Centers for Oceans and Human Health 3: Impacts of Climate Change on Oceans and Great Lakes (COHH3) (P01) | RFA ES 16 009

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA ES 16 009

The Centers for Oceans and Human Health 3: Impacts of Climate Change on Oceans and Great Lakes (COHH3) (P01) funding opportunity (RFA ES 16 009) is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant program designed to support large, multi-component research projects that connect environmental change in marine and Great Lakes Basin systems to emerging public health threats. The core idea is to fund integrated research that explains how climate change is already altering exposures and hazards in these waters, how those changes affect toxicity and human health outcomes, and what the future trajectory may look like as climate conditions continue to shift. This is positioned as a center-style effort under the P01 mechanism, meaning applicants are expected to propose coordinated projects made up of multiple interlocking components rather than a single standalone study.

Scientifically, the FOA emphasizes climate-driven changes in environmental exposures and associated toxicities, and it expects applicants to link those changes to measurable or plausible human health impacts. In practice, this could include work on climate-influenced contaminant dynamics, harmful algal blooms, pathogen ecology, shifts in food-web contamination, altered aerosolization or storm-driven exposure pathways, and other mechanisms by which people may be exposed through recreation, drinking water sources, seafood consumption, coastal flooding, or occupational contact. The program is explicitly multidisciplinary and favors integrated approaches, meaning proposals should bring together complementary expertise (for example, environmental monitoring, toxicology, epidemiology, exposure science, modeling, and risk or health impact assessment) in a coordinated way that produces findings no single discipline could deliver alone.

A distinctive requirement is the expectation of a community engagement component. The FOA signals that strong applications will not only produce academic findings but will also connect with affected or at-risk communities and stakeholders in the ocean and Great Lakes regions. Community engagement can include two-way communication about local concerns, co-development of research questions, dissemination of results in usable formats, and activities that improve the relevance and uptake of findings by public health practitioners, resource managers, and community organizations. The intent is to ensure the science stays grounded in real-world exposure scenarios and supports preparedness and response to climate-sensitive health risks.

Eligibility is broad across public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors within the United States and its territories, consistent with NIH grant participation rules for domestic entities. 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; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding universities in those categories when specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) as well as tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions, reinforcing the program’s openness to diverse institutional settings and partnerships.

Foreign participation is restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. In addition, foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In practical terms, the application and all supported components must be domestic, which affects how collaborations, field sites, subawards, and project staffing can be structured.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under the Environment and Health activity category (CFDA 93.113). The original closing date listed is March 7, 2017, and the award ceiling shown is $900,000. As a multi-component P01-style program, applicants would typically be expected to justify budgets and project integration carefully, showing how each component contributes to the center’s overarching theme: understanding and anticipating climate change impacts on oceans and Great Lakes environments in ways that translate into clearer public health insights and actionable engagement with communities and stakeholders.

• The National Institutes of Health in the environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers for Oceans and Human Health 3: Impacts of Climate Change on Oceans and Great Lakes (COHH3) (P01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-12-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $900,000.00 in funding.
• 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 ES 16 009

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