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-09-01 | 2029-04-17 | 959 d | PAR-27-051 · NIH Brain Development Cohorts (NBDC) and Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Biospecimen Access (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-08-31 | 2028-06-23 | 662 d | RFA-NS-27-002 · BRAIN Initiative: Integrative Team-Research BRAIN Circuits Program - iBCP (RM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-08-31 | 2028-07-07 | 676 d | PAR-27-076 · Lasker Clinical Research Scholar's Program (Si2/R00 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-06-24 | forecast | — | PAR-28-033 · AIDS Research Center on Mental Health and HIV/AIDS (P30 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-06-24 | forecast | — | RFA-MH-28-110 · BRAIN Initiative: Development and Validation of Novel Tools and New Approaches for Neuroscience Research |
| 2026-06-16 | 2029-04-08 | 1027 d | PA-27-037 · Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award (Parent F99/K00 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-06-10 | 2026-07-10 | 30 d | RFA-DA-27-014 · HEAL Initiative: Limited Competition for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study – Consortium Administrative Core and Data Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-06-10 | 2026-07-10 | 30 d | RFA-DA-27-013 · HEAL Initiative: Limited Competition for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study - Research Project Sites (Collaborative U01- Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-06-08 | 2029-05-25 | 1082 d | PA-27-034 · NIH Research Education Program - Courses, Curriculum & Methods (Parent R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-06-08 | 2029-05-05 | 1062 d | PA-27-035 · NIH Research Educational Program - Mentoring Activities & Networks (Parent R25/UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-06-08 | 2029-05-05 | 1062 d | PA-27-036 · NIH Research Education Program - Research Experiences (Parent R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-29 | 2027-10-25 | 514 d | PAR-27-078 · Research Enhancement Award Program (REAP) for Health Professional Schools and Graduate Schools (R15 Clinical Trial Required) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2026-10-15 | 140 d | RFA-MH-27-180 · Advancing Research on Empirically-Supported Interventions for Older Adults Living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2027-04-05 | 312 d | PA-27-102 · NIH Small Business Technology Transfer Grant (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2029-04-05 | 1043 d | PA-27-101 · NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough Award (Parent [R44] Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2027-04-05 | 312 d | PA-27-100 · NIH, CDC and FDA Small Business Innovation Research Grant (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2029-04-05 | 1043 d | PAR-27-098 · SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program (Parent SB1 Clinical Trial Optional) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2026-10-22 | 147 d | RFA-MH-27-140 · Optimizing Behavioral Sleep Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults (R34 Clinical Trial Required) |
| 2026-05-28 | 2027-10-04 | 494 d | RFA-NS-27-015 · BRAIN Initiative Connectivity across Scales (BRAIN CONNECTS): Specialized Projects for Scalable Technologies (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-27 | 2029-01-26 | 975 d | PAR-27-067 · Limited Competition: Instrumentation Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions (S10 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-19 | 2028-10-20 | 885 d | RFA-HD-27-007 · Using Archived Data and Specimen Collections to Advance Maternal and Pediatric HIV/AIDS Research (R21 CT Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-12 | 2028-06-15 | 765 d | RFA-OD-27-004 · INCLUDE Project: Transformative Research Awards for Down syndrome (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-07 | 2026-06-09 | 33 d | RFA-MH-27-205 · Single Source: Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Data Processing, Analysis, and Coordination Center (DPACC) (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-05 | 2029-05-25 | 1116 d | PAR-27-077 · NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-04 | 2027-03-05 | 305 d | PAR-27-081 · Discovery of in vivo Chemical Probes for the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-05-04 | 2027-02-11 | 283 d | RFA-DC-27-004 · BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) |
| 2026-04-29 | 2026-10-11 | 165 d | RFA-MH-27-135 · Addressing Methodological Challenges with Clinical Trials of Rapid-Acting Psychotropic Interventional Drugs (RAPIDs) (R01 Clinical Trial Required) |
| 2026-03-16 | forecast | — | PAR-27-008 · Advanced Laboratories for Accelerating the Reach and Impact of Treatments for Youth and Adults with Mental Illness (ALACRITY) Research Centers |
| 2026-03-16 | forecast | — | RFA-MH-27-110 · Impact of Immunotherapies on CNS Outcomes in People with HIV: Potential Benefits, Challenges and Risks |
| 2026-03-11 | forecast | — | RFA-MH-27-120 · BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN): Coordinating Unit for Biostatistics, Informatics, and Engagement (CUBIE) |
Common questions
How hard is it to win a grant under 93.242?
Mostly repeat grantees: only 5% of awards go to new applicants. Apply with a strong track record or a partner who has won before. Based on 2,132 new awards in FY2023–25. Organizations under $1M in revenue won 0% of the awards that went to nonprofits. The median award is $694,974. Expect about 251 days between posting and deadline.
How much does Mental Health Research Grants award?
In FY2025 the median new award was $695K; the middle half ran from $383K to $1.4M. 488 new awards were made, with $574M committed to them.
When does 93.242 usually post?
Over the last several years, new rounds most often posted in Nov with about 251 days to apply. The most recent round posted Oct 23, 2026.
Who runs this program?
Department of Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health). Assistance Listing 93.242 on SAM.gov describes the authorizing statute and standard terms.
Sources: USAspending FY2021–25 award archive (2026-10-06); Grants.gov Search2 (fetched 2026-10-28); IRS EO BMF (fetched 2026-10-28). Award counts are new awards by fiscal year of first action. Shares are computed from award counts, not dollars; the under-$1M share covers the 54% of nonprofit awards that matched an IRS revenue record. Recipient type comes from the award record's business-type codes. Always confirm details in the official announcement.