National Institutes of Health · United States

Advancing Screening, Diagnosis, and Referral for Late Talking Children

Forecast — expected to open 3 May 2027

National Institutes of Health expects to make 2 awards of up to $500,000 each. This is a forecast: the funder has announced the opportunity but it is not open yet; posting is expected around 3 May 2027 and the estimated deadline is 15 Oct 2027. Eligible applicant types include city or township governments, for profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses and 12 more.

Deadline: Estimated 15 Oct 2027 (not yet confirmed)
Opens: 3 May 2027
Grant amount: Up to $500,000 per project
Funding rate: No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated
Expected awards: 2
Cost sharing: Not required
Likely applicant types: Public bodies, SMEs / start-ups, Companies, Non-profits, Universities & research From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Reference: RFA-DC-28-007
Assistance listing: 93.173 Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders
Last checked: 15 Nov 2026

Open the official call ↗

About this call

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Tackling Acquisition of Language in Kids (TALK) initiative intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit research grant applications to improve the earliest steps in clinical practice for late talking children. The overarching purpose of this funding opportunity is to inform, develop, and evaluate evidence-based practices and implementation strategies to (1) effectively and efficiently identify early signs of late talking and (2) successfully guide parents, caregivers, and professionals in supporting the needs of late talking children at the first point of concern.

For this NOFO late talking is defined as a child, usually over the age of 18 months, not meeting expressive language milestones, for any reason. Populations of interest include, but are not limited to, children at higher risk for late talking due to premature birth, exposure to maltreatment or trauma, neurological conditions, motor and sensory disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, and intellectual and developmental disorders. Children who present as late talkers for no other known reason and with no other symptoms also are of interest for this NOFO.

Read the full text

For this NOFO, the early steps for services for children age birth to three years that are of interest include screening and developmental surveillance of late talking, referral and follow through for specialized services, and in-depth evaluation and diagnosis of language and other contributing delays/disorders. These services typically occur in primary care, specialty care, educational settings, and early childhood community settings. The research will need to be conducted in a relevant setting.

Research focusing on children as well as their parents, caregivers, and supporting community professionals is of interest, including how to support successfully navigating from initial concern to effective care. Community partnerships and community engaged research approaches will be a key requirement for this opportunity.

Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.

Investigators with expertise and insights into early language learning, late talking, early childhood education, early intervention, and primary care are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in clinical practice research, dissemination and implementation science, or community engaged research will be encouraged and these investigators should also begin considering applying for this application.

Who can apply

City or township governments
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
State governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Independent school districts
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
County governments
Private institutions of higher education
Special district governments
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Health

How to apply

Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
For NIH: the organisation and the principal investigator also need eRA Commons accounts; applications are usually submitted through Grants.gov (for example with ASSIST).
Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
Submit before the deadline and keep the tracking number. Check for amendments before you submit.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where applicants must be based: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where to apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

TALK@nih.gov · TALK@nih.gov · Please contact via e-mail.

Where these facts come from

Fact	Value	How we know	Taken from the source
Deadline	15 October 2027	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Amount per applicant	Up to $500,000	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Total budget	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—
Funding rate	No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated	read from the official text	15 Nov 2026
Who can apply	City or township governments; For profit organizations other than small businesses; Small businesses; Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments); Nonprofits that do not…	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Where to apply	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—

Official sources

Official call page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 15 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.