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

Updated Oct 20, 2026

Grant from the National Institutes of Health, open to small businesses. Closes Nov 7, 2028, 749 days left.

Opportunity number	RFA-HL-27-004
Agency	National Institutes of Health
Funding type	Grant
Field	Health
Award ceiling	$85,000
Expected number of awards	29
Total program funding	$3.9 million
Cost sharing or matching	Not required
Assistance listing	93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840
Posted	May 12, 2026
Closes	Nov 7, 2028 (749 days left)
Add the deadline to	Google Calendar

Who can apply

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 and Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
Others (see the eligibility notes)

Only the following NHLBI K01, K08, K23, and K25 awardees are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Description

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.

Full announcement and how to apply on Grants.gov

Health grants right now

There are 350 open federal grants in health that small businesses may apply for; 33 close within 30 days. The median award ceiling is $500,000; this grant offers up to $85,000. The agencies offering the most are National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA and Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD. Grants in this field stay open a median of 1031 days; this one is open for 910 days.

Who has won this program before

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. $19.3 million · from Jul 1, 2020
Brigham & Womens Hospital Inc $15.0 million · from Aug 1, 1998
Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania, The $7.4 million · from Sep 1, 2000
Northwestern University $7.2 million · from Jul 1, 1998
George Washington University (The) $7.1 million · from Jun 15, 2016

The largest grants and cooperative agreements under assistance listing 93.233, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840 with payments since Oct 1, 2025, from USAspending.gov. Amounts are each award's total.