Implementing and Evaluating New Models for Delivering Comprehensive, Coordinated, Person-Centered Care to People with Long COVID (U18) | RFA HS 23 012

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 23 012

Implementing and Evaluating New Models for Delivering Comprehensive, Coordinated, Person-Centered Care to People with Long COVID (U18) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) issued under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HS-23-012 (CFDA 93.226). It uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U18), which generally means awardees should expect substantial federal involvement during the project period, such as collaboration on implementation, evaluation, and sharing of lessons learned. The overall aim is practical: expand access to comprehensive, coordinated, person-centered Long COVID care, with a clear emphasis on reaching populations that often face the steepest barriers to care, including underserved, rural, vulnerable, and minority communities that have been disproportionately affected.

The NOFO is designed to fund up to nine multidisciplinary Long COVID clinics. These clinics are expected to go beyond simply providing appointments; they are meant to function as demonstration sites that build, test, and refine care delivery approaches that can be replicated elsewhere. Funded sites are expected to develop and implement either entirely new models of care or meaningful improvements to existing models. In addition, clinics must increase the number of people with Long COVID they can serve, broaden the range of services available (for example, by bringing more specialties and supportive services into a coordinated pathway), and strengthen care coordination so patients do not have to navigate fragmented systems on their own. A central theme is whole-person care that is organized around patient needs, including coordination across specialties, primary care, and community-based supports.

Another major objective is to identify, implement, and share best practices for Long COVID management. Because Long COVID can involve multi-system symptoms and complex functional impacts, the program prioritizes building clinic workflows that can standardize assessment, triage, follow-up, and referral pathways while still tailoring care to the individual. The NOFO also explicitly calls for support to the broader primary care community, meaning the funded clinics should not operate as isolated specialty islands. Instead, they should contribute to education, guidance, and practical management support for primary care clinicians who see Long COVID patients first and often manage ongoing care over time. This can include creating clinical tools, consultative models, shared-care approaches, and training resources that make it easier for primary care practices to identify Long COVID needs, coordinate referrals, and manage patients longitudinally.

Evaluation and dissemination are not optional add-ons in this program; they are core deliverables. Awardees are expected to evaluate whether their care model works, how it works, and for whom it works. That includes tracking project success and documenting implementation experience so that other health systems and communities can learn from the funded work. The final objective is active dissemination of findings, which implies producing usable products and lessons learned that can be adopted or adapted by other clinics, health systems, and community partners, especially those serving high-need populations.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governments: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The NOFO also lists additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it clearly restricts foreign participation: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible either.

Key administrative details from the posting include an original application closing date of June 13, 2023, and a creation date of April 3, 2023. The award ceiling and expected number of awards were not specified in the provided source excerpt, aside from the program statement indicating funding for up to nine clinics. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an implementation-and-learning initiative: it funds real-world clinical programs to expand Long COVID care capacity, improve coordination and patient-centeredness, strengthen connections with primary care, and generate evidence and practical guidance that can be shared nationally to improve Long COVID care delivery, particularly for communities that are historically underserved.

• The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Implementing and Evaluating New Models for Delivering Comprehensive, Coordinated, Person-Centered Care to People with Long COVID (U18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

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