Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Improving Care and Outcomes for Cancer Survivors from Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

Key Dates

None

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that will support the rigorous assessment of the barriers to quality cancer treatment and follow-up care for sexual and gender minority (SGM) cancer survivors. The NCI intends to solicit proposals for observational and/or interventional studies of SGM survivors designed to understand barriers and/or improve care and outcomes for SGM people with cancer, using interoperable sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection in cancer care settings.

This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to establish meaningful collaborations for R01 research projects and develop a responsive grant application.

The NOFO is expected to be published in October 2023, with an expected first application due date in February 2024. Details of a planned pre-application webinar will be announced after the publication of the NOFO.

To find out more about the program, potential applicants are encouraged to view the presentation, “Improving Care and Outcomes for Cancer Survivors from Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Populations,” to the Joint Virtual Meeting of the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA) and the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) at the NIH Videocast Past Events, beginning at 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 18 seconds into the meeting. 

Presentation slides are downloadable at Improving Care and Outcomes for Cancer Survivors from Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Populations.

The NCI intends to solicit proposals that will call for observational and/or intervention research to understand and address predictors of disparities experienced by SGM cancer survivors, and to support the foundation, development, testing, and/or scaling of innovative, feasible and effective interventions to address barriers experienced by SGM populations in cancer care. The goal will be to fund rigorous assessment of factors influencing cancer care access, and to improve outcomes such as treatment adherence, follow-up screening and care, and mental and physical health outcomes for SGM cancer survivors. By combining standardized SOGI data collection in cancer care delivery settings with SGM-tailored care, it is anticipated that funded studies will improve endpoints such as patient-provider communication; psychosocial, behavioral, and functional outcomes; and caregiver engagement. Taken together, research will provide critical evidence for establishing best practices and standards of care that can be widely disseminated and adopted.

Studies that evaluate multiple, coordinated interventions implemented into healthcare systems are of particular interest. Such multi-level interventions may be delivered by providers, teams, communities, and/or care delivery systems. Proposed studies may focus on SGM cancer survivors who are undergoing treatment with curative or palliative intent or survivors who are receiving follow-up care or may not be receiving treatment but are planning follow-up care. Studies may involve caregivers and care providers, as long as outcomes relevant to survivors are measured. Applications will be required to initiate or build interoperable SOGI data collection that is fully integrated into clinical workflows. Referrals to community-based support programs that are integrated with care delivery are also of interest. All proposed studies will need to integrate SGM community stakeholders as scientific partners.

Funding Information

Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education
Private Institution of Higher Education
Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education)
Small Business
For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business)
State Government
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized)
County governments
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization (Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
U.S. Territory or Possession
Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized)
Regional Organization
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government

Applications are not being solicited at this time. 

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

David Dean Jr., Ph.D., M.S.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
Telephone: 240-276-7803
Email: chipper.dean@nih.gov