National Institute of Mental Health Grants
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is a government organization concerned with the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. NIMH produces brochures, information and fact sheets, reports, press releases and more with regards to mental illness in the United States. The organization also awards grants and fellowships to organizations, research teams and individuals seeking to advance the cause of metal illness in the United States through research and other work.
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Funding
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NIMH awards six grants in five categories, or series, of funding as of 2011, namely Research Grants and Small Business Grants (R series); Research Career Development or Career Grants (K series); Training-Individual Fellowships and Training-Institutional Fellowships (F and T series respectively); and Program Project Grants/Center Grants (P series). Awards exist primarily for funding the education and career development of mental health professionals. P series grants provide a notable exception to this rule by funding organization-wide projects concerning mental health centers.
Grants provide project funding directly to individuals, teams or organizational projects while fellowships cover the costs of individual, team or organizational training programs without handing money directly to those being trained. NIMH awards most grants and fellowships in discretionary amounts. Research Grants, however, come in concrete amounts ranging from $50,000 to $275,000 as of 2011.
Application Process
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Applicants for NIMH grants may submit materials electronically or via mail. NIMH accepts unsolicited proposals in most grant categories. P-series project grant proposals, however, require solicitation by NIMH unless the project concerns AIDS, in which case unsolicited proposals are accepted.
Once submitted, the Center of Scientific Research (CSR) assigns grant applications to a NIMH or CSR peer review team. If a proposed project includes human test subjects, the review team solicits opinions from members of the general public. If a proposal withstands scrutiny from the initial review team, it passes to the NIMH advisory committee for approval. Project leaders with proposed budgets of more than $500,000 must request permission before application submission.
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Funding Strategies
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NIMH lists eight common reasons for rejecting proposals. These reasons are a lack of project significance; a problematic scientific approach to the project; a lack of innovation; problems such as inexperience or inadequacy on the part of the primary researcher; a lack of institutional support or available equipment for the proposed project; concerns arising from proposed methods of human or animal testing; inadequacy in a project's descriptions; and budgetary concerns.
The National Institutes of Health provide grant writing tips designed to help individuals and organizations avoid rejection. NIH recommends proposing only original or cutting edge ideas with a specific and clear focus, an innovative approach and full institutional support. All NIH grant proposals undergo peer review. Applicants should ask themselves, would I approve or reject his proposal? Why?
Grant Recipient Obligations
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A notice of grant award constitutes a legally binding document. NIMH grant recipients hold certain obligations for the duration of the award period. NIMH assigns a grant coordinator to all grant recipients. This individual answers all questions recipients have while monitoring funding projects and the use of funds. Grant recipients should stay abreast of grant policy by reading the "NIH Weekly Guide for Grants and Contracts." All NIH grant recipients must submit regular progress reports, usually due annually. Recipients receive emails from NIH two weeks before progress report due dates.
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