Research Grants to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Physical Therapy-based Exercises and Movements Used to Reduce Older Adults Falls (U01) | RFA CE 22 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CE 22 006

This funding opportunity is a CDC-sponsored research cooperative agreement focused on reducing falls and fall-related injuries among community-dwelling older adults by rigorously evaluating physical therapy-based exercise and movement strategies that are commonly used in practice. The program is run through the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specifically the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). The intent is to support investigator-initiated studies that do more than simply deliver an intervention; applicants are expected to evaluate both how the intervention is carried out in real-world settings (process evaluation) and whether it achieves measurable benefits (outcome evaluation). The work centers on routine balance and mobility exercises that physical therapists often prescribe, including examples like heel-to-toe walking, sit-to-stand exercises, calf raises, and side leg raises, with the overarching goal of determining how well these strategies reduce subsequent falls and fall injuries.

A key emphasis of the announcement is equity and targeting need. CDC expresses particular interest in research that prioritizes groups experiencing disproportionately high rates of falls and fall injuries. This can include populations facing structural disadvantages such as lower economic stability or limited educational attainment. In practice, that means proposals that intentionally recruit and retain participants from higher-risk communities, examine barriers to participation and adherence, and assess whether effectiveness differs by subgroup are especially aligned with the announcement. The focus on community-dwelling older adults signals that the setting is primarily outside institutional care, so proposed studies often need to consider real-life variability in homes and communities, differences in access to physical therapy services, and practical constraints that influence whether people can consistently perform prescribed movements.

The evaluation requirements are central. A process evaluation generally examines how an intervention is implemented: what was delivered, by whom, at what intensity and frequency, whether staff followed the intended protocol, how participants engaged with the exercises, and what factors supported or hindered adoption. For physical therapy-based exercise programs, this might include tracking attendance, adherence to home exercise plans, fidelity to exercise form and progression, acceptability to participants, and the resources required by clinics or community sites to deliver the program. An outcome evaluation, in contrast, focuses on results. For this opportunity, that typically means outcomes tied to balance and mobility improvements and, most importantly, changes in fall risk, fall incidence, and fall-related injuries. Depending on the design, outcomes could also include functional measures (gait speed, timed up-and-go, strength or balance tests), health care utilization after falls, and broader indicators of independence or quality of life.

CDC also highlights two optional but encouraged add-on research directions that can strengthen a proposal. First, applicants may assess the feasibility of expanding the role of physical therapy staff beyond balance and mobility training to also identify and intervene on other fall risk factors. The notice names examples such as psychoactive medication use, hypotension, trip hazards in the home, and vision impairment. This reflects the reality that falls are multi-factorial, and that exercise alone may not address key contributors for many older adults. A feasibility component could examine whether PT staff can reliably screen for these risks, coordinate with prescribers or primary care for medication review, make referrals for vision care, provide home safety guidance, or connect participants to community resources, and then measure the time, training, workflow changes, and participant follow-through required to make these additional actions workable.

Second, applicants are encouraged to determine the medical costs or cost savings associated with these common physical therapy exercise and movement strategies. This economic angle can include estimating costs of program delivery (staff time, visits, materials, travel, administrative overhead) and comparing them with potential savings from fewer falls, fewer emergency department visits, reduced hospitalizations, and less post-acute care use. Depending on data access and study design, a proposal could analyze claims data, electronic health records, or participant-reported utilization to quantify health care costs. This emphasis signals that CDC is interested not only in clinical effectiveness, but also in whether these approaches offer good value and can support sustainable decision-making by health systems, payers, and public health programs.

Administratively, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U01), which typically means CDC expects substantial programmatic involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. In practical terms, this can involve collaborative planning with CDC staff, alignment on evaluation methods, and regular communication about progress, challenges, and dissemination. The opportunity is categorized under discretionary funding and the health activity category, with CFDA number 93.136. The funding opportunity number is RFA CE 22 006. The ceiling amount listed is $350,000 per award, and CDC anticipated making two awards under this announcement. The original posting date is December 15, 2021, with an original application due date of March 1, 2022, and electronic submissions were required by 5:00 PM ET on the due date.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organizational types that could credibly conduct applied intervention research. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); and small businesses. This wide eligibility aligns with the real-world nature of the topic: effective studies could be led by universities, health systems, community-based organizations, or multidisciplinary partnerships that can recruit older adults and deliver interventions in everyday service environments.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to produce practical, actionable evidence about which physical therapy-based exercises and movement strategies work best, for whom they work, and under what implementation conditions they can be delivered effectively to prevent falls. By requiring both process and outcome evaluation, and by encouraging attention to other modifiable risk factors and to costs, CDC is signaling an interest in studies that can inform scalable fall-prevention approaches, especially for communities carrying a disproportionate burden of fall injuries.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Grants to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Physical Therapy-based Exercises and Movements Used to Reduce Older Adults Falls (U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.136.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 15, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 01, 2022 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (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 $350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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