Award Guidelines

Call for Proposals: Health and Extreme Weather Research

Overview

NIH Strategic Framework

Read the Health and Extreme Weather Program Strategic Framework to learn more about the research goals and priorities of the National Institutes of Health.

Extreme weather events—such as wildfires, hurricanes, drought, flooding, and extreme heat—pose serious acute and long-term health risks and increase mortality, health expenditures, and prolonged hospitalizations across America. With support from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, the Natural Hazards Center is issuing a call for quick response research on the direct and indirect health impacts of extreme weather in the United States. This call is designed to address gaps in knowledge by supporting the ethical collection of perishable, health-relevant data and the rapid sharing of results through the publication of Health and Extreme Weather Reports and Research Briefs. Findings will inform efforts to save lives, prevent adverse health outcomes, and improve the quality of life of those affected by extreme weather.

Award Details At-A-Glance

Proposal Q&A Session

To learn more about this funding opportunity, please register for the Proposal Q&A session at 12:00 p.m. MST on November 7, 2025.

Please see below for key proposal and deliverable requirements. Additional details are included throughout this call.

  • Available funds will support awards of $10,000 to $50,000 each. Single investigator and/or single discipline proposals are eligible for awards up to $10,000, while larger multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary teams and proposals with a strong solutions-focused convergence orientation will be eligible for up to $50,000.

  • The lead researcher must be from an academic institution based in a U.S. state, territory, or tribal nation. Other research co-leads, research assistants, or local collaborators do not have to be affiliated with a university or located in a U.S. state, territory, or tribal nation—they cannot, however, serve as the project research lead and primary award recipient.

  • The extreme weather event under study must have occurred within 6 months or less of proposal submission.

  • The geographic focus of the research must be in the United States or its territories.

  • All applicants are encouraged to attend the Proposal Information Q&A Session on November 7, 2025 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. MST to learn more about this funding opportunity, ask questions, and receive proopsal development support.

  • The 6-page, single-spaced proposal should follow the Proposal Submission Guidelines.

  • A 20-page, double-spaced report summarizing project activities, findings, and actionable recommendations for health practitioners is due within six months of award activation.

  • A 2-page research brief is due after the report has been reviewed, copyedited, and approved for publication.

  • Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

Proposal Guidelines

Focus Areas

The proposed research must be designed to collect perishable, health-relevant data for extreme weather events that occurred within 6 months or less of proposal submission. Research proposals that focus on one or more of the following topics will be prioritized:

  • Physical or mental health outcomes associated with an extreme weather event or weather-related disaster, such as wildfires, hurricanes, drought, flooding, and extreme heat, but excluding geological events, such as earthquakes and volcanic activity.

  • Populations especially threatened during extreme weather, including, for example, children, older adults, people with underlying conditions, pregnant women and infants, children, outdoor workers, those in rural areas, groups with preexisting health conditions, and others who have less access to resources.

Required Proposal Characteristics

  • Project Leadership. The lead investigator must have a Ph.D. or its equivalent. Students are welcome and encouraged to be included as part of the project research team. The lead investigator must be from an academic institution based in a U.S. state, territory, or tribal nation.

  • Original and Robust Research Design. The proposal should be built on a strong review of the literature and have a rigorous research design. The data collection and analysis plan must be achievable within the award’s period of performance.

  • Solutions-Focused. Research that has the potential to reduce the health consequences associated with extreme weather and emerging weather-related harms.

  • Quick Response. The extreme weather event under study must have occurred within 6 months or less of proposal submission.

  • Perishable Data. The proposal must explain why the data being collected qualifies as perishable and how the researchers will use it to inform health recovery policies and practice. For more information on what qualifies as perishable data, please read this article.

  • Health-Relevant Data. The data collected must have direct relevance to health. Examples might include clinical assessments, biomarker sampling, validated symptom questionnaires, and/or data on health-relevant human exposures.

Desired Proposal Characteristics

  • Interdisciplinary. Interdisciplinary research projects which bring together investigators from public health, socio-behavioral, environmental, atmospheric, or other physical sciences will be prioritized. Proposals that advance interdisciplinary or convergence-oriented science that is problem-focused and solutions-based are especially desired.

  • Local Partnerships. Proposals that include plans to collaborate with local partners in designing and executing the research project and returning the results to the affected community after the study is completed are desired. Applicants with a previous track record of developing and sustaining collaborations with local partners are especially desired.

  • Data Publication. Applicants are encouraged to publish their research instruments on the Disaster Research Response (DR2) Resources Portal and data using DesignSafe and/or the CAFÉ Dataverse Collection so the information can be accessed by other researchers or community partners.

  • Reference or Baseline Data. Proposals that include a plan to incorporate data collected prior to the disaster and use it as a reference point or baseline to interpret disaster impacts will be prioritized for funding. The reference or baseline data can be secondary data.

Proposal Submission

Applicants are invited to submit a full research proposal through the online submission form which requires that applicants complete the following fields:

  • Investigator Name(s) and Affiliation(s)

  • Project Title: Limit 12 words. (Please use APA title case)

  • Full Abstract: Limit 500 words.

    • The abstract should provide an overview of the research project, including the study’s aims, the gap in knowledge it intends to fill, the main elements of the research design, and its potential to advance research and practice.

  • Brief Abstract: Limit 100 words. To be posted on the Natural Hazards Center’s website. See examples of the format here.

