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National Institutes of Health · Department of Health and Human Services

NIMH Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (NIMH BRAINS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

Opening soon

Key facts

Deadline
The funder's estimated date (Oct 20, 2025) has passed. Check the official notice Estimate, not confirmed by the funder ?
Award size
Not stated: see the official notice
Total available
$3M · about 6 awards
Match ?
Not required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply
County government, Tribal government, State government, Small business, Larger business, Nonprofit with 501(c)(3), Private college or university, Public college or university, Tribal organization, School district, and others named in the official notice
Where
Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee

Opening soon: the funder has announced this grant, but you can't apply yet. Use the time to get ready and check whether it fits.

Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist

How this fits you

  • Available in Davidson County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 99 — including your county

Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.

View on Grants.gov

More from National Institutes of Health

About this grant

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support the research and research career advancement of outstanding, exceptionally productive scientists who are in the early, formative stages of their careers and who plan to make a long-term career commitment to research in specific mission areas of the NIMH. This award seeks to assist these individuals in launching innovative clinical, translational, or basic research programs that hold the potential to profoundly transform the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of mental health disorders. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. This NOFO will utilize the R01 activity code. Research projects proposed in response to this NOFO will be expected to have a defined impact on our understanding of the pathophysiology, trajectories, effective treatment, and/or prevention of mental illness.

Ask a partner for a letter

Writing the need statement? Davidson County facts with citations.

Who in Tennessee has won this program

26 awards to Tennessee groups in 2 counties since 1989 · 22 in Davidson County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$14.9M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$14.8M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$8.7M2001
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$8.7M2006
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$8.1M2005
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$7.4M2020
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$6.8M2004
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$6.4M2005
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$5.4M2009
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson County$5.3M2020
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$5M2002
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$4.5M1989

Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse, USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.

Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 73 pass-through grants on file · 46 in Davidson County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyThe Trustees of Princeton University$1.6M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyThe Pennsylvania State University$1.1M2026
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University$920K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyThe General Hospital Corporation$839K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyThe Pennsylvania State University$756K2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai$734K2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University Medical Center$560K2023
University of TennesseeMemphis, Shelby CountyUniversity of Puerto Rico$553K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleVumc$500K spent that year2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleVanderbilt University Medical Center$493K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai$487K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Davidson CountyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai$462K2024

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

About the federal program

Mental Health Research Grants
Program number 93.242 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement), project grant, training

How applications are judged

The following consideration will be used in determining projects to be funded: (1) Technical merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review; (2) Availability of funds; and (3) Relevance to program priorities.

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

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What's wrong?

Source: Federal grants from Grants.gov · the official federal record. Last checked by GrantMe Oct 7, 2026.

Reference numbers: official notice number FOR-MH-26-200 · program number 93.242