2022 Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities program. The purpose of this program is to support States in developing and implementing innovative programs to address the oral health workforce needs of designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (Dental HPSAs).

Donor Name: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Country: U.S., District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, America Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau

State: All States

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/31/2022

Size of the Grant: $400,000

Grant Duration: 4 Years

Details:

The purpose of this program is to help States develop and implement innovative programs to address the dental workforce needs of designated dental health professional shortage areas (Dental HPSAs) in a manner appropriate to each State’s individual needs.

Program Goals

The goals of this program are to:

  • Encourage and support State innovation that will increase oral health services for populations living in Dental HPSAs;
  • Encourage and support the strategic use of evaluation to improve program performance, assess program impact, and address the concerns and needs of key stakeholders and decision makers within the State; and
  • Encourage States to develop ways to sustain those programs that increase the accessibility and quality of oral health services within Dental HPSAs, which can include the adoption of the innovation by stakeholders within the State.

Program Objectives

  • Develop and implement one or more innovative programs to meet the oral health workforce needs of Dental HPSAs in your State.
  • Evaluate each innovative program for use in continuous quality improvement, assessment of outcomes and achieving desired results, and to inform key decision makers. Evaluation must be an objective of your program and include the evaluation of each innovative program proposed. Awardees must develop a written evaluation plan by the end of the first budget period to strategically improve project performance, measure impact, and for use in sustaining their successful innovative programs or encouraging adoption by key decision makers.
  • Sustain successful parts of your programs beyond the period of federal funding, which may include adoption of the innovation by other entities within your State.

Award Information

  • HRSA estimates approximately $12,800,000 to be available annually to fund 32 recipients. The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the final FY 2022 federal appropriation. You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $400,000 total cost (includes both direct and indirect, facilities and administrative costs) per year.
  • The period of performance is September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2026 (4 years).

Eligible Applicants

  • Eligible applicants include only Governor-designated, State government entities, such as the office of State’s dental director or a State-run university or dental school. In additional to the 50 States, eligible applicants include the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, America Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Private institutions are not eligible to apply. States are encouraged to work with tribal entities to facility greater consultation and coordination between State and tribal governments.
  • All applications submitted by any State-governmental entity other than the office/division housing the State dental director (such as a State-run university of dental school) MUST include a letter of support from either the Governor or the State’s dental director that specifically endorses the applicant as the State’s sole designated representative to apply for these federal dollars on the State’s behalf. Such applicants must coordinate with the office/division housing the State dental director as only one application per State will be accepted. The letter must detail how the State’s dental director will be actively involved in the project, include the State’s investment of resources to the project and any planned coordination activities at the State level, and these must be included in the application. Applications from State government entities, other than the office/division housing the State dental director, that do not contain this letter WILL NOT be considered for funding.
  • An application submitted by the State governmental office/division housing the State dental director does not need to include a letter of support from the Governor. For States without an official oral health program or without a State-level oral health leadership position, the eligible entity to apply on the State’s behalf would include the individual or entity within the State government that holds the primary responsibility for the State’s dental workforce.
  • All States are eligible to apply. If you are a current recipient with a period of performance ending August 31, 2022 at the time of submission, you are eligible to apply. If you are a current recipient with a period of performance ending August 31, 2023, you may apply for a new award with different innovative programs.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.