  • 3-5 Keywords

  • Focus Areas: Proposals should include a clear description of the focus areas this research intends to advance. Please reference the focus areas above that will be prioritized for funding.

  • Location of Study: The geographic focus of the research must be in the United States or its territories. Please indicate where this research will take place.

  • Proposal Narrative and Appendices: The proposal narrative should be a maximum of 6 single-spaced pages, with additional pages allowed for budget, references, and appendices. Please download the Proposal Narrative Template below and follow the instructions. Once completed, please save the document as a single PDF, no larger than 4MB, and upload to the online submission form, where indicated.

Download the Proposal Narrative and Appendices Template here.

Award Deliverables

Required Deliverables

In addition to the above proposal requirements, the lead investigator is required to do the following:

  • Report: Submit a 20-page, double-spaced report summarizing the preliminary findings of your study. The first draft report is due within 6 months of award activation.

  • Research Brief: After the report is complete, the Natural Hazards Center editing team will draft a 2-page research brief that summarizes the key findings, outlines policy implications, and identifies the intended audience of your report. These briefs serve to provide a snapshot of the research’s significance to practitioners, policymakers, and the public. The brief will be published as a professional PDF with photos and graphics alongside your report. You will be asked to review and approve the brief before it is published. The Center requests that you share photos of your research project for use in the brief. Find examples of published briefs here.

  • Photos, Images, Videos, and Other Multimedia: We strongly encourage authors to submit visuals depicting the research, as this can help illustrate the value of your work while also making your online report more visually appealing.

Research Resources

We encourage all Health and Extreme Weather Research Awards recipients to review the following materials, complete the free trainings, consider publishing de-identified data and research instruments, take advantage of equipment and research tools, and sign up for webinars and other related resources:

  • Methods for the ethical conduct and scientific rigor of hazards and disaster research described in CONVERGE Training Modules. Lead investigators should submit completion certificates for any CONVERGE Training Modules that they or members of their research team have completed. Recommended modules for this call include:
    • Broader Ethical Considerations for Hazards and Disaster Research
    • Collecting and Sharing Perishable Data
    • Conducting Emotionally Challenging Research
    • Cultural Competence in Hazards and Disaster Research
    • Social Vulnerability and Disasters

  • Hazards and disaster research best practices outlined in the CONVERGE Extreme Events Research Check Sheets.

  • Data collection instruments and tools from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Disaster Research Response (DR2) resources portal.

  • Equipment from the NSF-supported RAPID facility at the University of Washington.

  • Data management and data sharing tools from the NSF-funded DesignSafe Cyberinfrastructure and the CAFÉ Dataverse Collection.

  • Natural Hazards Center Resource Subscription

Funding Agreement

Award recipients must carefully read and agree to the following funding criteria:

  • The lead investigator designated in the proposal must be from an academic institution based in a U.S. state, territory, or tribal nation. Co-leads, project assistants, or local collaborators are not subject to this requirement—these individuals cannot, however, serve as the project lead and primary award recipient.

  • Teams can be of any size. However, award payments can be distributed to a maximum of five team members as designated by the lead investigator.

  • Payments will be sent directly to the awardees as designated in the budget to cover project-related expenses or time dedicated to data collection, analysis efforts, or the dissemination of results.

  • This award funding cannot be sent directly to a university or other agencies or institutions, and overhead or indirect costs associated with these funds are not allowed.

  • Expenses may need to be paid out of pocket if work begins before payment is received. Due dates will not be extended due to delays in payment processing.

  • Per tax compliance requirements, the University of Colorado Boulder will report payments to taxing jurisdictions when required. Individual payees will be issued any applicable tax forms directly from the University. Payees are responsible for any and all tax consequences related to payments they have received.

  • Individual recipients of these awards will be solely responsible for all tax reporting and ramifications. The Natural Hazards Center cannot provide tax advice. Awardees are allowed to include estimated taxes in their budget justification.

  • If you or one of your team members are a University of Colorado employee, please reach out to the Natural Hazards Center team at haz.research.awards@colorado.edu prior to submitting a proposal, as the funding distribution has different requirements, including additional fringe and payroll tax considerations.

  • For award recipients who are not U.S. citizens, the payment process may take longer and will require additional paperwork. All payments made to visa holders are submitted through the International Tax Office at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Award funding will be processed after proposals are accepted and awards are announced. To receive the award funding, the designated recipients will need to return:

  • One copy of a completed and signed funding agreement, to be issued upon approval to designated recipients of the award funds. The information for payees will be filled out on the form.

  • A W-9 or W-8BEN for all payment recipients (W-9 is for U.S. citizens or permanent residents; W-8BEN is for non-U.S. persons). If you are not a U.S. citizen, please reach out to Candace Evans at Candace.Evans@colorado.edu with your visa type and immigration status to determine what additional paperwork will be needed to process your payment.

  • A letter of approval or exemption from a university based Institutional Review Board, if applicable.

Researchers should not begin data collection until they have obtained IRB approval or exemption from their institution and submitted documentation to the Natural Hazards Center.

Submit Proposal

Questions?

Please contact award program co-administrators, Rachel Adams, Meghan Mordy, or Jennifer Tobin at haz.research.awards@colorado.edu.

Acknowledgements


The Health and Extreme Weather Research Award Program is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through supplemental support to the National Science Foundation (NSF Award #2536173). Opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations produced by this program are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NIH, NSF, or the Natural Hazards Center.