FDA OMHHE Racial & Ethnic minority Acceleration Consortium for Health Equity (REACH) | RFA FD 23 010

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the Health Equity Innovation Award under REACH?

The Health Equity Innovation Award is a funding opportunity from the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) offered through a cooperative agreement program called the Racial and Ethnic Minority Acceleration Consortium for Health Equity (REACH). It is designed to fund multiple organizations that work in parallel as a coordinated consortium to advance racial and ethnic minority health and health equity.

2) Which federal agency and office are offering this opportunity?

This opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), specifically through the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE).

3) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this announcement?

The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-FD-23-010.

4) What type of funding mechanism is being used?

The mechanism is a Cooperative Agreement (U01). This generally reflects a partnership-style award where the federal agency may have substantial programmatic involvement during the project period, compared with a standard grant.

5) What is the main goal of REACH and the consortium model?

The main goal is to strengthen and accelerate work that advances minority health and health equity by forming a coordinated network of funded organizations. Awardees are expected to contribute both through their individual projects and through collective consortium activities that support shared health equity objectives.

6) Is this funding intended for a single lead organization or multiple awardees?

REACH is structured to support multiple awardees rather than a single lead organization. The announcement anticipates a consortium made up of multiple funded organizations working under a shared initiative.

7) About how many awards does FDA OMHHE expect to make?

The announcement anticipates approximately six awards.

8) What is the maximum funding amount per award?

The award ceiling is $500,000 per award.

9) What is the program area or activity category for this funding?

The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development. This signals an emphasis on generating evidence, developing approaches, and supporting applied research and related activities relevant to FDA and public health.

10) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 93.103.

11) What kinds of activities does the consortium aim to expand or improve?

Based on the opportunity description, the consortium aims to expand and improve: (a) research efforts focused on racial and ethnic minority health equity issues, (b) community outreach, (c) public-facing communications, and (d) training and mentoring pipelines for diverse students, fellows, and researchers.

12) What is expected of awardees beyond running their own projects?

Awardees are expected to contribute to broader network goals by helping collectively advance minority health and health equity research and by strengthening outreach and communications that improve understanding, engagement, and impact among diverse communities.

13) Does the opportunity emphasize workforce development?

Yes. A core component is workforce development through training and mentoring activities that support diverse students, fellows, and early-stage researchers, helping address longer-term representation gaps in health and biomedical research.

14) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes organizations across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Eligible applicants include: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (with exclusions as specified in the notice regarding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.

15) Are both nonprofit and for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status, with specified exclusions) as well as for-profit organizations (including small businesses and for-profit entities other than small businesses).

16) Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations are included as eligible applicants.

17) Are higher education institutions eligible?

Yes. Both public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible.

18) Are government entities eligible to apply?

Yes. State, county, and local governments, as well as special district governments and independent school districts, are included as eligible applicants.

19) Are housing authorities eligible to apply?

Yes. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are included as eligible applicants.

20) What are the key dates mentioned for this opportunity?

The source information lists a creation date of February 1, 2023, and an original application closing date of April 6, 2023.

21) What does it mean that this is a discretionary funding program?

The opportunity is described as a discretionary funding program issued by HHS/FDA. In this context, it indicates the funding is offered through a specific competitive opportunity (rather than an entitlement), consistent with a defined announcement and application window.

22) What is the overall purpose of combining research, outreach, communications, and training in one consortium?

The description emphasizes measurable progress in minority health and health equity by coordinating multiple types of work: generating research and evidence, expanding community and stakeholder outreach, improving public-facing communications, and building talent pipelines through training and mentoring, all within a shared consortium approach under FDA OMHHE leadership.