27 Jan Funding Alert! Area Health Education Centers Program
Health Resources and Services Administration
Attention institutions of higher education with schools of medicine! The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently opened its annual funding opportunity, the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program. AHEC develops and enhances education and training networks within communities, academic institutions, and community-based organizations. These efforts support three overarching goals related to the health care workforce: increased diversity and cultural competency, enhanced distribution (especially among rural and underserved areas and populations), and practice transformation for a high-quality health care delivery system. Applications for this program are due April 6, 2022.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include public or nonprofit private accredited schools of allopathic or osteopathic medicine, an incorporated consortium of such schools, or the parent institution(s) of such schools. Schools of nursing may apply for the infrastructure development phase if their state does not have an existing AHEC Program.
What are the program details?
The AHEC program includes two phases: Infrastructure Development (ID) and Point of Service Maintenance and Enhancement (POSME). All centers start in the ID phase, which focuses on planning and growth projections. Centers then transition to the POSME phase, where they focus on maintaining the AHEC program and improving its effectiveness within the specific community served. Centers spend a total of twelve years in the AHEC program, including up to six years in the ID phase.
AHEC programs center around five focus areas:
- Educational and Training Activities – including community-based experiential training, core topic areas (e.g., behavioral health integration, telehealth, social determinants of health, cultural competency, etc.), youth pipeline activities, and continuing education.
- Strategic Partnership Activities – broadening networks (e.g., with workforce agencies, minority-serving institutions, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and look-alikes, etc.) to maximize impact.
- Statewide Evaluation Activities – developing and implementing a statewide evaluation in collaboration with the centers to ensure consistency across the state.
- AHEC Scholars Program – developing an interdisciplinary curriculum to implement clinical, didactic, and community-based training activities, with a focus on rural and/or underserved settings.
- Other Requirements – the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (available for download here) includes a detailed set of additional requirements for centers and AHEC programs on pages 20-22. This includes center structure and governance, populations served, and statutory activities.
The funder expects to award up to 55 cooperative agreements from a total funding pool of $43.25 million. Cooperative agreements involve substantial involvement and collaboration between HRSA and the recipient. The NOFO includes a detailed description of HRSA’s program involvement and the recipient’s responsibilities on pages 7-9.
The anticipated amount of FY 2022 funding per program is estimated at $250,000 per center in the ID phase and $148,000 per center in the POSME phase. Projects have a 5-year period of performance beginning September 1, 2022.
What makes a project a good fit?
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HRSA encourage AHEC applicants to address one of their clinical priorities, which include health equity, health workforce diversification, the opioid crisis, behavioral/mental health care and access, value-based care and quality improvement, workforce transformation based on need, telehealth services, maternal mortality, and COVID-19 pandemic response. Applicants will also be asked to demonstrate the need within the proposed geographic areas to be served, including an area’s Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) score.
Note that HRSA also requires a training-focused emergency preparedness plan in case of a public health emergency. This helps to ensure the continuation of programmatic and training activities funded through this cooperative agreement.
What if I am ready to apply? To move your project forward, take the following action steps as soon as possible:
- View the Grants.gov synopsis and full NOFO, available here under the “Related Documents” tab, for a full list of program requirements and eligible activities.
- Mark your calendar for the informational AHEC technical assistance webinar (Zoom link available here), coming up on February 2.
- Review HRSA’s reporting and performance measure requirements for AHEC programs.
- Make sure your System for Award Management (SAM) registration is active and be sure you have a Grants.gov profile. You can check your SAM status here: https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker.
What if I need help with this application?
Contact Assel Grant Services today! Our team can help with all aspects of preparing the application and managing the grant if you are awarded. If you would like to discuss this possibility, please contact AGS as soon as possible. Rosie Brennan, community engagement specialist, will be happy to talk with you about this opportunity and provide you a quote for grant services.
What if I am not ready to apply this year?
Start planning ahead for next year! HRSA also has a variety of other workforce-focused programs available through its Bureau of Health Workforce. You can view the full list (and search other HRSA funding programs) here.
How do I learn more about federal grant proposal writing, so my application is more likely to be successful?
AGS is excited to offer a Federal Grants Training Series in 2022! The series is designed to support faculty and staff from institutions of higher education before and during the application process. AGS also offers several on demand webinars on a variety of topics to support the full grant cycle. Check out our website to learn more and sign up for our training newsletter.
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