Research to Spread and Scale the Impact of Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs and Interventions | HHS 2025 ACL CIP AAFP 0051

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2025 ACL CIP AAFP 0051

The Administration for Community Living (ACL), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is offering a discretionary research grant opportunity titled "Research to Spread and Scale the Impact of Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs and Interventions" (Funding Opportunity Number: HHS 2025 ACL CIP AAFP 0051; CFDA 93.048). The goal is to fund implementation research that can expand real-world delivery of evidence-based, multifactorial falls prevention programs for older adults, while also producing stronger, practice-relevant evidence about whether and how these programs reduce falls and fall risk at scale. HHS expects to make up to three awards, with an award ceiling of $4,650,000, and the application deadline is August 20, 2025.

A central motivation for this opportunity is the current evidence landscape reflected in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) findings. The USPSTF influences which preventive services are recommended and therefore commonly covered by insurers without patient cost-sharing, especially when services receive A or B grades. In this case, the USPSTF concluded that the overall net benefit of routinely offering multifactorial interventions to prevent falls is small, leading to a Grade C recommendation. This funding opportunity is designed to address research gaps behind that conclusion by supporting large-scale, collaborative implementation studies that can better test impact, clarify which components matter, and document outcomes in community settings where older adults actually receive services.

Applicants are expected to have significant expertise in implementation research within the health and/or social sciences, along with demonstrated experience conducting research in partnership with the Aging Network and/or Community Care Hubs. The intent is not only to study an intervention in a controlled setting, but to work alongside networks of community-based providers that can deliver programs broadly, consistently, and with measurable outcomes. Projects must ensure that delivery partners implement at least one evidence-based multifactorial falls prevention program across participating organizations, and that core outcome measures are captured consistently across participants and delivery sites. The opportunity explicitly recognizes the role of community-based and faith-based organizations as potential delivery partners within these networks.

The research design must include a comparison group aligned with one of the specified approaches, each of which is meant to directly speak to USPSTF-identified evidence gaps. Applicants may propose: (1) implementing at least one evidence-based multifactorial program compared to exercise alone; (2) implementing at least one evidence-based multifactorial program plus exercise compared to no intervention; or (3) implementing at least one evidence-based multifactorial program compared to no intervention. In practice, this means grantees need to build an evaluation that can credibly compare outcomes across groups, not simply report outcomes before and after a program is offered.

Beyond intervention delivery, the grant places heavy emphasis on implementation science methods and infrastructure. Successful applicants must be able to finalize research questions and methods using an implementation science approach and collect both structured quantitative data and unstructured qualitative data. They must also establish and maintain a secure, dynamic data system to store data and evidence generated by community-based organizations, and they must comply with the HHS public access plan and policies regarding scientific or research data produced with federal funds. This signals that strong data governance, data sharing readiness, and privacy/security practices are core expectations, not optional add-ons.

Collaboration is another major requirement. Grantees must foster active partnership with the Aging Network and other delivery partners, and they must gather and report both implementation data (how the program was delivered, fidelity, reach, barriers, adaptations) and participant data (outcomes and risk factors) to understand whether and under what conditions the program reduces falls and fall risk. The grantee is also expected to provide technical assistance to sub-awardees, particularly around consistent program delivery and standardized data collection using a relational database or other appropriate data warehouse approach. This reflects an expectation that the prime awardee will function as both a research lead and a field-building support hub for multiple implementing organizations.

On the analytics and dissemination side, awardees must conduct predictive and statistical analyses of findings and disseminate results through peer-reviewed publications and other suitable channels. The opportunity also requires a dissemination plan aimed at sustainability and broader scale, meaning applicants should plan for how successful models can be maintained beyond the grant period and expanded to create meaningful public health impact. The emphasis is not merely on publishing findings, but on translating results into practical strategies that community systems can continue to use to prevent falls among older adults.

Eligibility is broad across public and nonprofit sectors, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations (including those outside higher education). Foreign entities are not eligible to apply for or receive awards under this announcement. Overall, the opportunity is geared toward organizations that can combine rigorous implementation research expertise with the on-the-ground partnerships and operational capacity needed to scale evidence-based multifactorial falls prevention programs, measure outcomes consistently across many sites, and generate evidence that is persuasive for policy, coverage, and long-term adoption.

• The Administration for Community Living in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research to Spread and Scale the Impact of Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs and Interventions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.048.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-20. (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 $4,650,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 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, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for HHS 2025 ACL CIP AAFP 0051

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