The Confluence of Cancer Stigma and HIV Stigma in HIV-positive Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA CA 25 011

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 25 011

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is soliciting R01 applications under RFA-CA-25-011 titled "The Confluence of Cancer Stigma and HIV Stigma in HIV-positive Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)." This opportunity is designed to fund research that digs into how cancer-related stigma and HIV-related stigma interact for people with HIV (PWH) who are also diagnosed with cancer, and how that combined stigma affects real-world cancer outcomes. The program is explicitly interested in moving beyond describing stigma in the abstract and instead building a stronger evidence base on the mechanisms through which stigma operates and the points where interventions can realistically reduce harm.

A central goal of the NOFO is to expand understanding of the "confluence" of stigmas, meaning the overlapping and reinforcing effects that cancer stigma and HIV stigma can have when a person is living with both conditions. The NCI is looking for studies that can characterize how these stigmas show up at different levels (for example, within individuals as internalized stigma, within families and social networks as enacted stigma, within healthcare settings as discrimination or biased care, and within communities and policies as structural stigma). Another key emphasis is assessing how these converging stigmas influence the cancer continuum for PWH, including issues such as delays in screening or diagnosis, access to timely and high-quality treatment, treatment adherence, patient-provider communication, retention in care, psychosocial well-being, and ultimately cancer-related morbidity and mortality.

Beyond measurement and observational work, the NOFO prioritizes research that leverages stigma-reduction interventions at multiple levels and targets modifiable mechanisms that contribute to negative cancer outcomes among PWH with cancer. In practical terms, this points toward intervention approaches that might work at the patient level (such as coping skills, navigation, or empowerment), the interpersonal level (such as family or partner support interventions), the healthcare team or clinic level (such as training, workflow changes, anti-bias initiatives, or communication supports), and the community or structural level (such as linkages with community-based organizations, changes in service delivery models, or strategies that reduce barriers created by stigma). Because the mechanism is "Clinical Trial Optional," applicants can propose either non-trial research (for example, mixed-methods studies, cohort studies, implementation studies without a clinical trial design) or clinical trials when appropriate to test interventions.

The NOFO also emphasizes that proposed research can be conducted in domestic and international contexts, with a specific interest in regions where the HIV-cancer burden is elevated. That framing encourages applications that are responsive to settings where HIV is prevalent and where certain cancers (including AIDS-defining cancers and non-AIDS-defining cancers) contribute substantially to illness and death, and where stigma may be particularly entrenched or shaped by local cultural, legal, or healthcare system factors. Strong applications will generally be expected to show how the chosen setting is relevant to HIV and cancer burden, and how the work will produce findings that can meaningfully improve outcomes for PWH diagnosed with cancer.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is broadly open to many types of applicants. Eligible entities include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations and tribal governments that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other organizations as allowed under NIH policy. The NOFO specifically calls out additional eligible applicants such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) and regional organizations. This wide eligibility is consistent with the topic, since stigma research and intervention often benefits from community-rooted partnerships and cross-sector collaboration.

From a funding and logistics standpoint, the funding instrument is a grant under the R01 mechanism, and the activity category is listed as Education and Health under CFDA 93.393. The award ceiling is $500,000 (as provided in the source data), and the original application due date is December 10, 2024. The opportunity was created on August 15, 2024. While the source data does not specify the expected number of awards, applicants should interpret the ceiling and R01 format as supporting substantial, multi-year research projects that can generate rigorous evidence on stigma mechanisms and solutions relevant to cancer outcomes in PWH.

Overall, this NOFO is aimed at building actionable science at the intersection of oncology, HIV, behavioral and social science, and implementation research. Competitive projects will typically show a clear conceptual model of how HIV stigma and cancer stigma interact, identify measurable and modifiable pathways linking stigma to cancer outcomes, and propose methods or interventions that are feasible in the chosen setting and capable of producing results that can be translated into practice, healthcare delivery improvements, or scalable stigma-reduction strategies for people living with HIV who are diagnosed with cancer.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Confluence of Cancer Stigma and HIV Stigma in HIV-positive Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.393.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-12-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• 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 CA 25 011

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