Skip to content
Simpler Grants

No. RFA-HL-27-004 · National Institutes of Health

Open

Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23/K25 Recipients (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)

Dealbreakers No cost share required Audit: not stated Reimbursement-only: not stated
Invitation only
“Only the following NHLBI K01, K08, K23, and K25 awardees are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.” — From the announcement
Award range
Up to $85,000
Expected awards
~29
Application deadline
Nov 7, 2028
Posted
May 12, 2026
Last verified
4 days ago

At a glance

No plain-language summary yet for this grant — the official description below is the best source.

What it funds

  • Health
  • Research & Discovery
  • Researchers & Scholars
  • Biomedical & Disease Research
Official description from grants.gov

This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Limited Competition that invites applications from eligible organizations to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, the applications will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious applications will be considered. The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit current or recently completed NHLBI K01, K08, K23, and K25 awardees for small grant support to expand their current research objectives or to branch out to a new study emerging from their K award research. This NOFO is intended to facilitate the transition to research independence for these NHLBI K awardees. Current NHLBI K01, K08, K23, and K25 awardees may apply for this R03 support starting in the third year of their K award Project Period. Recently completed NHLBI K01, K08, K23, and K25 award recipients are eligible to apply or resubmit A1 applications if the earliest potential R03 award start date is within two years of the end of their K award Project Period.The R03 grant mechanism supports research projects that can be completed within two years and with limited resources. These projects are expected to generate preliminary data to bolster a subsequent R01-equivalent application. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, pilot or feasibility studies; proof of concept studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self-contained research projects; development of new research methodologies or technologies, or creation of novel experimental model systems.Applicants are required to maintain a minimum of 40% protected research effort during the R03 award period. This requirement can be fulfilled through a combination of effort on the proposed R03 project and other research projects, irrespective of funding source.For current and former K23 awardees, the research proposed in the R03 application may or may not include patient-oriented research.

Who can apply

  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
  • Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
  • Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
  • Others
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
  • Small businesses
  • Special district governments
  • State governments
Geographic restriction None found in the announcement — likely nationwide

Program history

USASpending.gov

Assistance listing 93.233 · National Center on Sleep Disorders Research

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (93.233), not just this notice.

No grants-family awards recorded for this program since FY 2021 — it may be new, renamed, or not yet reported to USASpending.

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 22, 2026

Assistance listing 93.837 · Cardiovascular Diseases Research

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (93.837), not just this notice.

Fiscal year Awards Median award Middle half
FY 2026 (so far) 910 $406,108 $121,423 – $769,962
FY 2025 1,358 $638,002 $257,444 – $1,262,955
FY 2024 1,513
FY 2023 1,478
FY 2022 1,536
FY 2021 1,389

For comparison, this notice advertises Up to $85,000.

Dollar figures are based on the 1,000 most recent awards we store, not all 8,184 — award counts are complete.

Who wins it Higher education (5,706), Nonprofit (1,550), Business (596) of 8,184 awards — categories can overlap.
Top states CA (135) · MA (108) · NY (78) · PA (65) · OH (43)
Largest recent awards
  1. CHILDRENS HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER $6,452,040 · FY 2026
  2. KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITALS $3,918,561 · FY 2025
  3. ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI $3,605,083 · FY 2026
  4. UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION $3,229,552 · FY 2026
  5. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION, INC. $3,002,716 · FY 2026

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 22, 2026

Assistance listing 93.838 · Lung Diseases Research

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (93.838), not just this notice.

No grants-family awards recorded for this program since FY 2021 — it may be new, renamed, or not yet reported to USASpending.

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 23, 2026

Assistance listing 93.839 · Blood Diseases and Resources Research

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (93.839), not just this notice.

No grants-family awards recorded for this program since FY 2021 — it may be new, renamed, or not yet reported to USASpending.

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 23, 2026

Assistance listing 93.840 · Translation and Implementation Science Research for Heart, Lung, Blood Diseases, and Sleep Disorders

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (93.840), not just this notice.

Fiscal year Awards Median award Middle half
FY 2026 (so far) 0
FY 2025 0
FY 2024 1 $1,998,060 $1,998,060 – $1,998,060
FY 2023 8 $718,015 $520,326 – $1,181,909
FY 2022 0
FY 2021 0

For comparison, this notice advertises Up to $85,000.

Who wins it State government (4), Local government (3), Higher education (2) of 9 awards — categories can overlap.
Top states CA (1) · CO (1) · DE (1) · IN (1) · MI (1)
Largest recent awards
  1. MICHIGAN PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE $1,332,220 · FY 2023
  2. INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH $1,304,518 · FY 2023
  3. MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH $1,141,039 · FY 2023
  4. SOUTHERN NEVADA HEALTH DIST $762,811 · FY 2023
  5. COUNTY OF CHARLESTON $673,219 · FY 2023

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 23, 2026