Single Source: Post-Stroke Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) in the United States (U19 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 27 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 27 011

The opportunity titled "Single Source: Post-Stroke Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) in the United States (U19 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcement led by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). It is issued as a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) using the cooperative agreement mechanism (U19), meaning the NIH expects substantial scientific or programmatic involvement in the funded work rather than operating as a fully investigator-driven, hands-off research grant. The central purpose is to support the renewal and continuation of an established multi-site clinical research program focused on understanding how stroke contributes to later-life cognitive impairment and dementia, a major public health concern that overlaps with national priorities on Alzheimer disease and related dementias.

This NOFO is explicitly described as non-competitive and single source, with NIH stating its intent to make only one award. In practice, that means the announcement is designed to invite an application from a single, predetermined recipient rather than soliciting proposals broadly across the research community. The recipient identified for this renewal is Massachusetts General Hospital, and the award is meant to support completion of scientific aims that were launched under the original U19 cooperative agreement tied to RFA-NS-19-012. In other words, the funding is structured as a continuation or renewal effort for an ongoing, complex program that is already underway, rather than a new open call for fresh projects.

Scientifically, the program centers on post-stroke vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). The emphasis is on elucidating mechanisms that link stroke events to subsequent cognitive decline and dementia outcomes, leveraging an organized, multi-site clinical research initiative. While the research is clinical in its orientation, the NOFO is marked "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," signaling that the supported activities must not include NIH-defined clinical trials as part of the application. The work is positioned to advance broader national strategy goals described in the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, reflecting NIH interest in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment as an important piece of the dementia landscape.

Eligibility is tightly restricted. Although the general NIH eligibility lists a wide range of entity types (including various levels of government, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, and certain for-profit entities), this specific NOFO limits who can apply in a decisive way: only entities that previously received a grant award under RFA-NS-19-012 are eligible to submit, and NIH specifies that only Massachusetts General Hospital is eligible for this single source funding action. International participation is also constrained: non-U.S. (foreign) organizations cannot apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. These restrictions reinforce that this is a domestic, continuation-focused award meant for a specific existing program.

From an administrative standpoint, the funding opportunity number is RFA-NS-27-011 and it falls under NIH discretionary funding. The activity category is health, with CFDA (assistance listing) numbers 93.853 and 93.866. NIH anticipates exactly one award, consistent with the single source intent. The posting indicates an original closing date of 2026-09-28 and a creation date of 2026-06-30. An award ceiling is not specified in the provided details, which sometimes occurs in continuation-style or single source announcements where the expected budget is handled through programmatic and grants management discussions and alignment with the scope of the renewal.

Even though the opportunity is single source, NIH still indicates that standard peer-review processes apply. The invited application will be peer-reviewed and only meritorious submissions will be considered for funding. That language is typical for NIH, emphasizing that single source does not mean automatic funding; it means the applicant pool is restricted, while scientific and technical merit review standards remain in place. Overall, the NOFO functions as a targeted renewal pathway to keep a high-priority, multi-site post-stroke cognitive impairment research effort moving forward to complete established aims and continue contributing evidence that may inform prevention, diagnosis, and understanding of dementia risk after stroke in the United States.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Single Source: Post-Stroke Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) in the United States (U19 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-09-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: 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/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA NS 27 011

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