Policy Research and Evaluation Grants

The Department of Health and Human Services Immediate Office of the Secretary is funding policy research and evaluation grants under CFDA 93.239, with a recently posted opportunity for a National Research Center for Promoting Work and Strong Families due August 31, 2026.

Award activity has been sporadic since the program's inception in 2007. The portfolio contains 23 total awards spanning nearly two decades, with uneven pacing: ten awards in 2015 alone, then a sharp decline to one award each in 2021 and 2022. The most recent award was disbursed September 8, 2022—over four years ago—suggesting the program has not maintained consistent annual funding cycles in recent years. Combined federal dollars obligated total $60.3 million, with non-federal contributions adding $3.6 million, indicating modest matching requirements across the portfolio.

The program funds two distinct research domains. The earlier awards (2007–2015) supported health information technology infrastructure and interoperability projects—standards development for electronic health records, health information exchange governance, and clinical document architecture maturation. More recent awards pivot to poverty and economic mobility research: the Institute for Research on Poverty received $22.4 million in 2021 to establish a National Research Center focused on poverty, inequality, economic mobility, and human services policy, including researcher fellowships placed at HHS offices and multidisciplinary grant administration. Health Level Seven International received $15.96 million in 2022 for ongoing standards maturation and implementation infrastructure for clinical interoperability standards.

Funding concentrates among three HHS sub-organizations: the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation leads by federal dollars obligated ($25.9 million across two awards), while the Immediate Office of the Secretary accounts for 87 percent of award count (20 awards, $19.8 million). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology represents the remaining award ($14.6 million). The program is predominantly Project Grants (91 percent) with a smaller Cooperative Agreements component (9 percent).

The currently open opportunity, HHS-2026-ACF-PG-0059, solicits one Cooperative Agreement for a five-year National Research Center for Promoting Work and Strong Families under the Administration for Children and Families. The center will operate a researcher fellowship program, manage competitive extramural grants focused on work, earnings, family stability, and child well-being, and disseminate findings to policymakers. Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, state and local governments, tribal organizations, and nonprofits.