The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support intervention and etiologic studies in rural communities to address factors that increase, reduce, or prevent disparities in health outcomes among rural populations. Areas of research interest that may be addressed include but are not limited to:

• Studies that utilize the life course continuum to address health disparities in rural populations considering risk factors that differentially impact health.
• Development, adaptation, and/or implementation of community-engaged interventions that improve quality of life, well-being, and health outcomes in rural populations.
• Adaptation of technologies (e.g., virtual care, remote monitoring) to address access to healthcare resources in rural areas.
• Health service and care models that focus on ways to improve rural health and meet related needs through local community collaborations such as with churches, schools, libraries, and grocery stores.
• Studies that investigate health-related resilience or protective factors as well as strategies to promote health.
• Studies that examine the integration of health care systems and community services (e.g., public health departments, mining facilities, agricultural farms, health systems, school systems, community-based organizations, businesses, etc.) to address rural health disparities.
• Implementation studies to advance the reach, effectiveness, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions in rural communities.

Government

• State governments
• County governments
• Federally recognized Native American tribal governments

Nonprofit

• Nonprofits non-higher education with 501(c)(3)
• Other Native American tribal organizations

Business

• Small businesses
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses

Education

• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and state institutions of higher education
• Independent school districts