Updated FAQs for NRSA Childcare Costs

This notice informs the community of updates to NIH Frequently Asked Questions for childcare costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Awards and Individual Fellowships.

The following update has been made to Section B. Fellowship-Specific Questions, to reflect NIH’s discontinued use of Notices of Special Interest for this purpose:

1.  How do institutions request childcare costs for Fellowships?

Administrative Supplements

Current fellows may request an administrative supplement to provide childcare costs on an existing award. Applicants must use the Parent Administrative Supplement Notice of Funding Opportunity. Applicants must select the Opportunity Package with “ADMINSUPP_FELLOWSHIP” Competition ID and complete the Childcare Costs Section of the PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form as outlined in the How to Apply – Application Guide. Applicants are strongly encouraged to request childcare costs for all applicable years that the project will be funded based on the dependent(s) age eligibility factor.

The following question has been added to Section C. NRSA Training Award-Specific Questions to address how supplemental funds can be requested through eRA Commons for institutional training grant awards:

7. Per NOT-OD-25-100, NIH will automatically provide childcare cost funds to cover childcare expenses for 25% of the full-time training slots in the Notice of Award. If my training program has obligated the awarded childcare costs and gets additional requests from appointed trainees, how do we request supplemental childcare costs from NIH?

NRSA institutional training grants can use the Prior Approval function in eRA Commons to submit a request to the funding Institute or Center. Recipients should use the “Other Request” option, indicate supplemental childcare costs in the description field, and provide a justification verifying the number of full-time trainees that have requested childcare costs for the current budget period and the additional funds needed to meet these needs. 

Full notice

National Institutes of Health
NOT-OD-25-165
November 20, 2025

NIH Operates Under a Continuing Resolution

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including National Institutes of Health (NIH), is operating under a continuing resolution through January 30, 2026, at the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 enacted level, with no reduction.

Consistent with NIH practices during FYs 2006 - 2025, NIH Institutes and/or Centers may, at their discretion, issue non-competing research grant awards at a level below that indicated on the most recent Notice of Award. All legislative mandates that were in effect in FY 2025 (see NOT-OD-24-110) remain in effect under this CR, as well as the salary limitation set at Executive Level II of the Federal Pay Scale (see NOT-OD-25-085) and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award predoctoral and postdoctoral stipend levels and tuition/fees as described in NOT-OD-25-105. 

Full notice

National Institutes of Health
NOT-OD-26-011
November 21, 2025

Change in Application Due Date for NIH Loan Repayment Program

Extramural LRP applications will be accepted from September 1 until December 4, 2025. All LRP applications must be submitted electronically using the Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST): https://public.era.nih.gov/assist/.

Full notice

National Institutes of Health
NOT-OD-26-010
November 19, 2025